How to Set Clear Training Objectives for Greater ROI

Having well-trained employees is the dream of every organization. If your current training program isn't covering enough ground or providing enough value, your employees will never receive the adequate training they need to create a competitive advantage for your organization. To overcome this obstacle, establish clear objectives for your new and existing training programs, plus a few key performance indicators to gauge the effectiveness of your program. This way, you won't waste time, effort and money on training efforts that provide little to no value for your team and your organization.

The benefits of training

Whether your employees need to develop their computer problem-solving skills to operate in a technology-rich work environment or they need the basic skills to properly formulate data on a spreadsheet—training can help. Employee training programs can address skill gaps, increase industry knowledge and improve productivity.

Set clear training objectives to create value and greater ROI

Training and skill development provide value for both the employee and the organization—if it's effective, of course. To ensure this, you must establish clear training objectives from the start. Say, for example, that you want to increase employee efficiency and satisfaction to reduce turnover and prove your return on investment. While this may be the objective of your training methods, how do you intend to get there? By implementing a virtual training program, your staff can advance their skills more dramatically. Virtual training can be the driving force of career advancement, a pay raise and in turn a more satisfied, loyal employee.

Before you get ready to implement a virtual training program across your organization, you must first determine the company goals and the trainees' needs. No two organizations are the same, and neither are their team members. Second, you must consider whether the content is relevant. Tie your training objectives to your business goals to get clear value. Finally, make sure you're using a training program that is engaging and interactive so your employees don't see it as a burden.

Key performance indicators

To gauge the effectiveness of your training, you must measure the right KPIs. This may include analyzing the satisfaction of your employees throughout training and the competence of instructors. But perhaps one of the most important KPIs to capture is testing the knowledge of your employees pre- and post-training, to see just how effective the training really was. Or better yet, measure a business outcome pre- and post-training to ensure that the information is being put into practice and that it impacted the desired business results.

How to derive more value from your training efforts

"Getting the most bang for their buck from training dollars is a priority of any company," writes Danielle Bullen in SkilledUp. "How can training be done as [inexpensively] as possible while still being effective? Online learning and development could be one way to meet goals effectively and efficiently."

To drive the most value from your training efforts, why not consider a blended form of training? Remote classes, live webinars, training videos, mentoring programs and job shadowing all provide a number of benefits, and when you provide variety, you minimize the chance of your employees becoming static. Just remember: Considering employee training is step one, but it's establishing clear objectives for the training that's really going to drive home results.

Want to learn more about the different types of virtual training available and how you can integrate them into your current opportunities? Download our complimentary eBook, "Choosing a Virtual-Training Method that Meets Your Needs."