Thursday, October 4, 2012

Training Employees Through Technology - Employee Learning and Development


With the Internet easily accessible, and with computers in abundance from offices to libraries and homes, naturally turning to the Internet as a tool for training is a wise choice. Allowing your employees to learn in the comfort of their own home, or by learning at work through Internet training programs allows each employee the freedom to work at his or her own pace. Thus saving you valuable resources for those employees that learn faster and allowing those that learn slower the time to let the information "sink in." Let us look at the variety of training options available through the Internet, and see how the programs offered can benefit your organization.
Online Course(s)
Many learning centres offer courses available online to teach certain skills in a variety of fields. For instance, the University of Phoenix happens to be a school that offers college courses online for credit or simple certifications that can be obtained. By asking your employees to take advantage of becoming certified in certain areas you are adding the protection and prestige to your organization by boasting "certified" technicians. Prices for these courses vary and are often reimbursed to you the employer tenfold with a well-trained employee to show for it.
Online Seminar(s)
Depending on your filed of expertise there are often companies that sublet trainers to train your employees via an online platform. Costs can vary based on your specific needs so keep in mind to inquire about costs prior to enrolling anyone in the seminar. Sometimes taking advantage of these trainers is in your best interest should you have a basic approach to how to train your employees. On the other hand, if your field is not as general or broad as some other fields you may find it hard to find a seminar that fits in with what you are trying to train. If you are attempting to train customer service skills, a seminar of this sort should be easy to come by, have your employees enroll in the seminar and you should be all set. However if you are looking for a seminar on how to change oil in a Volvo you may find this seminar much harder to come by. Although with the Internet being worldwide and the categories and subjects available to you online nothing is impossible.
One on One Training through IM (Instant Messaging)
For the employee(s) that needs just a little extra help, or that added boost to get them where they need to be on a training level, you can always turn to one on one messaging. With the help of instant messaging, you can answer any questions that an employee may find difficult to ask in person, or just forget to ask when at work. Anything that seems unclear or unfamiliar to an employee can be addressed here. Keep in mind you do not have the safety of the work environment behind you so keep personal business to a minimum and focus strictly on helping your employee be all they can be.
Employee Training Software
Also offered online are specialized programs that help employees learn skills and train for advancement. These programs benefit the company as well as the employee and are often set up to where the software is on an interactive platform allowing the employee to "take part" in the training. Software also has an added bonus, by creating the software, or purchasing the software you are able to tailor it to your companies' individual needs and use it repeatedly to help seasoned employees polish up their skills or give new employees the advantage of having training software at their fingertips (literally).
Online Forums or Discussion Boards
Creating a small webpage (or large webpage) and adding a forum where employees can ark questions anonymously may benefit your company as well. Incorporating a facts and questions (FAQ) section may also help, while you're at it include an area where potential customers can ask questions and you have created not only a good training method but also a new advertising avenue. Implementing an open forum, where questions can be asked and answered by employees helps solidify the training process and saves time and money because there is no need to hire additional trainers, your. Offering incentives to employees who to take a on a tutoring or training type role in your dedicated online discussion area may also help boost employee morale and involvement.
Online demonstrations
With programs that make video conferencing readily available it is not hard to hold your own training seminars, lectures, question and answer sessions, or demonstrations for others. Programs such as Skype offer video conferencing where you can see each other in a "face to face" meeting, or conversation and can address questions or concerns. Demonstrations are also an added bonus because showing something to someone while explaining it helps the employee retain more of the lesson provided.
Whatever you goal is when training your future employees keep in mind that to train is to teach, it is important to find a training method that works for you as well as your employees. Always make yourself available for questions and make sure you provide feedback on a regular basis, this give the employee the sense that they are in fact "getting the hang of things" or that certain areas need improvement. Learning is all about retaining information, and drawing on the information one retains to use in daily activities, in essence the best training techniques are hands on experience, as repetition tends to solidify the learning process.

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