Continuous training in the company: what, how and why?

Formación continua

In simple terms, for Francesco Avallone, author of Psychosocial training: methodologies and techniques, continuous training “means Generate changes in employee work performance”.

The definition by William McGehee and Paul W. Thayer is more complete, as they describe it in their work Training in Business and Industry  as “the formal procedures an organisation uses to facilitate learning, so that the resulting behaviour contributes to the achievement of the organisation's aims and objectives”.

For his part, Irwin L. Goldstein, in Training in Work Organisations, conceives continuous training as “the Systematic acquisition of attitudes, concepts, knowledge, rules, or skills that imply an improvement in work performance.”.

Moreover, the Ministry of Labour refers to continuing professional development as “the The set of training actions carried out by companies and aimed at their employees, characterised by being financed, directly or indirectly, partially or totally by companies and having the objective of improving or adapting the professional capabilities of their workers, their knowledge or their qualifications, provided that they are related to the activity or profession they carry out or will carry out in the future within the company”.

Why include training plans in companies?

La Roll-out of continuous training initiatives in organisations involves benefits for both professionals and companies, well, as C. Lemoine points out in Evolution of Training in Organizations, is a key factor that enables the strategic adaptation of human capital to changes occurring in markets and companies.

In this respect, the workers Those who can access training programmes gain the following advantages:

• Acquire new competences and skills linked to their professional career.
• They feel more satisfied and motivatedas they perceive that the organisation cares about their development.
• Increases its trust to perform their duties and take on new responsibilities.
• It is conducive to greater Participation and innovation, as a consequence of that increased self-esteem and empowerment.
• See reduce errors and accidents work.
• Improve their Adaptability to changes and reduces work-related stress.
• It facilitates the Coordination among employees.
• They offer greater effectiveness in their functions.
• It enhances the opportunities for internal promotion of professionals, by adding new skills.
• They get a best performance which enhances the company's overall productivity.

For its part, the return on investment of continuous training for the companies is reflected in the following aspects:

• Allows us to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the team, which enhances a Optimal allocation of functions.
• Strengthens organisational culture, with professionals who feel satisfied and integrated within the company.
• The company's values and mission are consolidated among human capital.
• As motivation and satisfaction increase, Employee turnover rates are decreasing, The new system will allow talent to be retained.
• Boost reputation and employer branding of the company, by enhancing the Attracting top talent to the company.
• It generates a savings, The company has a high performance structure and reduces labour errors.
• Increases the innovation of the teams, helping to create a competitive advantage over the competition.
• Increased staff productivity translates into best economic results for the organisation.

How to develop training programs within an organisation

However, as he points out Goldstein on his work Training in Organisations, “training is not a panacea; it it must be systematic and planned and form part of a sequential and logical process, consisting of a series of steps that must be taken into account”.

Therefore, for investment in continuous business training to achieve good results, it is necessary plan programmes according to the following steps.

– Identification of training needs

Why are we going to organise a software management course for the entire workforce when only a couple of employees use it? The company's training initiatives must aim to meet the needs of each employee, prepare teams for potential market changes or demands, or adapt staff to technological updates., so it's important to identify areas for improvement.

To achieve this, companies have the following at their disposal tools:

• InterviewsDirect meetings with professionals allow us to understand first-hand what the worker's expectations are regarding training: in which areas they feel less prepared, what their career plans are, in which fields they are interested…
• SurveysThrough questionnaires, Human Resources departments can also discover the training interests of the workforce.
• Performance reviewThrough performance appraisal tools, the company can identify areas for improvement for each employee.
• ObservationDirect supervisors can also provide information on the strengths and weaknesses of the employees under their charge.
• Tknowledge estsAnother way to find out which subjects are a priority for their training is through small exams or tests on specific aspects, such as language level or software usage.

– Design of the training plan

Once we know what aspects need to be improved at a personal and organisational level, the next step is To detail the continuous training actions that will be carried out, who will benefit from them, when they will be delivered, and the methodology. chosen in each case.

Regarding methods, there are currently various techniques for carrying out continuous training in the company. These are some of the alternatives more employees

• In person. This is the classic option for developing learning and involves undertaking a course or programme at a specialised external institution, meaning that employees must travel to the academy to receive training.
• In company. The methodology employed is the same as in the case of face-to-face training, with the particularity that in this type, it is the teacher or tutor who travels to the company to deliver the programme. It is widely used nowadays as it allows for a better adjustment of the content to the company's needs, since the person in charge of the training can familiarise themselves with the organisation's environment and functioning.
• On line. Given its flexibility, e-learning is also a widespread modality in the business sphere, as it allows staff to access theoretical and practical content from an electronic device, enabling them to take the course according to their availability.
• Blended learning. It's a hybrid of online and in-person training, as it combines distance learning with face-to-face classes on those aspects that require greater reinforcement.

– Results analysis

To ascertain whether the continuing professional development programme has been successful or not, it is essential using big data for assessing the impact of actions. This way, the company will be able to determine which initiatives have generated more positive effects and which ones haven't, for subsequent planning.

How do we determine the success of continuous professional development? indicators will reveal the results of the programmes:

• Management they relate to the organisational aspects of the training program and measure, among other things, cost per course, expenditure per employee, student-to-tutor ratio…
• In effect: This is about analysing employee valuation of training, so indicators such as the number of enrollees per programme, percentage of participants compared to the total workforce, and dropout rate are evaluated.  
• As a result: The objective is to determine the degree of success of continuous training after its completion, focusing on parameters such as the ratio of workers who have passed the programme, grades obtained, tutor's conclusions or students' evaluations, among others.   

Impact: It aims to reveal the impact that continuous training has on employee performance in the medium to long term, such as increased productivity, reduction in workplace accidents, or higher staff satisfaction.