How to Develop an Effective Training Strategy

by Kermit Burley, Demand Media

What is a Training Strategy?

A training strategy is a

  vision 

    focus 

    direction 

    action planning document 

for training and development in an organization that requires implementation to achieve success.

It is a blueprint that needs to support the optimization of the human resource capital in the organization. It is essential that thetraining strategy is aligned to the organization's strategy and enables its vision to be realized.

An effective training strategy is vital for the success of your company; it can serve as a means to develop your people and can also become an effective recruiting and retention tool. Developing a strategy for training gives your company a competitive advantage and helps propel you into the future. The plan needs to be comprehensive, and every employee needs to understand it so that everyone gets the appropriate training at the right time.

Training Strategy

Step 1

Meet with your company leaders and determine your organization's business strategy and mission statement. Discuss the goals and objectives of your company, including its human resource needs. Meet with your human resource leaders and discuss their employee development needs. Review previous training files and documentation. Discuss overall training needs with operational and human resource managers.

Step 2

Identify training needs by comparing company goals and human resource needs. Discover gaps between company goals and employee development needs. Create training objectives to meet performance gaps. Formulate specific learning strategies to overcome performance gaps. Distinguish between training needs and other performance issues.

Step 3

Develop your training plan to narrow performance gaps. Establish learning objectives for each training program. Identify programs that employees need to attend. Ensure that training is included in all employee evaluations. Establish a learning management system, or LMS, that allows for registration, administration and tracking for all employee training programs.

Step 4

Obtain management support and agreement before you implement your plan. Review your plan with your leaders and obtain buy-in for its execution. Answer all questions and resolve any remaining issues with your training strategy. Prepare all materials and finalize your plan.

Step 5

Schedule and implement your plan. Identify resources for your training. Select and train instructors, and reserve training facilities. Distribute the training schedule, and review it with all managers and leaders. Assign students to programs using your learning management system. Implement your training strategy, and monitor progress at least monthly.