Training: Definitions and Common Formats

Training is a familiar term in today's business landscape. "Training" essentially involves instructing new employees, or, in simpler terms, providing short-term courses to equip employees or groups of employees with information about their roles and the business.

To gain a better grasp of the concept, let's explore: What is training? And what types of training are currently available? Join Aniday in this article to delve deeper into the topic.

What is Training?

What is Training? Training is the process of facilitating the development of skills, knowledge, abilities, and attitudes in individuals or groups, aligning them with job requirements, tasks, or objectives. Organizations, employers, educators, coaches, or learners themselves can conduct training.

Training can be classified based on various criteria:

• Goals: Basic training (familiarization with the job), advanced training (skill enhancement), additional training (knowledge supplementation), retraining (adaptation to changes).
• Target: New employee training, existing employee training, management training, leadership training.
• Method: On-the-job training (at the workplace), off-site training (at an external location), online training (via the internet), blended training (combining multiple methods).
• Content: Technical training (job-related knowledge and skills), soft skills training (communication, interpersonal skills, management).

The purpose of training is to assist new employees in understanding their responsibilities and equip them with the skills and knowledge required to perform their roles effectively. It also aims to help employees expand their competencies to meet changing job demands.

Effective training ensures that set goals are achieved. It requires employees to acquire and maintain the necessary skills and knowledge to fulfill their assigned tasks. Managers play a pivotal role in supporting, guiding, and assessing employee performance.

Furthermore, effective training is cost-efficient, striking a balance between quality and expenditure. The content of training should span from basic to advanced, tailored to employees' levels and needs.

What is the Role of Training?

After understanding the concept of what training is, let’s move to the next significant part. So, what is the role of training?

It involves guiding, instructing, and developing the skills, knowledge, and abilities of employees, enabling them to perform their jobs effectively and align with organizational objectives. Training is vital for enhancing employee productivity, quality, satisfaction, loyalty, while also minimizing costs, risks, and turnover.

For Businesses

Training holds immense importance for any business seeking growth and competitiveness. It is a process that helps companies assess the quality of their human resources, guiding decisions on recruitment or further training.

Training also aids in honing employees' skills and expertise, facilitating efficient work execution and compliance with procedures. Moreover, it enhances employees' comprehension of the work system, reducing errors that could impact the business negatively.

For Employees

Training offers employees an opportunity to familiarize themselves with new roles, environments, and corporate cultures. It helps them comprehend job requirements and responsibilities, as well as the correct procedures for task execution. Additionally, it fosters communication and integration among new employees, colleagues, and superiors.

For existing employees, training serves as a means to update their knowledge and skills, enabling them to adapt to changing work dynamics. It also empowers employees to enhance work quality, identify personal goals, and chart their career development.

Popular Training Formats

Aniday will shed light on the three most popular training formats today. Before commencement, companies usually provide new employees with documentation or instructions outlining the required job-related knowledge and skills. Training duration varies depending on individual learning rates.

Training can take on diverse forms depending on purpose, content, audience, and organizational resources. Presently, three training formats are gaining popularity:

1. Periodic Training

Periodic training is pre-planned and follows a set cycle, whether weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually. 

Its objective is to maintain and enhance employee knowledge and skills in line with job standards and requirements. Periodic training can be conducted through various methods such as face-to-face instruction, online learning, group training, and project-based learning.

2. Mentor-Guided Training

Mentor-guided training assigns each employee a mentor or coach with substantial experience and expertise in the relevant field. Mentors provide support, guidance, and evaluation of employee learning and work processes. This format expedites the development of essential job-related skills while capitalizing on the mentor's experience and knowledge. It is particularly beneficial for new employees, those seeking promotion, or those switching careers.

3. On-the-Job Training

On-the-job training involves employees learning and practicing skills by participating in actual company activities and projects. 

The goal is to enable employees to apply knowledge and skills in practical situations, learning from their experiences and those of their colleagues. This method involves assigning new tasks, challenging assignments, diversified roles, and cross-functional responsibilities.

Personnel Training Steps

Here are three steps commonly followed in human resource training, favored by businesses today:

Step 1: Identify Training Needs

Identifying training needs is the foundational step in the personnel training process. Businesses must analyze the requirements of the company, departments, and related professional groups. This can be based on criteria such as business goals, development strategy, existing skills, employee preferences, adaptability to change, among others. 

Additionally, input should be gathered from relevant stakeholders, including managers, supervisors, customers, and partners, for a comprehensive understanding of training requirements.

Step 2: Design a Systematic Training Program

After pinpointing training needs, a tailored training program must be designed that aligns with the company's goals and budget. Several factors need consideration, including: 

• Defining training objectives
• Outlining training content
• Selecting training methods
• Identifying required resources
• Specifying responsible employees and departments
• Determining training duration and location
• Planning post-training evaluation procedures 

Moreover, reputable trainers with relevant field experience should be selected.

Step 3: Implementation and Evaluation

The final step entails executing the training program and assessing its effectiveness. Comprehensive preparation is essential before commencing the training course, including: 

• Notifying employees of schedules and participation requirements
• Preparing supporting materials and equipment
• Creating an optimal learning environment.

Following completion of the training course, feedback should be collected from both employees and trainers, assessing their satisfaction levels and the knowledge acquired. Monitoring and evaluating employees' skills and performance post-training is crucial to determine the impact of training. Adjustments may be made to optimize content and develop an effective marketing plan.

Training is a purposeful, organized learning process guided by professionals. This article of Aniday aims to help you to know: what is training, what role does it play, and which are the preferred types within businesses.