Online training programs for employees have proven benefits for both staff and the organizations offering them. These programs have led to a 42% increase in revenue for U.S. organizations while saving organizations millions of dollars compared to traditional employee training.
Offering an online training program is also a stronger way to engage your staff so that they stick around to learn the necessary skills. Research has shown that e-learning opportunities have higher retention rates than traditional face-to-face learning.
If these benefits sound impossible to pass up but you’re unsure where to start, read on for an introduction to designing a training program for employees.
Before Designing a Training Program for Employees
Before you start developing your training program, conduct a training audit. This step allows you to assess the inefficiencies in your organization that can be improved with a training program. A training audit will also help you better assess your company’s needs and then select the team that will develop a shared vision for the program.
You'll have to identify your target learners and consider their learning styles. Unlike young people, adult learners bring prior knowledge and experience to the table that will enhance your training program.
Adult learning is also more self-directed and goal-oriented than learning geared toward youth, so you’ll want to understand your employees’ long-term goals, how they can achieve those goals within your organization, and how this training program will support them. Understanding your learners’ experiences and objectives will help you design a training program that builds on their skills and offers them something new and worthwhile.
Finally, you need to know your business’s values and goals well so that you can incorporate them into your program. The program will be designed for your organization as well as your staff. To ensure employees want to further your organization’s mission by being part of this opportunity, you must have these long-term goals embedded in the program.
Developing Employee Training Programs
Program design starts with developing learning objectives. These objectives should help the learner understand what they will learn and how they will apply the knowledge to your organization in new ways. These objectives also need to motivate the learner to achieve tangible goals for themselves and the organization at the end of the program.
You’ll have to decide which online learning platform to use. Different platforms suit different learning styles. Your platform must meet your learners’ preferred delivery style, whether it’s video-intensive, immersive, social, or some other modality.
You must explain assessments and how they will be structured. Assessments should be crafted so that learners can demonstrate that they are truly absorbing new skills and retaining knowledge.
Finally, this program should end with some form of credential or certification. Learners want a tangible outcome that demonstrates the skills they’ve learned that they can then share with others. Determine the specific certification as well as the value it will have to prospective learners and your organization.
Get Help Designing Training Programs
Now you know what to consider when designing a training program for employees. However, there’s a lot more to actually developing and implementing these programs, and following these steps on your own can be challenging. That’s why it makes good strategic sense to let professionals support you.
Extension Engine works with many organizations to develop custom training programs. We look at your goals, listen to your needs, and help you choose a platform and program design specific to your organization. Contact us today, and let us help you build a program that will launch you and your staff toward new heights.