Today businesses are being disrupted by forces in the domains of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Internet of Things and other such radical technologies that can change our entire world in unimaginable ways. As a business enterprises you are aware that software is eating the world and there is no way you can stay insulated. The perfect storm is brewing in disproportionate ways and it will not leave any business enterprise untouched. So what is your organization doing to keep up with the changing times?
Gone are the days when a mere college degree and a little bit of on boarding was needed for a lifetime of service from your employees. Now it is so harsh that if you are not updated with the latest technology then you not only lose your customers and market share but you will be relegated to oblivion within no time.
So now would be the perfect time to cogitate on upskilling your workforce in order to stay relevant in a world where your next competitor can emerge from any quarter. Here are some of the points you need to consider while zeroing in on the professional training institute for getting your workforce trained.
A Successful Corporate Training Program includes
- Choosing the mode of training
The mode of training has to be flexible and the organization should be able to choose the right mode of training. It could be online instructor-led training, self-paced or actual classroom training. Other than that you should have the option of choosing a best mode of training that suits your requirement. This could be a smart combination of online, self-paced and classroom training depending on the topics for which you want the specific mode of training.
- Content facilitating online learning
The entire content of the training program has to be delivered through the online mode of training. It should easily address the need of the employees to learn in a self-paced manner. The entire training should be available in an online mode so that the learner can study anytime and anywhere through any device.
There should be checks and balances in place to ensure that the training is going in the right direction. For that there should be enough quizzes and assignments in order to ensure that learning is happening in the right expected manner.
- Enabling multiple successes
This is also a very important yardstick for evaluating the efficacy of the corporate training program. The results do not have to be manifested only at the end but it needs to happen in regular intervals as well. So there should be various quizzes, assignments, and such other tests to check the proficiency of the learner and let them have small, regular successes which go a long way in ensuring the final big success of the training.
There can be no replacement for classroom training as people still learn the best when they are being taught about it by an actual person who is in front of them. So for concepts that are tough or need the precise attention of the trainer through his personal presence then you should be able to have that to drive home the point better.
- Understanding the employee background
There is a pressing need to understand the job profile of the learners plus what is expected out of them in the new role so that the training can go as per the specific needs. Also the employee background in terms of their experience and educational background can also help to make the training program successful.
- Well-structured content and segregated into logical modules
The entire content has to be clearly segregated into logical modules in order to help the learner understand it in the most systematic and comprehensive manner. Getting the content into modular format also helps to continue studying once you have left it at a certain point as there is an easy reference point.
- Rich and interactive methodology of learning
This is also an important aspect to consider since the content has to be rich and variegated. There should be different formats in the learning management system namely text, video, PowerPoint slides, pre-recorded classroom training, hands-on real world projects, etc.
- Projects as per the specific industry
The projects that you work on need to be very specific as per the organization whose employees you are training. So this gives an upper hand to the employees when it comes to implementing the knowledge that they have gained in the process. So tailor-made projects have a long way to go in helping your employees gain a hands-on experience regardless of the training tool or technology that you are equipping them with.
- Fast-track training program
In today’s competitive world no organization has a lot of time to train their employees and hence fast-track training programs are the need of the hour. But this does not mean the vital components of the training are left out. So it should be a fine balance of the most important components and speed with which the training is delivered.
- Getting on to real world projects immediately
This is one of the truest manifestations of the efficacy of the online training program. When the employees are able to make the transition on to real world projects without any hand-holding required then it means the training has worked its magic. So those employees who initially did not have any knowledge about a specific tool or technology are seamlessly able to make the transition to the new technology then the purpose of the training is served.
- A clear growth path identified with the new skillset of employees
This is also an important yardstick to measure the success of any online training program. When the employees are able to put their knowledge into practice and help the company get on the firm growth path then it means the training is the right thing that the enterprise needed.
- Robust reporting of progress and performance
There should be a very strong way of reporting the progress of any employees in order to make sure that the company is getting its return on investment through easily verifiable metrics and statistics. This way any issues in the training can be immediately brought to the notice of the training institute in order to tweak it and make it go in the right direction.
- Completion time of course defined
The training institute should have a clear timeframe within which the training will be completed. This helps the organization to understand how much time it takes to master the new technology and work on real world projects helping it save precious time and money and plan things for the future.
- Easily verifiable results
This is the most important parameter by which any training program will be judged. The results of the training have to be easily verified in quantifiable terms. This way the return on investment and various other aspects can be easily identified and documented for future reference.
When your employees are going for an online training then the training institute has to clearly manifest the goal of the training program. For that it is better to go with those training institutes which are in a position to understand the corporate goals of the organization that is sending its employees for online training and synchronize the goal of the training to the corporate goal.