Where to Focus Employee Training for Greatest Impact
We hear from a lot of clients who are unsure where they should focus their employee training dollars and attention to have the greatest impact. As a result, instead of making strategic choices to improve their workforce, they avoid making decisions at all, and instead, stay stuck in the status quo. Fortunately, there’s a fairly basic equation that can help you find your way if you too are feeling unsure on what to do next to improve the skills of your workforce. Here it is:
Your skills needs – current employee skills = skills gap
The premise is this - figure out what your business needs to thrive, what skills your staff already have, and then determine the difference between the two. This last category is where you need to focus. Let’s dive a little deeper into these categories.
Your Skills Needs: Think about which skills your company needs to excel. This is the time to examine where your company is headed, developments in your industry and technology changes. Try to think outside your normal box for this.
Current Employee Skills: Do an inventory of your current employees and the skills they bring to the table. Don’t focus on what they SHOULD be able to do, but on what they CAN do really well. Pay particular attention to the skills your employees have in relation to the first category, “skills needs”.
Skills Gap: What’s the difference between these two categories? Where does your current workforce fall short? Some themes should begin to emerge. The answer to this question is your skills gap, and where you’re likely to see the best returns for your investment.
You can address your skills gap in different ways, including hiring new staff with the missing skill(s), finding a third party to provide the skill(s) you’re missing (outsourcing), or providing training to your staff to ensure they’re equipped to support your business needs.
If you’d like help determining your company’s skills gap, let’s chat! We offer custom employee training solutions for businesses.
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We’re Erin and Peter, a husband and wife team passionate about making your organization successful through employee training and engagement. Join us as we explore new opportunities to improve your workplace.
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(The skills your company needs to meet its goals - The skills your company already has = Your Skills Gap)