How do I get my employees interested in training?

by Bob George

That is one of the questions I am most often asked.  Many employers are happy to provide training for their employees but they just can't get the employees interested.  Follow these 10 steps and your employees will be asking for more classes. 

1. Market training to your employees. Promote your training programs with colorful posters, flyers and announcements stuffed in paycheck envelopes. Sell education and link it to professional advancement at every opportunity.

2. Provide high quality training.  Instructors must be well prepared and well rehearsed.  Plan carefully for class activities.  Provide colorful and useful handouts.  Your training should be exciting and filled with energy.  The subject matter should be focused and useful to the students.

3.  Pay attention to all the little details. Make sure the training room is big enough so that students are not crowded. Provide comfortable seating. Make sure everything is clean and bright. Quality is in the details!

4. Create a non threatening environment. It is best to hold training away from the work place if possible. Focus on the subject being taught rather than company profits.

5. Make training fun, or at least enjoyable. You can add fun to your training by designing activities, competitions and discussions that keep the student occupied and interested. All activities, competitions and discussions should be focused on achieving specific learning goals.

6. Accept your students as they are and expect improvement. Take off your bosses hat and put on the teachers hat. Never tell a student that they should already know something. Teach them what they need to know and congratulate them on their accomplishments.

7. Recognize accomplishments at every opportunity. Employees who complete a training program should receive tangible evidence and public recognition of their achievements.

8.  Make your students feel special.  Provide good quality food and snacks.  Answer questions thoroughly and directly.  While in the training room treat them like students not employees.

9.  Stress the value of training and education.  Consider completed training programs when promoting employees.  Discuss how specific training will help individual employees achieve their career and professional goals.

10. Create a training program that is useful for the employees.  If they sense that the training is only focused on creating company profits rather than teaching them useful skills they will be less interested in attending classes.  Good training should be useful for everyone.  The employer will benefit from good training and the employee will attain marketable skills.

Realize that good training is part of a long term strategy.  Successful training consists of a cohesive training program, not just a class here and there that are responses to specific problems.