Investing in Your Greatest Assets: Tips for Implementing Effective Employee Training Programs

1. Investing in Your Greatest Assets: Tips for Implementing Effective Employee Training Programs

2. Introduction • Employee training is of great essence in every organization today. • In the medical services sector in this case, training equips employees with the necessary skills that they need to execute their day to day tasks. • However, there is need to implement effective training programs that not only educate but also inspire employees to deliver the best results.

3. Determine Your Department Needs • Different departments have different needs; the needs of a maternal and child health department are different from those of the pharmacological or laboratories. • The needs of a department will help to understand what materials or materials will be used in the training. • The needs of the department also determine the viability of the training programs (Brown 2002).

4. Develop a Training and Development Plan • Come up with a training and development plan • This encompasses policies and guidelines that define how employees, in different departments will be trained and empowered continually. • With the development plan in place, employees feel better motivated to deliver the best (Brown 2002).

5. Develop a Training and Development Plan • A training and development plan entails when and how employees will be trained. • A training and development plan outlines guidelines for training new and existing employees so that there is no clash of roles. • It also outlines the assessment criteria that will be used in figuring out if employees need training going into the future (Kotey & Folker 2007).

6. Address New Hire and Ongoing Training • New hires should be selected effectively • People should be hired based on their competence and skills and nothing else • Discrimination should not find its way into the organization. • If new hires are dedicated to deliver the best, they need to be empowered through rewards and other incentives (Kotey & Folker 2007).

7. Address New Hire and Ongoing Training • Ongoing training is also essential • New hires should be integrated effectively into these programs so that they do not feel isolated. • The ongoing training should be structured in predictable manner so that it is easy to follow through. • Training should be all-inclusive if the departments will have to work effectively (Noe 2010).

8. Don't Forget to Cross-Train • Cross-training is vital in the healthcare sector • Employees from different departments can be trained together. • Some skills are shareable among departments and thus cross-training acts as a learning platform. • When employees are cross-trained, they build confidence, competence and ability to undertake various roles in the organization (Noe 2010).

9. Get Management Buy-In • Management support is vital • Management needs to appreciate the essence of the training programs. • Management should be kept aware of the details of the training programs and their objectives. • Management approval builds on the credibility of the training programs together with their longevity (Noe 2010).

10. Measure Results • Measuring results helps to understand the extent of effectiveness of the training programs • Different methods can be used to measure results • Results should be based on employee development, understanding of the training materials and implementation of the contents of the training. Progress should be assessed (Noe 2010).

11. References Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee training and development. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Brown, J. (2002). Training needs assessment: A must for developing an effective training program. Public Personnel Management, 31(4), 569-578. Kotey, B., & Folker, C. (2007). Employee training in SMEs: Effect of size and firm type—Family and nonfamily. Journal of Small Business Management, 45(2), 214-238.