Corporate training
When talking about corporate training, a distinction must be made between mandatory training and voluntary training.
The former refers to the set of activities that a company is obliged to undertake in order to comply with current legislation (for example Italian Legislative Decree 81/2008), while voluntary training, also called optional training, refers to the set of training activities that do not fall within the scope of what is mandatory (for example courses to improve your English).
The two sides that make up the concept of corporate training have one thing in common: they represent a genuine business investment.
While on the one hand providing training means complying with the law, on the other hand organising training courses means investing in the individual and in the value of your company.
Companies that see training only in its mandatory guise are in fact underestimating the great return on investment that comes from staff who are trained and up to date.
Investing in individual development improves the company’s operations and productivity, increasing the value of each individual resource.
Organising training in the company
Training processes are therefore fundamental in the corporate ecosystem; let us look together at how to plan them.
1. Understanding the needs
The mandatory starting point for any training initiative is understanding the real needs of the people we are dealing with.
Companies are a heterogeneous mix of individuals, and planning a training activity also means being able to grasp the differences that arise from this mix: for example, what does our team member prefer, an online course or an in-person event?
Gathering this kind of information is essential in order to organise training that is effective and always relevant.
There is software that is just right for you: in a few simple clicks you can create surveys and satisfaction questionnaires and collect the useful information we need to plan our training activity as effectively as possible.
Whether it is mandatory or voluntary training, a good needs analysis helps us hit the mark.
2. Planning the activities
Once you have understood what employees need, you can plan the training activity.
Many companies base their training activity on exchanging emails.
This approach risks being a waste of time as well as creating confusion.
In this case, adopting software capable of managing invitations, any reminders, and employees’ confirmations and refusals to attend is the first step towards organising the event as well as possible.
The best software also makes it possible to manage these operations from a single tool, a genuine training management system, avoiding interruptions in the flow of communication.
3. Evaluating the results
Once the training event is over, it is necessary to evaluate the results achieved.
Here too, as in the previous case, having a tool capable of collecting information on the progress of training activities allows us to improve future planning.
It is therefore essential to collect data during the training activity (satisfaction and assessment questionnaires, attendance registers, etc…), whose analysis will make it possible to plan subsequent training activities as effectively as possible.
For our team member, it is important to always know where they stand in their training and to have an overview of the training paths completed and still to be completed.
It is therefore important to provide them with a history that allows them to monitor their growth path in real time.
The rebirth of corporate training
In the light of these data, it is simply not possible to pretend nothing is happening.
Online learning stands out as the keystone for preparing professionals and companies for a digital future.
The continuous evolution of procedures and of the world of work, in fact, requires constant professional updating.
For this very reason, before training it is necessary to prepare the ground and promote a culture of continuous learning.
This is how the way opens up for reskilling and upskilling: companies devote valuable time to increasing employees’ skills, looking after training with structured, carefully designed programmes.
The ultimate goal must be flexible, personalised training that adapts to the person’s lifestyle and not the other way round.
A radical change, but a necessary one in order to face new market challenges knowingly and to foster Talent Retention.
Corporate training: the next 5 years
In-person training will certainly not disappear, not least because it plays a fundamental role in human relationships.
We can therefore expect corporate training to evolve.
From what we have been able to observe, we will witness the rise of a hybrid learning model.
The time devoted to lectures is getting shorter and is being supplemented by online training modules, which can obviously be followed without constraints of place or time.
At this point there will be 2 paths to follow:
Tailor-made e-Learning, designed above all for companies that need 100% personalised learning, according to a specific training project.
Catalogue courses, which companies can purchase and add to their own e-Learning platforms or follow directly online.
Above all for courses on mandatory training, digital skills, soft skills or management.
Contrary to what one might think, these tools reaffirm the centrality of the person, who learns in an environment dedicated to them and through a process that we could call lifelong learning.
All in all, a complete learning experience that favours employee convenience, cost savings on training and the growth of business results.
Red Hat Case Study
IDC conducted research that explored the value and benefits for organisations of having various IT teams complete Red Hat training courses through the Red Hat Training and Certification Programme.
The project included eight interviews with individuals with experience and knowledge of the benefits and costs of Red Hat training programmes.
The interviews covered various quantitative and qualitative questions on the impact of having Red Hat-trained staff on topics such as the skills and performance of IT staff, IT’s ability to support business operations, and the impact of training on staff onboarding, success and retention.
