With the focus on the bottom line a daily headache for business owners how do you train and develop your workforce on a shoe-string? The training budget is generally one of the first casualties in a cost cutting exercise. So how can you provide relevant, cost effective training and development with limited spend?
Internal training delivered by an in house expert
Take a look at your current resources and determine whether you have someone with the skills, knowledge and experience internally who can develop learning experiences for other staff members. Your current talent are generally the experts in their field or profession so make the most of that knowledge and get them to share it.
Internal training delivered by an external provider
A number of training providers will deliver in house training for a group of people. The benefits of this is the training is provided in your business so there is less down time getting to and from a training course, and on a per head basis the training can work out to be cost effective.
Mentoring
If you have a staff member who is showing interest and potential in an area buddy them up with a technical specialist for a few hours once a week to provide mentoring. The benefit to the individual is they get to see what the job involves. To the business it can provide succession or back up in times of leave. It also provides the more senior staff member an opportunity to develop leadership and management skills.
Secondment
A great way of providing staff with development opportunities is to place them in another business where they can work for a fixed period. The employee gets the benefit of working in a different environment while gaining additional skills and experience.
Free workshops, seminars or webinars
There are training providers in the market place who offer free workshops, seminars or webinars. Tap into your industry organisation or professional body to find out what they have on offer. They may also offer discounted training and development due to your business or professional affiliation.
Using Technology
With the World Wide Web we have access to a plethora of information. Provide your staff with opportunities to learn and develop by accessing the internet and participating in discussions with thought leaders on blogs and social media sites.
For a business to be successful staff need training and development opportunities. These opportunities can be cost effective and have the benefit of up-skilling your talent while creating a more knowledgeable and engaged workforce.
Di Hallifax │ Director