To sustain valuable human resources, organisations need to be conscious about the job satisfaction and retention of employees. Every organisation, to be able to swiftly adjust in continuously fluctuating business environments, should invest in training and development of its employees. The importance of training for employees has also rapidly grown and organisations should use this chance to stay ahead of their competitors.  

According to a LinkedIn Report, learning and development are of today’s necessity and business priority, with 27 percent of organisations preparing for budget increases within development initiatives. As new markets emerge, so will new technologies, and both having a profound impact on education and development. Recognising new skills and ways of learning will help a company evolve and innovate for the future. 

See also: Implementation of GROW Model in Employee Training 

Developing the right L&D program that drives tangible results requires an intensive plan with correct execution. Without the right strategy, an employer’s investment in its L&D program would go awry. To make sure it does not happen to your company, follow these simple yet effective steps to create successful training in the age of technology. 

1- Assess the needs 

Different departments have different goals, and so do employees. Each employee has different needs in order to grow and be excellent in their field, thus it is important to make sure the L&D program addresses this diverse needs. The best way to measure such diverse necessities is by conducting a survey. Gather the results and discuss it with line managers and employees themselves in order to meet their demands better. Don’t forget to align the program with your company’s goals. 

2- Define training objective 

In this stage, HR L&D team should be clear regarding these three aspects: 

• Business goal the training supports
• The roles and responsibilities of employees in achieving that goal
• The kind of training needed to ensure they are able to fulfil these roles and responsibilities

Defining those objectives will help your programs flow effectively and efficiently. It also gives the program direction and serves as a yardstick to measure success. 

3- Run it like a business 

Arte Nathan, HR professional and President at Strategic Development Worldwide, suggested that every business strategic plan should be followed by an effective draft of a plan for their training effort that includes all the classic elements, as follows: 

• Clearly state the purpose and proposed deliverables. As the leader for L&D initiatives, show that you understand the depth and breadth of what you’re proposing.
• Include a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis that will help identify the appropriate training.
• Construct a realistic budget. Include all expenses, and be conservative (better to under-promise and over-deliver).
• Include an analysis of the benefits to your organization so that everyone can better understand the return on their investment.
• Know the numbers. Work closely with your company’s financial team to include the appropriate information and how best to display it.
• Market your program as if it were for customers. Leverage your public relations, graphics and marketing departments to brand and promote your programs, and design surveys to get feedback from participants.
• Conduct pilot classes to make sure your plan works. Trial runs help identify shortcomings and allow you to refine and make the program as good as everyone expects and needs it to be.

4- Keep innovating 

Today there are plenty of apps, games, and easy-to-use videos and editing tools that can be streamed to mobile devices. Make sure these latest trends are in your L&D plan to ensure that the program is fun yet valuable to learn. HR can collaborate with other organisations and training professionals to revise their program to achieve the best advantage. Nathan suggested to consider using GoPro and other handheld-type cameras to record messages, then publish them via  YouTube. These types of videos are easily accessed via the internet on both desktop and mobile devices, thus employees could learn anytime anywhere at their convenience. 

5- Assess, measure and develop 

Successful companies measure outcomes to make sure they continue to get the biggest bang for their investment. In his experience, Nathan does what is called “corresponding behaviours” – behaviours that can help measure the program to determine if employees actually learned how to perform appropriately. 

For instance, trained managers are asked to evaluate employees’ performance and provide constructive feedback and coaching to let employees know how they are doing in real time. Continuously developing and updating training and development programs is the best way to keep quality and excellence to employees and clients/customers. 

Read also: How to Host Online Training for Employee Development