5 Excellent Reasons Why You Should Invest in Training Programmes

Your organisation's success is linked entirely to the people it employs. If your people can't effectively and confidently carry out their day-to-day tasks, your company will quickly begin to suffer. This is why employee training programmes are a vital investment for any organisation committed to growth. The Learning and Work Institute found employer investment in training per employee has fallen 28% in real terms since 2005. In a world where employees are driven and demand opportunities to learn, organisations should maximise the potential of high-quality training programmes.

Before considering our top reasons for investing in training programmes, let's explore several different training methods.

Exploring types of learning programmes

Employers have a great range of learning programmes to consider for their people. You can combine a mix of the right style of programme for your people or utilise different types of training depending on the skills being taught. The main types of learning programmes include:

• Traditional class-based training

This type of learning is similar to a return to the school classroom. Class-based learning is usually led by a qualified facilitator and can take place on or offsite with a designated number of days set aside for the programme. Groups of employees are often sent to go through presentation slides and activities such as case study analysis and reviewing company policy. The cost can add up, especially when offsite, with other considerations such as travel and catering to factor in.

Interactive-style training

Interactive style training is a lot more personalised and can allow individual employees to engage more effectively. It involves learners in the experience and often takes the form of role-playing sessions, quizzes and acting out workplace scenarios. Putting skills into practice in real work scenarios helps the training embed in the employees' minds for them to use effectively in real-life environments. Interactive training can be a long process and can be time-consuming, so this has to be considered. Similar to interactive training is on-the-job training, where your people learn through their experiences in the workplace and may benefit from a mentor or be given a chance to develop their skillset in real-life scenarios, with support.

Online learning

Online learning covers a significant breadth of different training methods. From simple e-learning presentations, where the information you'd gain in class-based learning is simply provided in a file for you to digest at your own rate, to microlearning, the chance to pick up and study bite-sized nuggets of knowledge and build up your overall understanding. The variety of online training means your people can benefit from a far more personalised experience and can set the pace and tone of their learning, choosing the relevant training for their role. You’ll need to consider and budget the investment and initial set up of your learning management system.

5 reasons you should invest in effective training programmes

Your business will thrive with the right people in the best possible roles, with the skills to confidently do their job. Effective training helps to deliver this, and these are the reasons your business must invest in training.

1. A stronger workforce

Onboarding is a time-consuming and expensive process, as is the whole recruitment stage. Investing in your people can be the most cost-effective and productive alternative. High-quality staff training increases retention, and employees feel valued and want to give their all to the business. Encouraging employees to enhance their learning keeps their buy-in with the organisation.

2. Attract and keep the top talent

People are moving job roles more frequently than ever before. The Institute of Leadership and Management report as many as 57% of millennial workers could move role within two years. Millennials make up the bulk of the workforce, so to attract those looking for a new role and keep their best talent, a well-developed and challenging training programme is a great incentive. Deloitte is just one of many companies whose surveys show that millennials and Gen Z employees thrive on the opportunity to learn, so providing them with training opportunities is vital.

3. Create a sense of belonging

Some people naturally fit in with the way your organisation works, while others may take a little longer to find their place within the cultural space. Training on your company's mission is vital in helping your people find their place, feel valued, and understand their role in supporting the wider organisation.

4. Discover hidden talents

In investing in employee training you can also find hidden stars and future leaders. Your business needs leaders to reach its goals and through training programmes you may recognise individuals with specific skills that make them stand out and push them forward for promotional opportunities. You may also find others who have the ability but need additional support or mentorship to get there, and without the right training programmes, you may never have realised.

5. Save money

Onboarding can be an expensive as well as time-consuming process. Estimates show it can cost as much as a third of an employee's salary, and therefore finding better retention methods becomes even more of a priority. Reskilling and upskilling motivated employees is much more financially savvy than looking to hire a new person for every role. The right training programme gives your people the skills they need to plug any skills gaps.

The vital role of AI in creating future training programmes

Research by Oracle shows that 27% of HR leaders believed AI-powered solutions for employee training are a positive thing. As skills gaps widen, utilising the latest technology to help advance learning and development becomes more important. AI allows learning and development teams to better understand their employees' needs and where there may be skills gaps within departments. Tools such as predictive analytics can help develop smarter learning content and fully personalise the individual learning experience. AI can effectively comprehend learning behaviours and forecast the needs of individual learners through machine learning. It can help recommend accurate further relevant training and learning opportunities to keep learners engaged.

Empower your people through training programmes

Effective training gives your people the tools they need to grow and succeed. This, in turn benefits your business success as you can tailor the training provision to suit the skills gaps and organisational needs. Utilising AI-powered technology to design and create training programmes helps to tailor and personalise the experience in an efficient and timely way, allowing each person to follow their own individualised learning path.