Employee training has become a common practice in many organizations due to the ever increasing job requirements. Employee training is very essential because it improves their competence and self-awareness. New recruits require training in order to become familiar with the company structure and culture as they settle in their areas of specialization (Siberman, 2011).
The other instances where training is required are after employee promotion and when new systems are to be adopted by an organization. Training programs for employees should be of high quality to enable employees perform at the required standards (Siberman, 2011).
The quality of employee training depends on the quality of programs an organization puts in place. This essay will highlight some of the important steps involved when setting up an employee training program.
The first step in setting up an employee training program is the definition of training needs and goals. Training needs should comply with the general aims and objectives of the company. Training goals should be clearly stated before coming up with a training program (Siberman, 2011). The second step in designing a training program for employees is separating hard skills from soft skills.
Performance checklists should also be designed at this stage to help in assessing the relevance and quality of training. This step is used by program developers to establish what each employee needs to learn. The third step involves the creation of a training matrix that helps in tracking trainees and also acts a scheduling guide.
The type of training varies from one employee to another and this should be included on the training matrix (Siberman, 2011). The fourth step involves the use of a training matrix to assign training according to the areas of specialization of employees. The fifth step is looking for a training coordinator to facilitate in-house training. All the training programs should be supervised by the designated coordinator (Siberman, 2011).
The sixth step in developing an employee training program is implementation. New employees go through their orientation programs focusing on company policies and safety requirements. Other employees also undergo their training according to the training matrix.
The seventh step in developing employee training programs is the evaluation of programs. The training program should meet all the requirements that an employee requires to be competent in their areas of specialization. The program should answer all the questions asked before its development. After implementing the training program, the eighth and final step is program monitoring.
The monitoring process is very important because it helps in assessing the progress of a training program by receiving feedback from employees (Siberman, 2011). Training programs can be modified after assessing the productivity of employees as training progresses.
In conclusion, the process of setting up employee training programs should be taken seriously by companies for them to meet their set goals and objectives. Training programs are very useful in improving the performance of existing employees. All the necessary steps should be followed when setting up employee training programs regardless of whether the programs are one-shot or continuous.
Each training programs should have a performance checklist to be used for checks and controls. The quality of employee training depends on whether all the steps in developing the training program were followed or not.
Reference
Siberman, M., (2011). Active training: A handbook of techniques, designs, case examples, and tips. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.