However, small businesses can rarely afford in-house trainers covering all aspects of workforce development. Consequently, external business consultants are brought in periodically at reasonable or heavy expenses.
But, external business consultants are not able to nurse and improve the workforce continuously, and as a result, existent business managers and owners need to have an understanding of the major areas where employee training is needed in the workplace. This article mentions those categories with short explanations.
1. Development of executives: Without any doubt, executive development is of highest importance to both large and small businesses. Training and development of executives happens through advanced executive learning programs, leadership training, mentoring programs, cross-department assignments, special assignments, and assignment of high-level tasks like decision making for management
2. Development of management: Training and development of management and managerial skills include focusing on leadership, networking, change management, time management, project management, coaching, mentoring, goal setting, and development of other strategic planning skills
3. Development of supervisory skills: Supervisory skills are part of a manager's arsenal but differ from management training in that supervisory skills training focuses on interpersonal communication, giving orders, coaching, setting objectives, giving feedback, time-management, decision making and other skills needed by newly recruited or newly promoted supervisors
4. Professional development: This area includes development of specific skills related with professional disciplines like health care, purchasing, selling, and et cetera, and covers a wide variety of performance oriented skills like stress management, communications, using software, and others. Professional development can be periodic according to the needs of the general workforce, specific teams, or specific key individuals and can be either basic, advanced, or refresher training
5. Development of technical skills: Though closely related with professional skills, development of technical skills is a continuous process in today's organizations that are experiencing regular and radical changes in their dynamics and environments due to technological changes. Technical skills training focuses on developing skills required to getting work done in the current and latest environment using specific systems and equipment, and carrying out policies and procedures
6. Literacy skills: Though often neglected, and assumed, development of literacy skills, especially reading comprehension, writing, speaking and making decisions at entry-level jobs in an organization is crucial for developing and retaining good employees, as well as meeting business objectives
7. Marketing and sales: Even where marketing and sales are delegated to intermediaries, in house personnel monitoring marketing and sales require to have the necessary skills to deal with situations. Where the organization directly employs a marketing and sales force, training is essential. Training is wide and varied and ranges from training new sales reps to instilling the motivational aspects of marketing
8. Workplace laws, health and safety: In today's world of increasing regulations, training is required in every organization to maintain compliance, and maintain required levels of health and safety of workers. Such issues include coping with job stress, discrimination, substance abuse, work-life balance, wellness training, and dealing with legal issues
9. Employee orientation: A trained workforce helps to orient an employee faster than an uncultured workforce which does not know how to absorb new employees and make them a part of the system. Orientation of new employees is essential to provide meaningful reference points and directions and can vary from a few minutes to several weeks depending upon the job functions of the new employee
10. Training in organizational development: This focuses on managing organization changes and making positive interventions to change processes to optimize organizational output and increase efficiency. Focus areas include Six Sigma, team building, customer services and others
Employee training is needed to ensure that key competencies required by individuals to perform their job functions are developed and nursed effectively to meet organizational expectations and objectives. Hence, training needs to be planned like all other business processes and has a deep impact upon business success or failure.
