Prodeceo Blog

Do you have a push or pull deployment model for your learning? This article discusses how to enable a pull model in your organisation and create a culture of learning.

In many organisations training occurs in a single direction, namely training is provided to meet the demands of the organisation. This is the push model of training deployment. Where learners are disengaged with the training process there can be serious resistance to push based training- "Why do we have to do this again?" is a common complaint from learners.

In compliance based environments there is a clear need to have some degree of push since the failure of a single employee to remain compliant can have serious implications for the organisation. Good oversight for these environments is essential.

The steps below can help you to enable a pull based learning environment.

Initiate personal development plans

Outside of compliance issues, you can create an environment that encourages learners to develop themselves by identifying their own training requirements. Having personal development plans in place is an important first step in enabling learners to pull training. These are often developed during staff appraisals; however setting aside a separate meeting allows you to focus on training.

Work out your training offering

Establishing all of the training requirements allows you to spot any gaps in your current offering. You might choose to develop new courses internally, or bring in a trainer if budget allows.

One of the most common issues is that learners are unclear about how a particular course will help them meet their development plan. Make sure that you express the learning objectives clearly, and point learners in the right direction where possible. You might consider rebranding your courses so that they align more closely to the identified objectives.

You should also be clear about the training schedule so that learners can plan their training effectively.

Enable staff autonomy

Learners can only pull when there are processes that let them. Can your staff book onto courses themselves? Do they have access to e-learning resources without asking permission? Begin to make your training materials availaible and signpost learners to them so that they can use them at any time.

Evaluate

Evaluation is a critical step in improving your deployment model as well as seeing how far you have developed. There are number of ways to measure this:

• You could conduct a training survey before and after making changes.
• You might measure any changes in uptake of e-learning materials.
• You can identify changes in instructor led training attendance.
• You can measure the impact of training outcomes on business performance. This is the hardest to capture but is probably the best measure overall.

Encouraging a pull based deployment model can improve learner engagement and produce better learning outcomes.

Optimax have completed a case study explaining how Prodeceo helped to improve their training processes and reduce their administration workload.

You can read the case study by clicking here.

What training opportunities do you offer your staff?

Many companies offer minimal initial training, with little additional training beyond what is required. This is most common in companies where there is a high turnover of staff. Looking at this situation from an employee's perspective, the lack of development might be the reason behind the turnover rate.

Some companies realise that offering training opportunities has three potential improvements for the business:

• Better trained employees can work more effectively, so productivity and performance can be improved.
• Develops morale by providing a stable team.
• Lastly, spending money on training may well be cheaper than recruiting new staff.

We have recently had the pleasure of working with Explore Learning, who were named 47th Best Company to Work Form by The Sunday Times. They have a core management-training programme that all new graduates undertake when they join the company, which is followed by a wide range of optional courses across a range of business areas. The opportunities that they provide demonstrates to staff that they are committed to development, and is ne of the reasons Explore Learning retains its staff so well.

If you are wondering how to improve staff retention and engagement, then looking at how you allow them to develop is a great first step.

Prodeceo makes managing training sessions easier by handling some of the admin for you. Prodeceo sends out registration emails and reminders in addition to letting the trainer know who to expect for each session.

The timeline below shows which emails are sent to attendees and trainers.

Automated email timeline.

You can customise all of the emails that Prodeceo sends, and also attach pre-course materials so that all of you attendees can receive the right information.

All roles have an element of necessary training. This is the bare minimum training required to satisfy the demands of the job. Our previous article, Preventing Personal Injury Claims Through Training, presented the minimum requirements to demonstrate a responsible attitude to the health and safety of your employees.

Going beyond the basic health and safety requirements, there is always a need to establish what training will be required for a specific job. It may be training to operate a piece of machinery or alternatively a process to be followed. These can sometimes be identified from the job description, however where the role is technical it can be useful to discuss the training needs with the line manager or a subject matter expert to ensure that you know what will be required.

Armed with a full understanding of the training required for a role, you can begin to develop an appropriate training programme. You should consult your existing library of training courses to see where you have ready-made resources that can be reused, and where new training is required you can look to create it. Over time you should be able to develop a complete library of courses and training materials for all roles in your organisation.