Before the 1980s people learned new skills for the workplace in two ways. They could carry on at school or college and gain the qualifications that were needed to do a specific job. This could often lead on to university and take up to five years.
Alternatively, they could do an apprenticeship. This is where they would get a job and be paid less as they were still training. They would watch and work with older more experienced colleagues and would often do one or maybe two days at a specific, vocational college.
In the last twenty years the way that people are trained to work has undergone some rapid changes throughout the developed world. This is in part due to the fact that ICT can now take a part in the learning process as well as having its roots in some economic changes that have happened during this time. The shift from a manufacturing to a service based economy in the UK has meant that training can be done in different - and sometimes new - ways.
What does an organization seek to gain when it implements a training programme for its staff? The primary goal, of course, is to realize business benefits. In other words a company will seek to increase its profits as it will have a workforce with additional knowledge and skills. This is seen as vital by most forward looking organizations.
Training is usually provided for one of the reasons below.
- A new project is beginning in the workplace. A group or groups of employees need new skills in order to develop this project. The project itself could be a new technology, a new product or a new way of conducting the business.
- An employee may be changing their job, possibly because of promotion. They need training in order to do their new duties.
- The training is part of the Personal Development Plan of an employee, in order for them to do their existing job properly or possibly move on in the future to a more sophisticated role or tasks
Many organizations will choose to send their staff to the local College or university, or to buy in the trainers for a set period of time. This can be the most cost effective way of new training as Further Education in the UK remains one of the cheapest ways to retrain staff and enable them to widen their skills. To employ trainers for a short time is, likewise, fairly cost effective.
Having trainers visit the organization can mean that the learners pick up new skills faster than going to a week-by-week course at an educational institution. It makes good business sense that the quicker an employee can put the course theory in to practice - in the workplace - then the quicker the company will reap the benefits of their training. Also, the employee will be more likely to use their new skills consistently, as when they put their new training in to practice immediately they are far more likely to retain, use and take advantage of the lessons learned.
In order for the method of training to be decided, various things need to be taken in to account. Firstly, there is what will be learned. Then, the needs, variety and sheer number of the workforce to be involved in the training must be taken in to account. Finally there are the timescale and budget requirements. That is, how urgently the training is required and how much it will cost!
The training can be delivered in a number of ways.
A Standard Course
This can be where a College, University or training company can offer a course which leads on to a qualification. The course will normally follow a syllabus and require the learner to take exams and possibly to create a portfolio. These courses tend to run over weeks, months or even an academic year. A Fully Customized Course.
This again can be provided by the above, but may well be created and run by the company's own in-house training providers. These courses can target specific learning objectives and may only be for a day or two days. An Integrated Course
These courses mix theory and practice and are usually delivered within the workplace. The employee will go to classes and then they will apply their new skills and knowledge directly in to the workplace. A Tailored Course
This is where the course does not bear any relation to a set curriculum or pre-existing course and one is created for its own specific purposes. A Desk-Side Support or Skills Transfer Course
These is where colleagues within the same organization will suspend their own work activities for a number of days and “shadow” another colleague who has the skills they must acquire.
