Employee Training Methods TLDR Summary
Employee training methods are the techniques and approaches used to structure training programmes and impart knowledge, skills, and competencies to employees. Fifteen popular methods exist, ranging from eLearning, microlearning, and gamification to simulation training, role-playing, on-the-job training, and coaching and mentoring. Effective training methods empower workers to upskill without burning out, are learner-focused, and encourage active learning.
L&D professionals should conduct a skills audit and learning and development survey to identify the most effective methods for their workforce’s unique needs.
94% of employees will stay at a company longer if it invests in their learning and development (L&D), according to LinkedIn’s 2019 Workplace Learning Report. However, organisations require the right types of training methods and techniques to meet their workforce’s training and development expectations. Effective employee training methods empower workers to upskill without burning out, are learner-focused, and encourage active learning.
From simulations and roleplaying to apprenticeships and on-the-job training, this article highlights 15 popular training techniques for employees. We also dive into how L&D professionals can deliver and use the the right methods for their needs and how employee training tools help.
Top Methods of Training Employees
1. eLearning
eLearning involves using digital training materials and tools to engage learners in the training process. While eLearning and online training are often categorised together, eLearning doesn’t always have to take place online. Course materials like virtual lessons, quizzes and assessments can be accessed from any device either online or offline. This makes them more accessible and makes eLearning a good training method to adopt for remote and deskless workers who may not always have internet access.
Benefits of eLearning
- Accommodates multimedia content like video lessons, podcasts and webinars and interactive training materials.
- Materials can be created once, and made available to any number of learners without significant effort or expense.
- Training can be accessed anytime, anywhere and on any device. This makes it easier for employees to fit training into their existing schedules.
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Interactive training is a workplace training method which encourages active participation throughout the course duration. This could be through quizzes and activities, group discussions, or mini-class presentations. The aim behind interactive training is to help your employees demonstrate their learning and interpret their new knowledge independently. This can help them make decisions, explore multiple learning paths, correct any mistakes they make, and ultimately turn knowledge into actions.
Benefits of Interactive Training
- Keeps employees engaged throughout the training program.
- Instructors can provide immediate and personalised feedback on a learner’s performance.
- Encourages self-assessment through reflection on performance and identifying areas needing improvement.
3. Microlearning
Microlearning involves breaking courses up into short lessons which can be adapted into your employees’ routines. It focuses on delivering small pieces of information on a regular basis to allow for repetition of learning. This helps your employees turn training into a daily habit, boosts knowledge retention and helps them overcome the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve.
Some microlearning examples include flashcards, mini videos, audio snippets and short challenges. Since microlearning lessons take less than 20 minutes, and are usually interactive in nature, it’s easy for them to be incorporated into even the busiest employee’s schedule.
Benefits of Microlearning
- Boosts knowledge retention by delivering information in manageable chunks that are repeated often and reinforced over time.
- Fits seamlessly into any employee’s schedule, making it easy to incorporate training into daily routines.
- Keeps employees engaged in training helping to maintain their interest and serving as motivation to maintain the learning process.
- Read about more microlearning benefits.
4. Gamification
Gamification takes interactive training methods one step further, turning learning into a fun and competitive experience. It involves delivering training through game-like elements, often online, to make the training engaging and enjoyable. It incorporates elements like streaks, leaderboards, points, digital badges, challenges, levels of progression and rewards or incentives. These create an interactive environment that motivates employees to continuously engage with training material and fosters friendly competition among colleagues.
Benefits of Gamification
- Turns learning into an enjoyable experience, encouraging employees to regularly and actively participate in training.
- Motivates employees to grow and develop their knowledge and skill sets in a fun way.
- Repetitive games reinforce learning and improve long-term knowledge retention.
5. Video Training
75% of employees prefer video-based learning over reading text information, according to a report by Forrester Research. This makes it essential to include video elements in your training materials.
However, it’s also important to consider the types of video content you create. Research from Kaltura shows that 67% of employees skim through videos, watch them without sound, or listen to them while engaged in other activities. Companies should include different types of video content in their training, like prerecorded training by instructors, animated videos and captioned videos to engage learners.
Whether human or animation, training videos should be concise, easy to follow and short (3–6 minutes long). If your entire subject can fit into a single video, break the video into meaningful bits also known as “chunking”.
Benefits of Video Training
- Video training is cost-effective. By adopting video for workplace learning and development, Microsoft could slash its classroom training cost per employee by about 95% (from $320 to $17).
- Videos engage employees better compared to texts and other traditional methods of training and development.
- Online videos are easily accessible for a variety of employees including deskless, onsite, remote and hybrid workers.
6. Instructor-Led Training
Instructor-led training has its roots in traditional classroom learning, but these days, it is also used for online and hybrid workplace training. Instructor-led training happens in different ways in an organisation, including:
- One-to-One: One learner to one instructor
- Small-Group: A small group of learners with one instructor in a classroom setting
- Lectures: A large group of learners with one or multiple instructors
- Workshops: Hands-on, interactive training
- Webinars and masterclasses: Online through video conferencing (with one or more facilitators)
Benefits of Instructor-Led Training
- Allows for feedback and Q&A in real-time and helps learners resolve any issues they face quickly.
- Quickly discover and assist employees who are struggling with some aspects of the training.
7. Simulation Training
Simulation training creates real-life scenarios where employees can use the skills they’ve learned to solve practical problems. For example, the investment platform, Rapunzi, uses training simulation techniques to teach entry-level analysts how the stock market works.
Simulation training can be physical or driven by digital technology. An example of physical simulation training is a fire drill. Employees might not even know there’s a drill — they’ll hear the fire alarm and use their knowledge to respond, just as they would in an actual situation. Flight simulators for pilots, which create realistic learning environments, are examples of digital technology being used for training.
Benefits of Simulation Training
- Provides contextual knowledge, which improves knowledge retention. Employees experience how their learning applies to the real world, albeit in a safe and controlled environment.
- Allows instructors to provide immediate feedback to learners. Quick feedback drives sustained learning and boosts knowledge retention.
8. Role-Playing
Role-playing is a practical mode of training where employees act out real-life scenarios during training to demonstrate how they would approach situations. For example, you may organise a training program for your support team on how to deal with demanding customers. You could split the training participants into two groups — one acting as customers, the other as support — and give them a hypothetical situation. This would give employees first-hand experience in dealing with difficult scenarios, and help them develop power skills like communication and empathy.
Benefits of Role-Playing
- Teaches employees how to apply knowledge to solving real-life problems.
- Improves engagement and helps employees develop deeper practical understanding of training subjects.
- Helps employees develop workplace skills like critical thinking, communication and emotional intelligence.
9. Social Learning
Social learning is an employee training method that encourages colleagues to share their knowledge and skills. This is often done through discussion forums or online communities where employees are able to share their experiences, ask questions, and learn practical tips from peers in their field. Another common method of training in social learning is ‘whisper guidance’, where employees learn by observing colleagues’ behaviours and receiving real-time feedback, either in person or within a virtual environment.
Benefits of Social Learning
- Encourages teamwork and the exchange of diverse perspectives.
- Provides employees with immediate, applicable knowledge that can be used in their daily roles.
- Can be implemented in person and online to suit different work environments.
10. Collaborative Learning
Collaborative learning is another engaging employee training method where teams work together on tasks or projects, fostering teamwork and improving critical thinking. Often used alongside simulations and role-playing, collaborative learning not only boosts individual skills, and also enhances the way groups of employees work together in real-world scenarios. This method encourages shared responsibility and collective problem-solving, leading to better outcomes both in training and on the job.
Benefits of Collaborative Learning
- Strengthens teamwork by fostering a sense of shared responsibility and improving group dynamics.
- Develops strong critical thinking skills, which are essential for tackling complex challenges in real-world situations.
- Allows employees to apply what they learn directly to their work, ultimately improving team performance.
11. On-the-Job Training
On-the-job training (OJT) involves teaching employees necessary skills directly within their work environment, as and when they need them. Most employee training and development methods take place outside of normal roles and responsibilities through workshops, seminars, online courses, or other off-the-job training examples. However, on-the-job training takes a different approach, as it is embedded into daily tasks, making learning immediately applicable and relevant. On-the-job training examples include internships and mentoring, which provide hands-on experience and real-time guidance.
To maximise effectiveness, it’s essential to ensure that training resources are easily accessible on any device, both online and offline. This accessibility allows employees to quickly access courses and materials, apply their learnings immediately, and improve their productivity and efficiency in real time.
Benefits of On-the-Job Training
- Employees apply what they learn directly to their work, allowing them to perform more effectively and efficiently from the outset.
- Training is highly relevant and specific to employee roles and responsibilities.
- Often requires fewer resources than dedicated training programs, making it a cost effective employee training method.
- Discover more advantages (and disadvantages) of on-the-job training.
12. Job Shadowing
Job shadowing is a work-based learning approach that allows employees to learn by observing. Often used in onboarding, companies can pair a less-experienced employee with a Suitably Qualified Experienced Person, and have them learn about different tasks related to the role. This helps new and less-experienced employees develop a deep understanding of the skills, expectations and responsibilities of the role they’re going to fulfil. Job shadowing can also be applied across departments, allowing employees to gain a better understanding of how different roles intersect, and the impact that their position has on the company as a whole.
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- Enables employees to acquire hands-on training and practical skills.
- Great way to introduce workers to career mobility opportunities within your organisation.
- As the Learning Pyramid shows, teaching others enhances knowledge retention and application, allowing both new and experienced employees to benefit from job shadowing.
13. Job Rotation
Job rotation is an employee training method designed to enhance versatility, career development, and succession planning. It involves moving employees through different roles within your organisation, allowing them to develop a broad skill set and gain a comprehensive understanding of different functions. This training technique is particularly effective for individuals who are highly skilled in various areas, and would be a good fit for higher managerial or leadership roles.
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- Enhances employee versatility and ensures career progression.
- Provides a broad perspective of how different functions contribute towards organisational goals.
- Prepares employees for higher-level positions.
14. Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships provide learners with structured, hands-on work experience in a specific field, allowing them to develop practical skills and knowledge directly relevant to their future roles. While many businesses view apprenticeships as distinct from other employee training programs, apprentices often transition into skilled employees within an organisation. This is because apprenticeship training offers detailed and focused on-the-job learning opportunities, enabling learners to develop their skills more rapidly than traditional training programs. Since apprentices are dedicated solely to training without additional job responsibilities, they can concentrate fully on developing workforce skills, leading to more effective and accelerated learning.
If you are interested in offering apprenticeships in the UK, it’s important to have a thorough understanding of apprenticeship funding rules
Benefits of Apprenticeships
- Provides hands-on, focused training opportunities that accelerate skill development.
- Produces highly skilled workers who are well-prepared for specific roles.
- Apprentices often transition into full-time employees, resulting in higher retention rates as they are already familiar with the company’s culture and processes.
15. Coaching and Mentoring
Coaching and mentoring are modes of training that facilitate learning through direct interaction with experienced professionals within the company. While both methods aim to pass down knowledge and support career development, they differ in scope, duration, and relationship-building.
Coaching is a short-term, targeted training focused on developing specific skills or competencies. For instance, an employee might work with a coach to enhance their ability to recruit mid-level talent. The relationship between the coach and the employee is typically task-oriented, with the coaching ending once the specific skill is acquired.
Mentoring, on the other hand, is a long-term relationship where a senior employee guides a junior employee or a group of employees. This method goes beyond just skill development, encompassing a broader exchange of knowledge, advice, and professional growth. Mentors often build strong, ongoing relationships with their mentees, continuing to support their development even after the formal mentorship ends. The goal of mentoring is to foster continuous professional development and help mentees navigate their career paths.
Benefits of Coaching and Mentoring
- Coaching and mentoring offer personalised learning and development opportunities aligned with individual goals and needs.
- Facilitate the transfer of valuable knowledge and skills from experienced employees, ensuring that expertise is passed down within an organisation.
- Mentoring in particular fosters strong, long-term relationships between employees, enhancing collaboration and communication across your business.
Methods of Employee Training Delivery
In today’s modern workplace, understanding the best type of training methods is crucial. However, it’s equally important to grasp the difference between employee training methods and delivery methods.
These two terms are often confused because there is significant overlap between how training is structured and how it is delivered. However, recognising the distinction can help you optimise your training programs by not only implementing the right training methods but also delivering them in the most effective way.
- Employee training methods refer to the techniques and approaches used to structure your training programs and impart knowledge, such as mentoring, job rotation, or eLearning.
- Employee training delivery methods refer to the formats or mediums through which training is provided, focusing on where employees will be learning and how they will access the materials.
Here are five popular training delivery methods that can be applied across the various workstaff training methods we’ve discussed.
1. Online Training
Online training uses software and internet-powered applications to deliver learning materials. It’s one of the most versatile delivery systems, since it accommodates a number of different training methods. It also makes training materials easily accessible on any device.
Tools like Cloud Assess’ learning management system allow companies to create courses, easily enrol learners, and manage student information from a single platform.
Best Used For:
- eLearning
- Interactive training
- Microlearning
- Gamification
- Video training
- Digital simulations
- Social learning
- Colleaborative learning
- On-the-job training
2. In-Person Training
In-person training may have its foundations in traditional training, but it still has a place in modern work environments as well. In-person training is well-suited to training methods that rely on teamwork and collaboration, since communication is often easier in person rather than online.
Best Used For:
- Instructor-led training
- Physical simulations
- Role playing
- Collaborative learning
- Job shadowing
- Job rotation
- Apprenticeships
- Coaching and mentoring
3. Blended Learning
While online learning can be effective, Cloud Assess’ Demands of the Deskless Worker report shows that up to 74% of deskless workers prefer face-to-face or hybrid training.
Want to Learn More About the Demands of the Deskless Worker?
Our report has everything you need.A blended learning approach is the sweet spot between online and in-person training. It sees companies delivering most course materials online, while conducting in-person sessions when their teams are in the same space. This combination allows companies to use a variety of employee training methods to enhance learning initiatives, rather than focussing on a single delivery method.
Best Used For:
- Any combination of online and in-person training delivery.
- Employees attend online classes and have in-person group discussions.
- Participation in physical training sessions and completion of all assessments online.
4. Synchronous Learning
Synchronous learning involves delivery the same materials to your employees at the same time. It could be online, in-person or blended depending on your preferred method of delivery. Synchronous training means that every employee has exactly the same training experience, ensuring consistency.
For example, an automated workflow might send a course to specific employees at the same time each week, with a set deadline for completion to ensure that everyone progresses together. Another example is instructor-led training, where a lesson is delivered live at a specific time. Employees can join either in-person or virtually, but those who miss the session typically cannot access it later. This approach is often used for mandatory training sessions or when an expert is brought in to deliver specialised knowledge to as many employees as possible.
Best Used For:
- Webinars
- Instructor-led training
- Role playing exercises
- Physical simulation training
- Collaborative learning
- Social learning in an office environment
- Coaching and mentoring groups of employees
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Explore the difference between the two concepts.5. Asynchronous Learning
Asynchronous learning involves delivering the same content to employees at different times. This means that employees can access and engage with training materials at their own pace, rather than having to participate in real-time. Asynchronous learning is more flexible, and is especially useful for companies that have employees across different time zones or on varying schedules.
A good example of asynchronous learning is recording instructor-led training sessions and making the recordings available online. This approach enables employees to access the lesson at a time that suits them, ensuring they can benefit from the training even if they cannot attend the live session.
Best Used For:
- eLearning
- Microlearning
- Digital simulation training
- Gamification
- Video training
- Social learning in discussion forums and online communities
- Coaching and mentoring individuals
Best Employee Training Tools
There are plenty of employee training platforms available to enhance your training program. Finding the right training tools and techniques for your unique needs is the real challenge, since different platforms will be best suited to different types of employee training. Evaluating employee training system features—such as course customisation, progress tracking, and integration capabilities—can help you identify the best solution for your organisation.
- Cloud Assess is a great fit for eLearning, collaborative training, and on-the-job training for deskless workers. It accommodates different types of training methods and assessments seamlessly.
- LearnUpon works well for social learning and gamification.
- LearnWorlds is a good option for interactive videos and instructor-led training sessions.
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How to Choose the Best Training Methods for Employees
Not every training method would be the right fit for your organisation, even if it’s driving excellent results for another company. To choose valuable and effective training techniques for your workplace, you should:
- Conduct a skills audit to know the training needs of your staff.
- Use a skills matrix to map existing skills against organisational needs.
- Conduct a learning and development survey to discover the preferred learning styles of your workforce.
- Ask employees to share their learning goals.
- Consider the unique learning styles of your employees. Not every employee learns the same, so it’s important to cater your training to individuals. Learning how to cater your training for different learning styles is a valuable skill that will help boost your development programs.
To learn more about how Cloud Assess can enable your business to deliver training methods to create the best outcomes click here.
Learning Theories to Consider
When creating your employee training methods, you should consider a wide range of learning theories. At Cloud Assess, we pride ourselves in investigating everything education-related. Here are some of the most important learning theories that we have explored:
- Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve
- Conscious Competence Model
- Dreyfus’ Model of Skill Acquisition
- Path-Goal Theory
- Kolb’s Learning Cycle
- Honey and Mumford’s Learning Styles
FAQs About Employee Training Methods
What are training methods?
Training methods refer to the various approaches and techniques of training used to impart skills, knowledge, and competencies to employees. With these types of training, employees can benefit from traditional techniques like instructor-led training and on-the-job training or more modern approaches like eLearning, microlearning, and gamification. The choice of training method depends on the goals of the training program, the nature of the content, and the learning preferences of the employees.
How can I implement employee training methods into my employee training plan?
To create an effective training plan that integrates different training methods, start by assessing the specific needs of your organisation and employees. Identify the knowledge and skill gaps that need to be addressed, and then select the training methods that best suit these needs. For example, use eLearning for flexible, self-paced learning, or instructor-led training for more interactive, real-time engagement. Incorporate a variety of methods to cater to different learning styles and ensure that training resources are accessible and relevant to your employees’ roles. Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of these methods and adjust your plan as needed to continuously improve the training outcomes.
What are the 4 types of training methods?
The most popular employee training methods include:
- eLearning, which offers flexible, self-paced learning for remote and global teams.
- Microlearning, known for its short, focused lessons that fit easily into daily routines.
- Simulation training, which provides realistic, risk-free practice environments for critical skills.
- Instructor-led training, valued for its interactive, personalised approach, especially for complex subjects.
