Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Research staff development providers

Many staff development training firms specialize in the types of training they provide, such as diversity training or leadership skills, while others have a complete menu of courses. As your business prepares an employee development and training calendar and budget, decide which approach fits best. If you've experienced issues in a specific area, focus workforce training on it.

I recommend: Scan the course offerings at Profiles International to grasp the breadth and depth of staff training. Topics range from hiring techniques to increasing sales. Scroll down the catalog of courses available from The Richardson Company. They span topics from electronic communications for Internet to Stanford executive briefs for company leaders.

Find training and development for all levels of employees

All workers, from support staff to top management, can benefit from staff training. Including all levels sends the message that they are valued equally, an important benefit of training. Your firm will find general topics appropriate for all workers and specific courses for various segments of employees.

I recommend: Study the offering for entry-level workers from Bellewether, one of the many companies providing training for new employees. Many solutions from the American Management Association focus on management training for company executives or executives-to-be, such as leadership and supervisory techniques. Read more about what it can offer your company's top executives.

Find alternative employee training and development industry options

Fortunately, there are multiple approaches available to training employees. Consider employee training videos or HR software for training and development for visual learners or self-study programs. Or look into unique approaches, such as training games and contests.

I recommend: For a different twist on staff training and development, check out what Paradigm Learning has to offer. Its games and simulations are sure to overcome the chief complaint about job training: boredom. To assess your company's training development courses, use EtQ's software package. The software schedules, certifies and tracks training.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Although employee training and development is very important, it does take time from core business functions. Work with HR to schedule training effectively, perhaps all employees on specified days during the year or departments on a rotating basis.

Guide to Low-Cost Training for Employees

Take advantage of online and alternative training options that won’t break the bank

By Judy Rakowsky, Freelance writer/editor

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Train the boss

First you need to know what your needs are by making sure you are properly assessing the skill sets that should be bolstered.

I recommend: Contact Score, a network of experienced business people who can offer free or extremely low-cost advice on how to approach training. Download a guide to developing training plans at Go2 and consider the tips on budgeting for implementing it.

Evaluate your needs

Assess your training needs from the basic skill building of front-line customer service providers to leadership training of your next generation of managers and then tailor the training by cost and sophistication.

I recommend: Check out the breadth of online training at Learn.com, with automation software and services on the high end compared to the Sales Institute, which sells inexpensive training handouts on topics such as handling angry customers.

Sometimes it’s free

Take advantage of free offerings from government agencies and from entities that contract with the government.

I recommend: The U.S. Small Business Administration offers free training in classrooms and online on everything from building your brand to marketing fundamentals and how to find startup funding. The online courses are 30-minutes long and self- paced.

Be practical

A lot of managers and line supervisors don’t need instruction in high concepts but practical training in how to handle situations they face every day.

I recommend: Sample the down-to-earth offerings of Richardson Co., which, for $30 a course, can instruct supervisors how to legally handle a union organizing campaign or a foreman in how to motivate a who-cares worker in the factory. Try Employee Development Systems for $49 a course to help a supervisor organize his thoughts for a better report.

Evaluate the pros and cons

The key to making sure you have spent your money and staff time well is evaluating the training that your employees go through.

I recommend: : Download sample forms to evaluate the quality of the training and discuss the findings. Do some test drives of online training to be sure you are getting what you want.

Keep it in-house

All the whiz bang high-tech training may not give the flesh and blood value of learning from someone on your staff.

I recommend: Get training for an employee who can then teach the rest of your staff, saving you the expense of sending multiple people away for training.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Be sure to read the fine print on online training costs.
• •  Meet with employees or set up a feedback loop on various types of training.
• •  Keep track of your choices for future reference.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Make employee training and development a priority

Company training and development can really pay off. Customers and clients will recognize a well-trained staff that has sharp interpersonal skills or efficient business methods. Take some time to research staff training as you work with human resources to develop a training plan.

I recommend: Study the information on staff development training at BPubs.com and Business Finance. The topics range from specific training successes with certain departments to the positive impact of training programs on employees and the bottom line. Add the information from Auxilium West to your understanding of staff training and development basics.

Emphasize the value of employee development and training

Everyone in the company should be encouraged to value staff training. Attendees should be comfortable and focused. Schedules should be considered to avoid employees with their 'minds elsewhere' because of deadlines. Presentations should be interesting and interactive, engaging folks in their own learning. Collect information on approaches and providers to help you create a training plan.

I recommend: Read the article at Joan Lloyd at Work about the importance to employees of staff development training. You'll get more out of training if you promote the advantages of training to individual workers as well as the business. The folks at Superperformance.com have collected a huge library of information about staff training. Review general articles or find ones specific to your work scenario.

Mix and match staff training techniques

Company cultures vary and so do staff development approaches. Research the various training techniques available and decide what works best for your employees. Depending on the make up of your workforce, one method might not fit all. To inform your planning, interview presenters and confer with other businesses in your sector on their staff training and development experiences.

I recommend: Preview the computer-based training courses offered by Interactive Employment Training to decide if the approach is right for your employees. The product won the 2006 HR Training Award. Scan the catalog of topics and techniques at BusinessTrainingMedia.com. Your team can find topics targeted to specific industry segments.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Company wide meetings have become increasingly expensive. If your company has a large number of remote employees, the most cost-effective options might be streaming employee training videos or software programs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

E-learning

E-learning, or electronic learning, is a type of technology that is designed to deliver information and training to employees through the use of the company's computer network. In most cases, e-learning does not require any face-to-face contact because it is all done online. There are any number of software packages companies can use for staff training and development programs.

I recommend: The BNet Business Dictionary has a comprehensive definition of e-learning.

Blended learning

Blended learning combines face-to-face instruction with online instruction. They are combined so that participants have more access to information and can interact with a community of learners anytime and anywhere. It is a cost-effective method that many companies use as part of their staff training and development offerings.

I recommend: Derek Stockley has an in-depth explanation of blended learning.

Communication skills

Communication skills are critical in today's business environment. This term refers to the ability to effectively interact with others in both written and verbal correspondence. Many pieces of literature have been devoted to this topic.

I recommend: Selfgrowth.com offers information on various types of communication training.

Strategic planning

Strategic planning is the process of an organization defining its direction and determining what is required to achieve its goals. Typically a strategic plan is done in three- to five-year increments. Staff training and development programs usually include strategic planning as one of the options executives and managers are encouraged to learn.

I recommend: Competitive Intelligence has an introductory article that covers strategic planning.

Time management

Time management refers to the various means by which people effectively use their time and other closely related resources in order to make the most out of it.. Time management covers a wide scope of activities, including goal setting, organization, scheduling, delegating and monitoring to name a few. Staff training and development programs in companies usually offer time management classes.

I recommend: Studygs.net offers tips and strategies to effectively manage time.

Change management

Change management can be very useful for managers. It is a structured approach used to help individuals, teams and organizations transition from the current state or way of doing things to a desired future state. Change management is the application of many different ideas from the engineering, business and psychology fields. In this context, it refers to managing the people side of change.

I recommend: Prosci has a comprehensive discussion on this subject.