Making Training Stick

When an organization sends employees to training programs, there is a lot at stake. It's an investment in employee time as well as dollars and cents. To get the highest return for each dollar, follow-up programs and coaching need to be established to guarantee that employees will apply what they've learned on the job.

To accomplish this, programs that include a coaching component are much more likely to provide long-term retention of the training. It paves the way for managers or direct supervisors to reinforce the training by using these practical approaches:

a. Voice expectations regarding the training and how it relates to the employees' jobs.

b. Encourage employees to identify specific skills they would like to develop or improve upon.

c. Plan a debriefing with employees upon their return. Suggest they return with brief summaries of their learning experiences, including what they learned, how they plan to use the training, and how it will benefit them, the organization and their customers.

d. Schedule a staff meeting where the trainees can share information with co-workers to help them apply skills learned to their jobs.

e. Establish a system of continuous follow-up with

employees to be sure they are progressing toward their goals.

f. Provide employees with job aids to reinforce classroom learning.

g. Schedule review and coaching sessions with a focus on praise for continued effort.