Training and Development Programs 

The good news is that many organizations are naturally conducting training and development programs already—often without realizing it. Employees naturally want to improve their skill set, move up in the organization, and help others. Outsourced HR providers and internal employee development teams direct those natural tendencies in ways that coincide with your business’s growth goals, and foster the kind of development you want to see within your organization. 

The growth of your employees is an ongoing commitment and process, and it requires establishing programs and training that support them in their roles at your company. But what does this look like beyond the training in your onboarding process? 

The training and development process begins with defining characteristics you want to see grow in your organization. That might be a commitment to developing more leadership, creating a more dynamic environment, or a culture of self-improvement. From that vision, it’s about introducing necessary elements through training and development programs. 

What Are Training and Development Programs?

Let’s define some training and development strategies in HRM, or human resource management. These are programs you can put into place systematically with the help of your human resources team, or you can simply promote these tools from the top down to encourage organic development. 

Coaching and Mentorship

It’s natural for veteran employees to work alongside newer or less-experienced staff to instruct on processes, day-to-day training, and other onboarding measures. Your aim is to make these coaching and mentorship intentional and structured, and to accomplish improved performance, skill sets, and employee knowledge. 

Stretch Assignments

Promote development with projects like stretch assignments, which are designed to put employees in situations, real or imagined, that go beyond their basic job responsibilities and ask them to complete a task that often requires additional organization and leadership. Ensure employees are aware of the stretch assignment and that they know the purpose of assigning them the work is to enable their development. 

Workshops 

How often are your teams meeting together to discuss current, upcoming, or previous projects to evaluate efficiencies, communication, strategy, or process? Often we get pushed onto the next project or task and never stop for review. Workshops help teams and individuals reflect on their involvement with a project (upcoming or previous) so they can develop improvement strategies. 

Research & Education

How often do employees receive time to dedicate towards research and continuing education in their field? More often than not, we’re too devoted to the task and production at hand to take employees away from a project. But this intentionality is key to promote employee development and create a culture that places value on learning. 

What Are Examples of Training and Development?

So what might be some examples of training and development programs for employees from the list of programs above? 

• Instead of conducting annual reviews, create a stretch assignment and have employees complete annual presentations that put them in front of leadership to review departmental goals, projects, and future aims. 
• As a way to cross-train employees, build out a program of mentorship and coaching across departments, pairing newer employees with veterans and giving them time each week to review processes, discuss previous projects, and more. 
• Take time during your next project kick-off meeting introduce a workshop element: encourage team members to define three or four project process goals to collectively work towards. At the end of the project, conduct a group assessment to reflect.

How Can We Improve Our Training and Development?

One of the most important things you can begin today to improve training and development within your organization is to start the process of creating an employee development plan with each of your employees. A tool like an employee development plan bridges the gap between the organization’s goals and the individual’s goals. 

Employee development plans provide the opportunity for employees and leadership to have conversations about what courses of action, trainings, and development programs might be beneficial for the employee’s growth. During these talks, identify skills gaps, areas of interest, leadership opportunities, and training opportunities.

Develop Your Employee Training Program With Milestone

Getting an outside perspective is important—both in terms of strategy and accountability. At Milestone, we know how to develop a training plan for employees, and we’re flexible in helping you develop programs within your organization. As outsourced HR strategists, we first help you define your goals and then work together to take actions that are measurable and effective. 

Whether that means working with your current internal human resources professional for additional support, or if you want us to conduct the entire process ourselves, our goal is to make credible improvements that will continue to benefit new and current employees and the overall health of your business. 

Want to learn more? Contact Milestone Business Solutions today and start a conversation that could lead to impactful change in your business.