Old fashioned training methods aren’t yielding the results that employers expect. According to an InterCall survey, one-third of employees say that their company’s training is a “waste of time.” That’s bad news for employers who spend billions of dollars each year on it. Many more said that the training wasn’t exciting or that it lacked engagement.
So what can employees do to improve this situation? In the past, getting a better education was a serious challenge. There really wasn’t all that much that could be done, besides finding more interesting trainers. Today, however, with the rise of technology, things have changed substantially. Mixing and matching new tools and technologies appears to be the key to getting better training for your employees. Here’s what to do.
Mix In-Person And Online Training
The results of the Intercall study appeared to suggest that employees want a mix of in-person and online training. 50 percent of people said that in-person training helped them to remember facts better. 48 percent of respondents said that they wanted to be able to access material after the sessions had finished.
If companies want to train employees successfully, they need to combine both in-person and online training. Online training is great because it helps resolve issues that arise once the trainer has gone home.
Build Your Own eLearning Programs
Often it’s not the trainers, but the businesses themselves that know the information that they need to convey to employees. Now tools are available that enable companies to build their own e-learning courses. Training Connections Captivate courses, for instance, teach firms how to build them.
Make Training Hands On
According to a 2013 survey, very few employees learn effectively through abstract teaching. Most prefer instead learning by doing things with their own hands. Hands-on training might be a little more expensive than online platforms. But there’s evidence to suggest that it’s a lot more effective.
If possible, let your employees explore a new topic by actually “doing” it. It helps to build confidence. And because it’s multisensory, it’s more likely to be retained. Ultimately, hands-on training could provide a much better bang for your buck.
Allow Every Employee To Explore A Topic At Their Own Pace
One of the biggest problems with the modern school system is that it doesn’t treat people as individuals. The reality is that different people learn at different speeds. But we’ve been told since childhood that everybody should keep the same pace, no matter how gifted they are.
This clearly doesn’t work. Some people fall behind while others get held back. It’s a mess. What’s more, companies don’t seem to be doing a huge amount about it. In 2014 the Association for Talent Development did a study to see which companies adjusted the pace of training. Out of 240 companies, only 14 percent let their colleagues set their own pace.
Rushing employees through is ineffective, and they’re less likely to retain information. Allow your employees time to reflect on what they’ve learned so that the teaching can be reinforced.
