As National Learning at Work Week wraps up, workplace training and development has been brought to the forefront of UK business owners' minds. With competitive industries and shifting markets, a highly trained and adaptable workforce can be the key to your business' growth.
From the 19th-25th of May, UK businesses have been encouraged to actively take part and reflect on the training and development of their staff. Employees were given the chance to reflect upon their skills, consider their learning needs and given the opportunity to learn an entirely new skill through a series of interactive courses provided by some of the biggest names in the industry.
With job titles and responsibilities constantly changing and the growing need for employees to stay ahead in a competitive job market, staff training has become a hot topic. Whilst some businesses may argue that they don't have the time or money to train their employees, these companies could find that they are missing out on business growth by not implementing integrated training methods into the workplace.
Whilst it's important for employers to engage in staff training, they should also aim to inspire them in the process. By relating learning techniques and challenges to the individual's specific needs, you can ensure you have a happy and motivated workforce.
It's well known fact that the long-term effects of a poorly trained workforce can affect a business in terms of productivity, agility, staff retention and company culture. Training is a crucial commodity within any organisation and being able to deliver innovative and interactive content is key to this.
With the advancement of elearning, businesses can offer high-quality, interactive training content that can save time and money by giving staff the flexibility of having access to a range of online resources; meaning they can learn anytime they want.
Elearning training also allows companies to stay competitive within their rapidly-changing industries and means that, through the use of interactive content, they have a greater chance of keeping up with those changes.
Whilst Learning at Work Week has marked seven days that are dedicated to building workplace skills, it's important to remember that staff training doesn't need to take up too much time and, if approached the right way, could only take a few minutes. By encouraging staff to set just five minutes of their day aside for learning and reflection, employees could find that this has a massive impact on their personal and professional skills. Research shows that it can take just 21 days to change a habit. Therefore, by persuading staff to specifically make time for training in their calendars, their learning and development will soon become part of their workday routine.
Staff training and skill development should always be seen as a valuable method to improve productivity, staff morale, business agility and ultimately drive increased sales and business growth. Learning at Work Week is an important first step in recognizing this and working towards building a UK workforce that is confident, happy and highly-skilled. Although, in an ideal world, every week would be learning at work week.