In many industries, training and development is a “nice to have.” Organizations try to make sure there is some training available for employees, but in many cases, education is optional. Add this element to the reverse industry, where employees are required to take mandatory compliance training, licensing training and continuing education, and it’s no wonder they feel too busy to engage in Learning and Development that can and will contribute to their growth and success.
So how can the Learning and Development professionals who work in this space create opportunities that are quick, engaging and informational, and also ensure that employees in our organizations stay at the forefront of the industry?
Start at the top Recognition of the importance of training and education begins at the top. The senior executive level of any company must have the foresight to commit to educational opportunities for all employees. This includes consistent new hire training, subject matter training, and professional and personal development, as well as mandatory compliance topics. Senior leadership must set an example for managers to instill in their teams. Managers must work with their teams to manage projects and priorities so employees can make time to devote to education and development, and they must reward employees who do these things.
Dispel the “I’m too busy” myth We live in a world where we typically seek out immediate gratification. We can get information from our phones in a matter of seconds. We can watch a YouTube video on almost anything. We get our answer, solve our problem, or learn what we need to at the speed of light. Well, almost. Given this fast pace, we pile our plates high with projects, deadlines and deliverables. In short, we get busy. It becomes easy to put off what isn’t at the very top of our priority list.
To dispel the “I’m too busy” myth, it’s important that training keep up with today’s technology and adapt to the culture of instant gratification. Those of us in Learning and Development need to focus on quick, engaging and informational pieces to capture attention and get the details across quickly. Videos, interactive courses and engaging, animated presentations are certainly a good start.
Create a training plan Senior executives and Learning and Development professionals should work together to establish a consistent plan and requirements for education across the company. This team should also establish whether training will be conducted in-house or whether it makes more sense to outsource the creation of training materials.
Should training be done in-house, there are many Learning and Development support functions—such as curriculum development and technical writing, video course technology, and analytics, surveys and reports—that can be tapped to create robust, engaging and consistent content. Remember that all training materials must fit your defined format and be “on brand,” use easily understood language and reflect compliance requirement. Finally, Learning and Development divisions must provide statistics and reports to showcase a return on investment to the company based on the training they provide.
Set expectations and communicate what is available Once a company has a clearly established and consistent, well-rounded education plan in place, senior management must continue to set the tone on the importance of training and continuing education based on the needs of each employee. Communicate the expectations to everyone, and hold managers accountable to ensure that their employees participate in the training that they need.
Consider engaging with your corporate communications and marketing departments to help get the word out to the company about what is available in your training program. Promote these offerings in company newsletters, on intranet resources and during company, department and team meetings.
Stay relevant Training needs are constantly evolving and Learning and Development professionals would do well to ensure they are collecting feedback on their training materials to stay current and relevant. It is our responsibility to ensure that we have enough resources, technology and insight into today’s employees to provide education that is pertinent, engaging and informative. We must create a culture that encourages employees to seek out training and education for growth and development, not push it to the side or view it as an afterthought. If we do this, we equip industry professionals with up-to-date skills and knowledge, and help them emerge as leaders in their fields.
Conclusion Establishing a new training program may be challenging, but with buy-in from the top, engaging materials, a good plan and communication to the company, we can convince even seasoned veterans of the industry that continuing education is imperative to keep up with new skills, embrace changes, and learn new and smarter ways of doing things.
