|
The
Training Plan
Elizabeth Treher, Ph.D.
SBN
Philadelphia
September 2001
Training
resources are wisely spent when employee development and
training begins with a plan
Properly
integrated with other development activities, training
and coaching increase productivity across an organization.
Yet of the $70 billion or more that is spent on training,
estimates are that more than half of this is wasted.
Successful
organizations plan strategically for training as they
do in the rest of the business. They develop long-term
training plans to meet current and future needs and to
escape the reactive environment of delivering training
programs to meet emergency requests or the latest training
fad.
There
are several measurable benefits for developing and using
training plans. You can:
- Maximize
your training dollars by identifying priorities and
focusing resources accordingly
- Eliminate
out-of-date or unnecessary programs and fine-tune offerings
- Provide
more employees training customized for their needs and
your business, generally at less cost than sending them
to external, generic programs
Outcomes
can be narrow or broad, depending on your goals, resources,
and the time available. For example, you might:
- Assess
organizational priorities for technical or non-technical
training programs
- Define
a training plan for a given job, a department or division,
or the entire organization
- Identify
learning requirements for your target audience, whether
new employees or experienced senior managers
- Build
a blueprint of programs to align training goals with
business goals and objectives. This plan can be extensive
and even include courses for continuing education or
affiliations with local degree-granting institutions
to offer employees undergraduate and graduate training
and degrees
- Developing
a training plan encompasses several steps, all of which
are meant to assess current and future training requirements.
These requirements need to be consistent with the business
goals of the organization. By creating and using a training
plan, the organization has a place to begin, a place
to move toward, and measurable points in between.
The
Process
The first stage of developing a training plan is
to review the business objectives and to identify the
competencies needed to meet those goals.
The
best training plans are tightly linked to both organizational
and individual development and should include relationship
skills, technical skills, and business skills. Individual
employees are usually able to identify needed skills but
often require support to identify approaches to build
those skills. Beginning by identifying skills and competencies
allows broader input and provides a stronger foundation
from which to select training topics and programs.
Once
skills and competencies are identified, the second
stage addresses education and training approaches
to build these skills. This stage can also include data
gathering on delivery options and an analysis of performance
problems. Issues related to communication or team problems,
customer complaints, process problems, regulatory non-compliance
issues, and other measures of job/organization dysfunction
can be examined. Analysis of why these problems are occurring
reveals whether training is appropriate or if there are
other better, non-training solutions.
Approaches
to collect data for stages one and two include:
- one-on-one
interviews with senior managers
- focus
groups to assess current and future skills needs in
each department, division, or team
- questionnaire
design and distribution for each target group because
questionnaires allow everyone in the organization to
provide their own perceptions of needs, interests, delivery
options, etc.
Once
information has been collected, the third stage
includes analysis of the information and leads to a report
summarizing training plan recommendations. Those who participated
by providing information or assisting in data collection
then need an opportunity to review the findings to adjust
and fine tune final recommendations. If the plan is organization-wide,
each functional or project area may want then to review
recommendations to prioritize their needs, if that was
not done during the data gathering process.
The
Results
A strategic training plan designed to support your
organization in meeting its business goals and enhancing
productivity. This plan can be a simple one, specific
for a single group or organizational unit, or a comprehensive,
organization-wide plan that lays the groundwork for developing
a corporate university or college.
Increased impact for your training dollars. You
will have identified key needs and priorities and know
your focus is appropriate. In addition, you will have
a point from which to base future efforts.
A
process with which you can continue to refine and update
the plan as organizational demands change. If during
this process you also identify helpful, motivated individuals
who are willing to continue to provide input on new and
changing needs, you will have developed an internal network
to provide on-going support. Also, look for opportunities
to use existing organizational data for future refinement.
Two examples are:
- New
job descriptions (which reflect the changing skill needs
of the company)
- Employee
development plans (to help identify and prioritize needs
on a regular basis)
In
addition, if your plan has been developed using input
from across the organization, it will have built-in commitment
for implementation. Once the training plan is developed,
there are several important next steps. These include
program design, delivery resource identification, and
a plan for evaluation. Each one of these steps helps to
provide a sound future for continued individual and organizational
development targeted for the needs of your business.
With
a training plan you will have clear evidence of employee
development needs and a firm basis for recognizing and
providing the appropriate training and development solutions.
Elizabeth
Treher, Ph.D. is President and CEO of The Learning Key,
Inc., (www.thelearningkey) a firm providing training,
consulting, and coaching for technology-based organizations.
Reach her at 215-493-9641 or via e-mail at entreher@thelearningkey.com.
|
