DEVELOP YOUR OWN TRAINING

INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING some in-house training? There are several internal training options that may work for your business. Several of these methods are also low-cost, requiring only staff time and creativity on your part. In return, businesses of all sizes may find these programs lead to enhanced engagement as well as employee skill development. Here are some low-cost training approaches you can try:

• Cross-train workers. This involves having employees train one another to do different aspects of related jobs. This provides greater flexibility in assigning tasks, and also challenges employees to learn new skills and diversify their tasks. It can also be highly motivating to employees seeking career development, particularly young workers

just beginning to establish a career path.

• Train the Trainer Model. Train-the-Trainer is a framework for training potential instructors or subject matter experts to enable them to train other people in their organizations.

• Assign mentors. Match new employees with more experienced staff. Mentoring promotes the leadership development of current employees and encourages them to support the productivity and success of new workers. It also increases satisfaction and retention of new employees, who feel more confident and adapt more quickly in their new workplace.

• Low-cost community education. Low-cost community education offerings are widely available for very shortterm training on topics such as software skills, health and safety, basic legal knowledge and the arts. Contact your local school district office to find your nearest provider.

• Online training courses. Online courses are a great way for employees to learn at their own pace and select from a wide variety of courses, some of them free or at low-cost.

• Set goals and measure success. Finally, before you embark on any training or mentoring program, be specific about what you and your employees want to achieve. Use performance reviews to measure competency gaps as well as your employee’s desired areas of improvement. Then put your training goals in place.

Information obtained from http://www.careeronestop.org/ businesscenter/