The quality of any training program has a direct correlation to the overall success of an organization. Scaling that program to match company needs can be a significant challenge. That’s why it’s imperative to look at why scaling a training program is important, the benefits of doing so, and the steps to get your program to match your organizational needs.
Reasons to Scale Up Your Training Program
There are a few reasons to consider scaling your training program.
The most obvious one is growth. Times of growth can be exciting. New locations are opened as the company expands, new products could be rolled out, and new employees are hired. With that comes new challenges – rapid onboarding, new communication channels, new roles and team structures, etc. Knowing how to handle these things, and working with employees to define their needs, will make scaling your program much easier.
Another great reason to scale your training program is to address business challenges. Whether it’s skill gaps, a remote or dispersed workforce, compliance needs, employee retention, or something else, training can help address these challenges. Providing workers with more access to high-quality training not only helps them but helps the bottom line as well.
Perhaps your company just underwent a shift in job roles. This would be an important time to scale your training program to include reskilling and upskilling efforts.
For more information on that, check out our ebook on reskilling and upskilling employees as automation becomes a bigger aspect of the workplace.
It’s also imperative to scale your training program if there is a lack of leadership. Providing training opportunities to your high-potential employees early on is important to help them progress into leadership roles in the future. Scaling to include this type of training can help bring organizational success down the line.
Gaining Leadership Buy-In
Leadership support and buy-in are critical to the success of a training program, especially if scaling it is going to cost time and money. There are a few things you’ll have to express to the team before getting the green light. Be sure to connect the needs of the organization to business strategy, and how growing your program meets those business goals. Be aware of budget issues and constraints while explaining the plan but remain enthusiastic.
And don’t forget to talk about the benefits growing your training program will bring.
Benefits of Scaling Your Training Program
Training employees has obvious benefits – increased productivity, higher engagement, better morale, etc. Scaling your program will only enhance those results plus add more.
By providing more training opportunities, employees will remain engaged in their work and want to better their skills.
Employees will then be able to use the skills they are learning in their job. Whether it’s stronger customer service, better communication, or new safety procedures, allowing employees to apply skills on the job is a great benefit to scaling a program.
Through scaling your training program, you can help your organization develop a culture of learning. By fostering this type of environment, learners will want to continue learning, thus justifying the scaling of your program. Additionally, a learning culture results in better overall morale, develops a growth mindset in employees, creates more opportunities to be innovative, and allows for better problem solving and decision making.
All of these things contribute to a healthier bottom line (which always makes leaders happy).
Now let’s look at the steps for scaling up training in your organization.
6 Steps to Scale Up Training
Scaling your training program might seem like a daunting task, but when broken down into more manageable steps, it can be done seamlessly.
1. Define the scope of your program
You will need to determine what parts of your current program you are wanting to scale up. Work with employees to understand their challenges, and then look to scale what will help them overcome those challenges. Also, look at organizational needs and performance objectives. Combining these two efforts is a low-risk way to engage learners and provide value.
2. Invest in online resources
Having an online learning portal where employees can easily access content, ebooks, assignments, schedules, etc. is essential to scaling your program up – especially if you have a dispersed workforce. Providing this portal will help employees feel engaged with their training, and as an organization, you are able to reach all employees equally.
3. Commit to a pilot program
Think of this as a trial run, or soft opening. These programs will help you prove that your idea works, before more effort, time, and budget (tying back to leadership buy-in) are spent on the project. Start with a small idea that you can test and validate by selecting one department or location to try the new program. Measure those results before a company-wide rollout.
4. Establish a brand
Add some personality to your program by giving it an identity and logo. This will help reach your learners, overall team, and company stakeholders. This helps build anticipation for your learners and brings cross-functional teams together. Stakeholders can visualize the program and see that it is something tangible.
5. Use technology in your program
Utilizing technology to help you find the right balance of training mediums is called blended learning. By providing webinars, simulations, videos, and in-person options, you can reach all your learners in a way that helps them retain information. This allows you to scale your program in a way that reaches all learners.
6. Use microlearning in your program
Tying into technology and blended learning, providing microlearning videos will help boost learner attention and engagement. These smaller, easier-to-digest videos can fit easily into the workday without putting full departments out of commission for lengthy seminars. Also, employees are able to access these videos at any time on any device, allowing training to fit into their busy schedules.
By understanding the challenges your employees face, providing them with the proper solutions, and then reevaluating from time to time, you can effectively scale up your training program.
To make this process easier, a partnership with BizLibrary can help!
Our easy-to-use platforms allow you to customize your program with specific branding to build a home for your training program and bring it to life.
Utilizing off-the-shelf content from our online learning library allows training to be accessible anytime, anywhere, and on any computer or mobile device, fitting seamlessly into employees’ schedules.
Our Client Success team can help you implement your scaled up program and offer any support you need along the way.
Request a demo to speak with one of our training program experts about how our complete learning solution can help you scale your training program!
