Feature topic - Training and educational needs and solutions
Training and educational needs and solutions
Jerome Smail, freelance journalist , presents the views and experiences of several industry luminaries
T he workplace is not only for the day-to-day tasks that keep the cogs of the organisation turning. There should always be a focus on the ongoing education of the workforce. An effective employee training programme not only future-proofs a company in a dynamic and ever-changing business world, but it also ensures employees develop their careers to their full potential. So what are the most important considerations for workplace education – and what are the obstacles? According to Dr Sue Smith, CIPP’s education director, two of the most common barriers to learning are cost and time. “I think these should be a priority when considering workplace training programmes,” she says. “Training that is affordable and valued will be undertaken well. Time is a valuable commodity, and allowing trainees to progress through material at their pace will enhance the learning.” Considering the accessibility of the training (whether face to face, online or a mixture of the two) is also important, says Smith. When the training is scheduled, short bursts of learning and high engagement are important.
The information has to be relevant to the trainee and also in context so they can relate to it. Having activities that are engaging – including quick quizzes, games or polls – should also be integral to help consolidate knowledge. “The training should be enjoyable,” insists Smith. As Elaine Gibson, director of people and quality at Dataplan, observes, training is all about “getting to the heart of what employers and their people need”. She points out that workplace education tends to be one-size-fits-all, delivering the core information. While this is fine, the person delivering the training needs to be prepared to put the core learning into the real working context. When qualifications are at stake, it is important to keep the content current and seek feedback from past and current employers on a periodic basis. “I know from working at Dataplan for this last year, for an employer to invest in formal learning they need to see the value in terms of what it will do for the business,” says Gibson. Beverley Priest, head of payroll and pensions at EPM Ltd, also emphasises the importance of desired learning outcomes. In other words, you need to clearly define what you want someone to be able to do.
“For instance,” she says, “does there need to be a stepped approach of smaller goals in the lead up to the main objective? Small wins and seeing progression towards an objective keep people interested and give them a sense of achievement.” Priest recommends defining the framework to determine and measure that goals have been met. Setting SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timely) objectives at the start plays a crucial part in the success of the programme. What’s more, the programme needs to be linked to the bigger picture, whether that’s a team- specific area or company wide. That way, an understanding is gained of how what they do or don’t do impacts others. “Real- life examples and scenarios from within the company would keep it relevant,” says Priest. Gibson agrees, suggesting you “bring the core content alive with real case studies and be able to cover the challenges payroll professionals face”. With compliance obviously a key area, a current example would be having to adapt to the Corona Job Retentions Scheme and calculating the furlough payments due to the numerous working patterns of different organisations. However, Gibson adds: “There needs to be more out there to support service providers, as well as those seeking in-house support. Current
...also ensures employees develop their careers to their full potential...
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 62 | July/August 2020
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