Employee skills training is a vital element of contemporary workforce development. To help employees grow and grow, employers have increasingly invested in employee development programs. Employees can also train themselves by taking on unpaid internships or job shadowing to improve their job skills and knowledge. But instruction also encompasses providing workers the knowledge and tools they need to do more efficiently on the job.
The old version of instruction focused on the evolution of this"soft skills" of an employee, such as interpersonal skills and customer service. It was considered that soft skills were secondary or weaker than hard skills. The end result was that some employees didn't possess the technical know-how to repair issues when they arose. Companies turned to the old school method of instruction in order to develop their hard skills, but they dismissed the development of soft skills.
The end result was a workforce that was not especially adept at using new technologies or solving new issues. By taking away the focus from developing the soft skills necessary for working with new technologies and problem solving, companies left themselves with a workplace that didn't use their most precious resource--the human mind. Training and development through formal worker skills training programs focused on teaching workers how to use computers. But firms failed to teach them how to think critically, so that they continued to create companies around traditional business models as opposed to putting them under pressure to come up with innovative new technologies.
Today, there are lots of ways for companies to get the employee skills training they need. Some companies continue to focus on classroom training. Classroom training has become outdated due to advances in technology. Online training, however, provides for a more interactive learning experience. Respondents said that online training provided them with more flexibility in selecting modules and in attaining their aims.
A previous study by McKinsey found that only 25 percent of businesses that had implemented online employee skills training had seen positive results. One reason for the low success rate is that firms didn't use appropriate content in their training modules. In addition, some companies did not have employees understand the materials using the recommended program. A recent study by Goetz and colleagues focused on the content contained in business e-learning modules and how these were assessed.
The researchers found that even when the employer supplied e-learning substance that has been well-designed, employees were not necessarily proficient in using it. When they compared two unique sets of training modules, they discovered that the one-hour-long course designed for difficult skills had mixed success. Workers were not proficient at applying the substance. They also found that the content was unsuitable for people who weren't acquainted with it. On the other hand, those who were trained in applying the soft skills found it effortless to apply them to their own jobs.
The Goetz group believes that employee skills training should first focus on soft and hard skills, because applying the right training strategies is vital for productivity. "Employers should consider making sure e-learning modules are acceptable for the task that workers are expected to perform under the training program, in addition to using appropriate content and ensuring that employees have access to the ideal software during training," they stated in a paper published this year in the Journal of Applied Psychology. They also recommend conducting a survey to determine how employees used the e-learning modules. They suggested that companies utilize the results of a questionnaire to tailor future training plans.
Companies need to evaluate the technologies they use to deliver employee training. A survey can provide invaluable insight into what kinds of e-learning are popular, how employees use them, and how well they are being taught. Surveys may also reveal how workers use new technologies, and whether they're being trained using the appropriate approaches. This manner, conducting a survey can be an important addition to an employee training program, and one that can lead to more effective employee training, faster execution, and more positive outcomes.