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Nowadays, industries are ever-changing and fast-growing environments, and business leaders need to remain in control of all work processes to ensure production is optimised. Management may optimise production by upskilling their employees, aiming to improve employees’ already existing knowledge by expanding their skill set. Recent HR research has found that 58% of employees require new skill sets to complete work to the best of their ability. Failure to gain new skills and knowledge can lead to employees becoming stagnant or, worst-case scenario, looking for a job elsewhere.
Upskilling employees can come at a high cost to businesses. Still, the failure to retain employees can cost companies more than hiring and training a replacement and provide other business benefits if done to a high standard. From boosting productivity and engagement levels to improved dealing with clients, upskilling can be done in various time-effective ways, several of which we outline in this article. Continue reading for some training tips aimed at businesses that need to upskill staff quickly so that these enterprises can start reaping upskilling benefits as soon as possible.
Take Advantage Of Microlearning
For many individuals, upskilling can present a challenge. Depending on an organisation’s learning management system (LMS), knowledge can be shown in large workloads, making it hard for the trainee to digest and retain information. However, microlearning can help struggling individuals simplify the upskilling process by reducing the knowledge into small bite-sized pieces. Microlearning consists of short sessions lasting under ten minutes, which aims to help employees meet the desired objective quickly, and usually has an interactive activity, exercise, or quiz at the end to recap the session.
Another benefit of microlearning is that it can be used in conjunction with a cloud-based learning management system (LMS), which employees can access online or offline via the internet or an app. Hence, it presents a perfect opportunity for remote organisations to upskill their staff. Consider enlisting the services of imc Learning Suite, an integrated LMS and LXP tailored to help businesses upskill their staff. Take a look at their website to peruse their list of services and more information about their learning management system and see how their platform could help you train your staff quickly.
Encourage Independent Training
Another time-effective training tip for businesses is encouraging employees to upskill themselves independently and building a learning culture. Management can do this by actively encouraging staff members to conduct business research, read relevant books, attend virtual events, webinars, or conferences, and take online or in-person courses pertinent to your business sector. Business leaders and management may find that some employees have a more proactive approach to learning than others.
In that case, to encourage staff, further management could provide incentives such as paid training time, introducing flexitime for those who want to attend courses, workshops etc., during work hours and implementing employee reward systems for staff members that independently train themselves the most. Management can also take a proactive approach to encourage independent training by choosing the relevant tools and platforms to implement company-wide to make independent learning easier. Invest in a learning management system (LMS) with various readily available learning resources such as videos, learning cards, games etc., to keep staff motivated and determined to keep upskilling themselves.
Introduce Mentoring Or Job Shadowing
Encouraging employees to find a mentor or job shadow other colleagues is another training tip for businesses that is both time and cost-efficient. As well all know, some skills cannot be taught, they must be learnt, and by coupling a trainee with another seasoned, well-performing staff member, businesses can achieve just that. Whether staff seek to shadow or be mentored by an employee whose work ethnics they admire or by someone who has a work-based skill that they wish to learn, both mentoring and job shadowing is an upskilling technique that can provide staff members with first-hand experience opposed to the virtual one that an LMS provides.
Through this approach, trainees can gain valuable experiences, advice and form relationships while improving their skill set, the benefits they wouldn’t receive from a virtual learning experience. Shadowing and mentoring offer a flexible learning approach, as trainees can decide how and when they’d like to spend time with their mentor. For example, they may choose to shadow them for several hours a day or while they are completing a specific task instead of being around them for the whole working day.
Another plus is that shadowing, and mentoring are cost-effective so that the business won’t incur any additional charges such as travel or fees in some instances. Making it an attractive option for businesses who want to upskill their staff as quickly (and cheaply) as possible, since the trainee will be able to gain the desired knowledge with no price tag attached.
