When someone starts a new role – especially if that new role is at a new organisation, it can be safe to assume that the knowledge of what their day-to-day involves will be non-existent to limited at best.
Now, sure, experience counts?
Knowledge of processes, products, services, software and even how different personality types work together can be nothing but beneficial, easing the burden that can be felt when employees are attempting to learn a whole lot of new skills, processes, the environment, and so much more.
But the very experience that new hires have brought to the table doesn’t mitigate the fact that they’re still in a new role, a new environment, and in some cases, a whole new industry.
Which is why having an effective employee training program can make the difference between success and failure!
Indeed, developing a detail-rich, high-quality employee training plan is critical to ensuring that everyone new to their role understands their responsibilities, is comfortable in the environment, can adapt to change, feels confident, even in sectors where personal injury is a risk, and makes people feel safe.
This is especially important in today’s widespread working environment -an environment that can fall victim to skills gaps, must adapt to persistent digital transformation, and can struggle with retaining the most talented employees.
Poor planning, especially when training employees with zero to limited experience in the role, puts organisations at risk of yielding inconsistent, ineffectual operations.
This results in wasted time, money, and opportunities.
In short, without an effective employee training plan, anyone newly in a role will struggle to get up to speed without delay or hesitation–and this can ripple throughout the whole department, even the organisation. 😧
Now, how do you create an effective employee training program? Follow these actionable steps.👇
The Seven-Step Employee Training Plan
First things first, let’s outline the seven steps of an employee training program clearly.
For any organisation to successfully train new and existing employees, it must follow the steps below.
|
Step
|
Description |
Core Activities |
| Step One: conduct a skills gap analysis | Understand what knowledge and skills employees lack |
|
| Step Two: set clear learning objectives | Define what you want the training to achieve |
|
| Step Three: design the training program | Structure the content and delivery methods |
|
| Step Four: choose the right training tools | Select tools to deliver and manage training |
|
| Step Five: Implement the training program | Launch the training program for employees |
|
| Step Six: Track and measure training effectiveness | Evaluate training success |
|
| Step Seven: continuously improve and update training | Keep training relevant and evolving |
|
Now, let’s look at each of these phases in a little more detail.
Step One: Identify training needs
Just as effective training starts with baseline assessments, the first step to a strong employee training program is a thorough assessment of the knowledge and skills that are present within the organisation. And where your experience and skills are lacking. Understand this, and you’ll know where to focus employee training. ⭐
Now, this process can be as simple or complex as you like; however, to be successful, it needs to be tailored to your organisational needs and feature three core components: completion of a skills gap analysis, be aligned with your short- and long-term goals, and focus on gathering employee feedback.
Step Two: Set clear objectives
This step’s crucial.
After all, how can you understand exactly what you want to achieve from your employee training if you don’t have clear objectives? The answer? You can’t.
So, before you even begin to consider what training is essential to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and success of your organisation, you must first consider what your short-term and long-term objectives are. What do you want to achieve?
The best way to do this is to set SMART goals.
Why?
SMART goals ensure that all training is structured, measurable, and aligned with the organisation’s goals.
Be specific. This prevents confusion and ensures employees fully understand what’s required of them.
Examples of specificity include upskilling a team to use a specific digital tool or software. Not something too general, like “focus on developing digital skills.”
Make sure that all goals are measurable so it’s easy to track progress and assess success.
This makes it easier for managers and teams to make sure that goals are achieved. For example, complete the first three training modules and ensure that all employees achieve an 80% pass rate.
Don’t forget that all goals should be achievable.
Realistic goals boost confidence and motivation, preventing frustration and mitigating burnout. This could be something like, schedule and complete your first call by the end of the second week. 🤔
Focus on making sure that all training is relevant – that it’s aligned with what the organisation’s objectives are and that it appeals to employees.
This helps trainees to see the purpose behind what they’re learning, while aligning training with company objectives. Consider something like understanding business values to improve customer service.
Lastly, add a timely deadline to encourage urgency and focus.
This keeps employee training on track, avoiding dragging out the onboarding process. For example, complete onboarding before (INSERT DATE).
Step Three: Design the training program
Now for the actionable part: designing the training program.
One of the first actions to take is to pull from a range of different resources and create your own modules, tailored to your training objective.
Work with subject matter experts (SMEs) to develop relevant and engaging content.
Training courses developed by SMEs are, invariably, more nuanced and tailored to your organisation compared to programs created by third parties.
If you can do it yourself, then why not give it a go? Leverage collaboration between SMEs and an L&D team.
This allows you to create more cohesive content to meet the learning needs. As a result, trainees become more invested in the entire learning process.
Engage SMEs to develop a robust learning library. One that’s tailored to your organisation’s needs.
In fact, why not leverage L&D platforms, like Thirst, to quickly and efficiently access and share vital resources?
All this can be summarised in just three points.
Firstly, be sure to choose the right training formats (either e-learning or in-person), building structured learning pathways (roadmaps to guide learners from beginners to experts) whilst personalising the training content so that it appeals to individual learners.
Step Four: Choose the right training tools and resources
Now, onto the meat and bones of your employee training program: choosing the right training tools and resources.
This is critical. The wrong training tools and resources can compromise the effectiveness of your training program. The right training tools will accelerate training success.
Learning Management Systems (LMS), like Thirst, streamline the training process by providing a centralised platform where employees can access training materials, track progress, and engage with interactive content.
LMSs are paramount to helping organisations manage and monitor every stage of the learning journey, from module completion to training scalability, and can be applied to all stages of the learning journey, regardless of the size of your team.
Better still, incorporating microlearning modules into employee training can significantly enhance retention and engagement.
Microlearning breaks down dense, often complex information into small, digestible chunks. This means employees can learn quicker – something that’s ideal in today’s fast-paced working environment, while focusing on specific skills or knowledge areas.
Additionally, learning content can be distributed across a wide range of mediums. From short video lessons to interactive quizzes, even quick reads. This allows organisations to tailor content to their audience.
Another, equally valuable tool, is the ability to leverage AI-driven content to improve training outcomes. LMSs with integrated AI, like Thirst, can personalise the learning experience, adapting content to suit learner preferences and pace, while filling knowledge gaps. 💻
Even more impressively, AI can curate relevant learning materials based on real-time data, therefore ensuring that each employee has access to information pertinent to their individual learning experience.
And let’s not forget that an effective employee training program can balance internal and external resources; though, of course, this is entirely at the discretion of the organisation.
Expert-led L&D courses can drastically improve employee understanding, and combined with the valuable context provided by LMSs, can create fresh perspectives and deepen understanding.
Step Five: Implement the Training Program
Now comes the most exciting step: launching the training program!
This is, arguably, the most crucial step when training new, established employees for any new duties they’ll take on.
But how exactly do you implement a training program? It’s easier than you might think.
In fact, the entire process can be split into three distinct phases: establishing a roll-out strategy, implementing a robust employee communication plan and involving everyone, from senior managers to team leaders and employees, in the entire process.
Below is a clear outline of the entire three-step process, clearly identifying the actions you need to take to successfully implement any training program.👇
Establishing a Rollout Strategy
One of the first decisions to make is establishing a rollout strategy.
Organisations can choose to either strategically roll out training through a pilot scheme, one where training is assessed in a small focus group before expanding company-wide, or go for it, onboarding everyone in the company simultaneously.
There are benefits to either of these options.
Pilot programs allow for valuable feedback, helping organisations to identify potential issues, improve content and refine methods before full implementation.
Contrasting that, a full rollout may be ideal for organisations when time is against them, and they need to get employees up to speed as quickly as possible or, of course, when a pilot test has already been successfully completed.
Implement a Robust Employee Communication Plan
The next decision that organisations must make is how to communicate the training organisation-wide.
Any plan must inform employees of what the training is, why they’ve been chosen to undertake it, how it will benefit them (ideally in the short and long term), and what’s expected of them, e.g., that everyone will achieve an 80% pass rate at the end of the training to prove that they’ve absorbed the requisite information.
This plan should inform employees of the purpose of the training, what it entails, and how it will benefit them once completed.
Organisations can choose to communicate this either digitally, through email, Slack calls, Teams meetings, etc., or through in-person, face-to-face meetings. This can help reduce employee friction, resistance, and confusion.
Be sure to communicate timelines, instructions, how to access digital platforms, and support options while making it as easy as possible for employees to engage with the training modules. 📣
Getting Senior Management Buy-in
Finally, let’s examine the importance of involving managers to support employees throughout the process.
Managers should spearhead the training, informing employees of completion timelines, offering encouragement and support, and reinforcing the training’s value.
More than that, managers are responsible for providing consistent feedback and holding departmental team leaders accountable to ensure everyone is sufficiently up to speed with their training.
In certain circumstances, it may be a good idea to encourage managers to participate in the training itself, leading by example, and cultivating a sense of camaraderie that bolsters commitment.
And there’s also the bonus that when team members see that their managers are committed to the training, they’re more likely to see it not as an option, but as a necessity and engage fully with every aspect of the program.
Organisations that commit to implementing an effective training program create a positive training experience, one that drives meaningful learning outcomes and achieves long-term performance improvement – something that benefits individual employees, departments, and, indeed, the whole organisation! 🙌
Now, of course, your employee training plan can be as straightforward or as detailed as you like, and any one of these three pillars can be split into several other sub-sections, but provided that you focus on establishing a rollout strategy that works for your organisation, having a robust employee communication plan and making sure that managers can lead the process, you’re on the right track to securing impactful training.
Step Six: Track and Measure Training Effectiveness
Now that you’ve designed and rolled out your employee training program, the next step is to track and measure its effectiveness.
This step is crucial.
Why?
Well, if you don’t track and measure its performance, there’s simply no other way of understanding how successful the training has been.
There are several separate ways that you can do this. Keep reading below to discover the core ways you can use to track and measure training effectiveness.👇
Training Completion Rate
Employee training is only effective if employees complete the training!
Therefore, it makes sense that monitoring training completion rates is essential.
By tracking and reviewing training completion rates and you’ll uncover employee engagement. This will tell you if your training has been accessible and understood by employees.
Use KPIs
This one’s simple and has been used successfully by organisations worldwide for a long, long time. But there’s a reason for that: they work!
KPI metrics provide concrete data that demonstrates how impactful the training has been. Common KPIs include knowledge retention, employee engagement and performance improvement.
Knowledge retention measures how much information employees remember after completing the training. There is a wide range of metrics employers use to measure knowledge retention – these include post-training quizzes and assessments, and follow-up evaluations after an elapsed period.
Performance Improvements
The simplest way to understand if your employee training has been a success is if standards have improved post-training. This is a sure-fire way to see if the completed training is influencing behaviour and productivity.
The good news is that of all possible ways to track and measure employee training effectiveness, performance improvements are, arguably, the most tangible.
Gather Employee Feedback
Another crucial step to evaluating employee training success is to gather feedback directly from employees.
Be sure to ask them which aspects of the training they felt were beneficial and which they felt weren’t so much.
Not only does this help organisations identify what’s working and what isn’t, but it gives employees a voice, knowing that their influence can help shape their own and the organisation’s development.
You can gather employee feedback in several ways.
From anonymous surveys and focus groups to one-to-one discussions, and more, gain significant insight into the effectiveness of each training program, and you’ll uncover vital insights that quantitative data may miss.
Better still, by directly involving employees in the training process, organisations demonstrate continuous improvement and build a culture of continuous learning.😀
Once all the data is collected, organisations can then use it to refine and improve any future training program. For instance, if specific modules consistently underperform or are poorly scored, they can be revised or replaced.
Conversely, identifying which aspects of the training are the most effective allows organisations to replicate, iterate and expand.
This approach ensures that all training remains dynamic, relevant, and aligned with organisational goals.
In the end, a well-evaluated training program is a strategic asset, driving long-term employee growth and ongoing organisational success.
Step Seven: Continuously Improve and Update
Now we come to the final step: continuously improving and updating the training.
This is essential to building a successful employee training program, one that keeps pace with evolving workplace demands.
Why?
Well, if nothing else, we’re currently in the middle of one of the biggest upheavals that the working world has ever experienced.
Industries the world over are being forced to adapt to AI, other technologies, market trends and regulations. In this climate, employee skillsets must also evolve.
Static training programs quickly become outdated.
The result?… Employees are often left unprepared for the current and future challenges they may face.
Regularly reviewing and improving training plans equips organisations with the ability to adapt to how workplaces are evolving.
One of the key benefits of investing in employee training is that you’ll be able to align all learning content with real-time, even future business goals.
For example, if an organisation decides to launch a new product or service, roll out a new software system, or shift its marketing strategy, accompanying employee training will also be required to ensure a seamless learning process and widespread adoption.
Moreover, incorporating employee feedback, industry updates, and emerging best practices ensures that all employee training remains relevant and impactful.
Let’s not forget that focusing on continuous improvement builds a strong L&D culture.
Employees feel valued and supported, committed to the organisation, while feeling empowered to take ownership of their professional development.
Ultimately, this will benefit the organisation, fuelling long-term individual and organisation-wide success.
Final Thoughts
Like anything else, to master an effective employee training plan, effort is needed. It’s all about starting small, staying consistent, and optimising the process.
Think of it as not just an employee training program, but a project. One that has short and long-term benefits for your organisation and everyone who works there.
So, just to reinforce the key steps, organisations that want to create an effective employee training plan should always follow the following steps:
Step One: Conduct a skills gap analysis
Step Two: Set clear learning objectives
Step Three: Design the training program
Step Four: Choose the right training tools and resources
Step Five: Implement the training program
Step Six: Track and measure training effectiveness
Step Seven: Continuously improve and update training
How simple or detailed you wish to make every step is up to you, however, the most effective training plans feature the same or similar structures to the above.
Don’t forget that an employee training plan is not just a project, something that’s on an organisation’s to-do list…It’s a strategy.
A reference to draw from. Something that organisation’s large and small, can leverage to improve and evolve individual skillsets and the organisation’s potential future success.🔥
So, if you haven’t managed to leverage an effective employee training program, one that elevates the organisation and everyone working there, to heights that exceed even the loftiest of ambitions, these seven steps provide you with a framework, a roadmap to success.
Got 2 Minutes?
If your organisation is struggling with disengaged learners, Thirst has the solution.
Thirst is an AI-powered learning platform that helps L&D teams of all sizes boost learner engagement and create experiences tailored to today’s learners.
Take a guided tour today and see Thirst in action.
For more e-learning insights, resources and information, discover the Thirst blog.
You may also enjoy:
Why Employee Training Is Important? | Employee Preboarding: Steps to Wow New Hires | Cultural Diversity Training: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Get It Right
