10 Steps for creating effective training programs for employees

Training programs are a series of lessons and activities designed to upskill your employees. They help employees progress in their careers and tackle new challenges. Without a training program, your employees may feel stuck and unable to improve their skills.

An effective employee development training program is the best way to keep your employees engaged, improve your company’s output, and make your workforce resilient. Upgrade your workforce by checking out the best steps to creating effective training programs for employees.

What is a training program?

A training program is a planned series of activities and courses to teach your employees new skills. This is typically done through seminars, workshops, training and development courses, and other activities designed for knowledge-sharing. Its topics can range from soft skills to updated safety regulations, depending on what your employees need to develop and what your company needs to grow.

What are the benefits of an effective training program?

While the primary purpose of a training program is to upskill your team, an effective one can bring more benefits to your entire company. These benefits include:

• improved productivity,
• progress toward company development goals,
• increased employee retention rate,
• reduced skill gaps,
• and better work processes.

The best training programs help everyone in your company grow. If you don’t know how to build effective training programs for employees, don’t worry! Follow these 10 steps to create a top-notch training program for your team.

Step #1: Identify training needs

When you start creating your training program, the first step is to find what your team needs to be trained at. There are many employee training courses and activities, so it’s important to be specific. Start creating your list of training topics by determining what skills your team needs to have.

This can be done through a training needs analysis. It’s the process of identifying the specific training and development needs of your team. This is usually done by your human resources department to review the workforce’s current knowledge and skills.

After conducting a training needs analysis, you’ll understand any skill gaps in your team at an individual level, a group level, and an organizational level.

Step #2: Create training goals

After locating your team’s training needs, you need to set goals that’ll guide the training program. Your goals must be specific changes you want to see in your workforce. A good tip to follow is to make goals that are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely.

Examples of these goals include:

• My team will be updated on the most recent safety regulations.
• Our sales will rise by 10% this quarter.
• We will increase employee productivity rate by 10%.

Step #3: Align goals with company vision

Once you’ve got your goals, check if they’re connected to your company’s long-term development goals. Aside from upskilling, training your employees is essential to your company's culture and branding. While it’s usually done at an individual or team level, it can be an organizational-wide initiative with the right goals.

For example, if your company wants to become an expert in their industry, your training program could help with this. One of your training goals could be to discuss and adopt the newest technologies and skills related to your industry. Any goals that can align with your company’s development can help it remain competitive and relevant.

Step #4: Establish a success metric

To measure if you’ve completed your training goals, you need to set a success metric. It can be long-term milestones, criteria, or a feedback system that’ll help chart your team’s progress after the training. This will allow you to measure the impact of your training program and improve it going forward.

Step #5: Design your training plan

Now that you have your “why”, it’s time to tackle the “how.” This is when you start planning for your training program. You have to decide the main elements of your training program, like the topics, learning objectives, structure, and schedule. Make sure your training plan is aligned with the goals and vision you set in the previous steps.

Your training plan will also need the right lessons to fully equip your team with what they need. Find your next lesson in SC Training (formerly EdApp)’s Course Library. With over 1000 courses designed and approved by industry experts, they’ll have access to an entire library of knowledge with just one sign-up.

Step #6: Choose your type of training

The next part of your training plan is the method. There are many ways to deliver training nowadays. You can do it hands-on with demonstrations, presentations, or seminars. You may also choose to do it online through Zoom calls, video lectures, or an online learning management system (LMS). Choose the option that works best for your team and your current resources.

Step #7: Conduct the training program

Once you have your training plan, it’s time to implement it with your team. Make sure you have the resources to train your teams sufficiently. These resources include seminar rooms, books on leadership and skills, quizzes to test your team, and an LMS. The right tools and resources can boost your team’s participation in your training program.

If you need a tool that can help you implement your training program, you can use SC Training (formerly EdApp)’s Group Training feature. Whether your program is done online, offline, or a mix of both, this platform can simplify and improve your training processes. SC Training (formerly EdApp) can track attendance, present courses, and check recurring certifications. It’s an all-in-one platform that creates an upgraded training experience for you and your team.

Step #8: Evaluate the program

After you’ve gone through the program’s first run, you should evaluate it. It’s an important step in creating a training program that you can re-use for onboarding and upskilling future employees. This can be done through analyzing surveys, feedback, and performance metrics. You may also use these questions for your evaluation:

• Did you meet your team’s training expectations?
• Was the topic for the training program too complex?
• What are the weak areas of my training program?
• Did my team find the training relevant?

Step #9: Measure the success of the training

As soon as your team has completed their training, you need to monitor its results. Check if the training you’ve chosen for your team is properly included in their routines. To do this, review the success metric you’ve created in step #3. This is the tool you’ll use to check the progress you've made toward your training goals.

Note down any form of development your team has made toward your milestones. Also, check if your team’s performance or work habits have improved. If you don’t see meaningful progress toward your goals or your team isn’t meeting the success criteria, there may be some shortcomings with your training program that need addressing.

Step #10: Make improvements to the training program

To address any shortcomings, make the necessary changes to your training program. Use your evaluations and success metrics as a guide for the improvements you need to make. For example, if your team still has skill gaps, you may have to edit the content of your program. Similarly, if your team has a hard time remembering the training, you may have to use a better learning environment.

Even if your training program was successful on all fronts, you should still update it if your workplace has changed, if new information has been released, or if you need to train a new team. An effective training program stays relevant at any time of the year and can be reused for any team member who needs it.

Develop training programs for employees for long-term growth

Training programs for employees are an integral part of your company’s life cycle. From onboarding to upskilling, an effective training program can retain and improve your employees, keep your company’s output competitive, and create a more productive and engaging workplace culture.

Going the extra mile for training will take your company to another level. If you need a platform that can take you there, use SC Training (formerly EdApp). With their gamification features and AI tools, creating engaging training programs couldn’t be easier. You can also easily track your team’s training progress with their reporting and analytics suite. It has everything you need to create and conduct an effective training program.

Get access to the best platform for training programs for employees today! Sign up now.