Value of On-the-job Training Using Employee Training Software

It’s important to offer on-the-job-training to employees. It benefits the business by “skilling up” the workforce, ensuring compliance in areas such as safety practices and first aid, and bringing better workplace cohesion into the business by making sure that each employee is able to follow and execute the same processes as everyone else. Not surprisingly, a recent study showed that 40% of employees who don’t receive the necessary job training will leave their positions within the first year.  It also individually benefits the employee, by giving them additional skills and helping their personal and professional development. Research suggests that employees are leaving their jobs in greater numbers than ever (that’s ignoring the great resignation), and that has more to do with the employee feeling like they are not being given adequate developmental opportunities. To keep your best and brightest, you are better off investing in their training at an individual level. For on-the-job training to be effective, having the right processes in place is of utmost importance, as well as using the right tools to deliver effective and targeted programmes. One of the key tools in ensuring your training program is effective is using employee training and development software. Let’s see how it can positively influence your organisation.

Introducing Employee Training Software

Employee Training Software is a powerful tool for on-the-job training, especially when your workforce includes deskless workers and other people who aren’t necessarily in the office (e.g. healthcare, hospitality, trades), as it’s a solution that allows you to deliver the training opportunities and resources remotely and then keep track of progress using a cloud solution. An Employee Training Software application is essentially a centralised resource. You can digitise, embed training materials and media to course libraries and within assessments. Employee Training and Development Software solutions will also include notifications, messaging and forums to allow those taking the course to communicate, and mobile applications to allow the employee maximum flexibility to complete the training from anywhere.

How Does Employee Training Software Help With On-the-job Training?

By leveraging Employee Training and Development Software to deliver on-the-job training, the organisation benefits in several ways, including:

1) The learning process is efficient

Employee training programs cost money, and a big part of that comes from their time. You need to pay your old or new employees to take the time to do the training courses, and while they’re doing that they’re also not being “productive” at work. A supervisor is able to train employees and develop new skills in their workforce without the need for paperwork or a computer. They’re able to manage and access all resources through the app on their device. By building and centralising your own library of training content, the employees can undertake their necessary training in the most efficient way possible, while also making sure that the training content that they consume has been validated by your trainers beforehand.

2) See your workforce skills at a glance

At a granular level, good Employee Training and Development Software will gather data on how employees have interacted with course material and the progress they are making. At a macro level you’ll be able to see the job skills capabilities in a matrix to assist with workforce development and planning. 

3) It can save you money

More conventional approaches, like an in-person training method, can be enormously expensive. They might involve sending people to classes for a number of days, hiring a guest speaker for a period of time, or purchasing physical materials. With an Employee Training Software solution, the entire system can be accessed in a hybrid context. You are able to include videos and textbook material that can be accessed from anywhere. 

4) The learning experience is tailored and more engaging

One of the other big advantages of Employee Training and Development Software is that it can be fully customised to represent your brand and organisation. Building the user experience around this via your branding assets allows you to take full control of the training process and make it clear that this is a continuous learning service that your company is delivering to its valued employees.

What to look for in Employee Training Software

It’s easy to say employers should invest in learning and development software, but what does that actually entail? Good Employee Training Software should look to include five elements in particular:

1. Be able to facilitate compliance

The software should be audit-ready, meaning that if the regulators need proof that your training meets and exceeds your obligations, you’ll be able to demonstrate that immediately.

2. Enable hybrid learning

New research suggests that most employees learn better when having access to a blended learning training plan. Say goodbye to regular training methods and build workplace and company policies around knowledge base development rather than just “ticking off another box”. This means offering both online and face-to-face training opportunities. “Off-the-job” training is beneficial, especially for deskless workers. If employees are rarely in the office, create opportunities for them to learn wherever they might be. The resource library should be accessible anywhere and from any device so that all employees feel included. This is where options like a Learning Management System (LMS) or Learner Experience Platform (LXP) come in handy. Usually this goes hand-in-hand with a mobile app.

3. Offer a flexible assessment builder

Assessments are not a “one-sized-fits-all” tool. It’s important for these competency measures to be shaped around your workplace goals. The right software allows employers to build exactly what they want and doesn’t restrict them with set templates.

4. Allow for automation

A software wouldn’t be useful if certain aspects weren’t able to be automated to support efficiency and eliminate labour-intensive repeatable tasks. The less you have to manually do, the better.

5. Terrific user experience

In order to benefit the most from knowledge development, you need engaged employees. One of the most important aspects of this is user experience. The best Training and Development Software offer a user experience that is both seemless and enjoyable. Afterall, the easier it it is to learn, the more employees gain from the process. We need to treat our employees like customers in a post pandemic world. And what’s one term that is always at the top of our organisation’s list? Customer satisfaction. It’s important to ensure that employee productivity is as high as possible.

6. Support compliance

Have features that give you transparency and control to ensure you have ticked all the boxes when it comes to your compliance requirements.

Take Employee Training to the Next Level

Having the correct training practice in place ensures that weak links are avoided and it also improves employee retention. In the past, employees were often seen as just another cog in a larger system – but that’s starting to change. These days, if you want employees to not only remain happy but stay at your company and help your company succeed, adequate development software is a must. If you’re not sure which Employee Training Software tool is right for you, then consider a Explore Pricing solution to see just how clearly it delivers in all these areas (and more).