Learning and development programs: A guide for professionals

Clichés like “fast-paced business world” are used so often that they lose all meaning, but not when referring to a person’s career. The gig economy, quiet quitting, poly work—all these side hustles just show how quickly one’s job situation can change, and if your Plan A doesn’t include a Plan B, it could be a bumpy ride.

People want jobs that futureproof their careers, which is why practical workplace training is so helpful in attracting top talent. Upskilling and crosstraining help companies develop more skilled workers while preparing those individuals for a shifting job landscape. It’s a win-win.

Businesses use learning and development programs (L&D) to train skills like:

• Using special software
• Operating machinery
• Effective communication and teamwork
• Workplace compliance
• Professional certifications
• Leadership and management

Good workplace training programs boost employee engagement while aiding with retention. They force managers to examine what needs improving so they can create the necessary initiatives to fix it. Overall, it’s worth understanding how to build a strong L&D program. That’s what we’re talking about in this guide.

The importance of L&D in the workplace

Everybody’s been to workplace training at some point. Unfortunately, most of it wastes time since we know not to click links from suspicious emails or make untoward advances to a coworker.

Sure, mandatory compliance training can lower SAM insurance premiums, but that’s about as helpful as it gets. The training people want is whatever will give them a better chance at career stability, both now and in the future.

When good learning and development programs are in place, companies see:

• Better job performance
• Higher job satisfaction
• Improved employee retention
• New ideas and creative thinking
• Better adaptability
• Stronger company culture
• Competitive advantage
• Better decision-making

Understanding how to do a job is just one part of the equation—employees also need to engage with their work, which is much easier when the employment feels gainful.

A good L&D program teaches employees what they need to know and what will make them more well-rounded and complete.

Types of L&D programs

Training is a huge, profitable industry and a favorite of consulting firms. Companies like Deloitte and McKinsey make huge sums peddling infosec, diversity, harassment, and other training programs to Fortune 500 clients, often using homegrown research to prove its efficacy.

Does the training work? Yes, but it’s not exactly the kind of career-advancing skill set employees can add to their résumé. It’s a product with patented concepts, proprietary software, and a considerable price tag.

Here’s why your company should develop its L&D programs: to provide training where needed and at a far lower cost.

There are plenty of different ways and areas to provide learning opportunities, such as:

• Job-specific technical skills, like new software or working methods
• Soft skills like writing and customer service
• Onboarding new employees
• Management and leadership development
• Mentorships and job shadowing
• Self-paced E-learning courses

You don’t have to deliver everything on your own—free software is out there to make training more accessible for educators and learners (some apps will be mentioned here)—but you’ll need to plot out a direction first.

Creating a successful L&D program

Determining what to train on is the first step in mapping a learning experience. There are two ways to do this: identify an urgent need to fix skill gaps or research which skills need improving.

Here are some ways to discover what to train:

• Conduct a skills assessment: Use surveys or tests to see which skills employees already have and what they need to improve
• Ask managers and team members: Ask which skills people think are essential for their roles
• Analyze performance reviews: Look for common areas where employees need improvement
• Keep up on industry trends: The future introduces different skill needs for leaders to focus on and develop
• Review industry job descriptions: See whether or not current skill sets are in line with what’s required for each role, and offer skills training to people who need it

You can build a survey for free using Google Forms (or SurveyMonkey’s free version). Here are some example questions to try:

• On a scale of 1-5, how confident do you feel about your current job skills? (1 being not confident at all, five being very confident)
• What skills do you need to improve in your current role?
• Which of the following areas would you be most interested in receiving training on? (Provide a list of options, such as technical skills, communication, leadership, project management, etc.)
• Are there any new technologies or industry trends you need to train on to stay competitive in your field?
• What skills will most benefit your career growth in the next 2-3 years?

Hopefully, your survey will yield some helpful insights. Once you know what skills to focus on, it’s time to design a program.

Set clear learning objectives

What changes will learners undergo during training sessions? What should they know for training to be a success? Answering these questions will provide insights into how to organize your L&D program and whether to teach in-person, online, or both.

Each learning objective needs an end goal for training to pursue. If the goal is proficiency, training should offer hands-on practice. If the goal is understanding, training should check for learning along the way.

Use chapters to split up information so learners can stay calm.

Implementing and delivering L&D

If the material is good, training will take care of itself. You’ll still need to organize classes and provide materials, but engaging with the material is the top priority.

Here are the basic steps to delivering your program:

1. Start with a schedule: Pick when and how often training will happen
2. Choose trainers: Decide if you’ll use internal experts or outside trainers
3. Prepare materials: Create handouts, presentations, or online resources
4. Set up the space: Make sure you have the right work environment and equipment for training
5. Get the word out: Let people know about the training and why it’s important
6. Garner support from leaders: It’s hard to get people into training if they don’t see a need to, so ask management and other stakeholders to encourage participation in L&D
7. Use a pilot: Test your training with a small group before rolling it out to everyone
8. Get feedback: Ask learners what they think of the program and how it can be improved

Google Classroom is a free online course platform for developing materials. Organize your training there to see how you like the platform, then make changes.

Measuring the effectiveness of L&D programs

As a topic, workplace training is notoriously resistant to measurement. If a training goal isn’t met, learners can just as easily be blamed as harmful learning programs can, e.g., if the line goes up, good training. If not, bad delivery.

Results matter, so it’s essential to outline what improvement looks like. After all, how can you say training works if you don’t measure it?

Here are a few ways to measure success with your learning programs:

1. Define key performance indicators (KPIs) for metrics on how the program meets its goals
2. Use pre-and post-training assessments to see how skills improve
3. Observe job performance to see how employees perform after training
4. Ask for feedback
5. Analyze your learning management system (LMS) data to see how employees use the content
6. Look for a correlation between participation and employee retention

Google Data Studio is a free option for creating visual reports of your L&D program’s effectiveness. It’s complicated, but many freelancers would happily compile data for you.

Troubleshooting L&D implementation

Employee training is tough. Time and budget constraints limit capacity, and then there’s the challenge of engaging learners. It’s… a lot.

Start small. Focus on high-priority skills, and use free tools like the ones mentioned here to do it at little or no cost.

The other, less material problems are harder to solve:

• Resistance to change: Some people will only want to do training. Support from senior leaders is ideal, but ice cream is also persuasive.
• Keeping content up-to-date: Review and update training materials regularly. New information may become available that changes how you present. Check URLs, too, as they sometimes become outdated.
• Technology issues: Not all employee learning platforms work the same; some work better than others. Be prepared to provide tech support and training for learning platforms.
• Different learning styles: Adapting to different learning styles is the most challenging aspect of teaching. Be open to various training methods that suit different preferences and maximize employees’ skills.

Reddit is an excellent source of insight for business training and development (for now). Be bold, ask for help, and check in with your learners to see if they’re learning anything new.

Future trends

The world of L&D is constantly changing. There’s a science to embrace and competencies to learn. Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere, so if you can frame a perfect GPT prompt, you will have a headstart on labor-intensive grunt work, like making development plans for different learning styles. While it is true that AI makes some stuff easier, it also makes a bunch of things up because it’s a soulless algorithm. Always read through before use.

Microlearning is another word that sounds specific but isn’t—a library of short, focused lessons delivered via smartphone to fit busy schedules. Lessons are brief and may not be suitable for complex topics, but they are very convenient.

Gamification means turning stuff into a game, like Duolingo. They incentivize learning with daily streaks and leaderboards and use different games and exercises to make it stick. Some people like games, and thinking outside the box improves training.

Finally, LinkedIn Learning is an excellent resource for self-paced training and professional development. You can find many great educators on that platform.

In conclusion, no matter how advanced the tech, great L&D programs are marked by relevant and engaging material. They teach people new ways of looking at things they already know.

Investing in skill development and professional growth improves employee job satisfaction and performance—it also builds more robust, adaptable, and successful teams.

More Resources:
90 sample phrases for negative performance reviews
Create an onboarding plan that sets employees up for success
Cross-training employees: Examples and plans