Organisations are responsible for adopting L&D processes that help their employees to grow professionally, meet their targets, and overall, improve organisational performance.
HR teams and L&D professionals must help employees retain the information they’ve learned and apply it over time through engaging training methods.
There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a training method for your employee learning and development. The most important things to consider are the number of trainees, the budget, and the learning objectives.
In this article, we’ll share an overview of some of the most popular L&D training methods for your workplace.
Table of Contents
What is L&D?
First things first, L&D stands for learning and development. The HR department is responsible for this process, which aims to develop employees’ skills, benefiting both the employee and the company they work for.
What are the benefits of L&D?
Through the implementation of a good L&D strategy in your workplace, you can expect the following benefits:
- Higher talent retention rates
- Positive employer branding, attracting more talent
- Higher levels of engagement from employees
- Improved employee performance
Investing in your existing employees’ skills through learning and development programs will have a significantly positive impact on your business as a whole.
Rather than outsourcing new candidates to fill skills gaps, you can spend time and money on your top talent. L and D help to keep the knowledge of your employees up to date, keeping them up with any trends which will later benefit the business as a whole.
Content Creation for L&D
Digital technologies for learning can be used to increase engagement, productivity, and training in the workplace. Depending on what you are teaching your employees, there are various ways that you can create content to show your employees how to perform certain tasks.
In the modern digital workplace, HR teams need to be able to create an effective training program and engage their employees.
Learning Styles & Software
- Verbal: You may choose to teach employees through a written approach. Using Microsoft Office or Google Docs, with written instructions and images.
- Aural: This is a very effective way of creating content, you can use these apps to record the process to show your employees step-by-step instructions. Apps such as loom and other video tools.
- Solitary: Using a virtual classroom. You can set assignments for your employees, allowing them to learn individually.
Instructor-led Training (ILT)
ILT is led by an instructor in a classroom or a similar environment. This is one of the most traditional training methods and is used to give the trainees an overall understanding of the training topic. Due to how cost-effective and time-saving this approach is, it is one that is frequently used by employers.
Instructor-led training (ILT) is most effective when you need to provide a large group of learners with an overview of a topic. A key advantage of ILT is how interactive this approach is.
Employees can ask questions in real-time and receive instant answers to their queries. This type of learning is a good option for when trainer and trainee interaction is valuable.
E-Learning
E-learning is a great option for organisations that want to offer flexible learning opportunities for a global workplace or across virtual teams. This training method allows learning to take place at any time, date and device; laptops, smartphones, tablets, computers etc.
This learning approach can be delivered through a variety of interactive and engaging training programs. L&D professionals can also create a sense of gamification through virtual classrooms, games, videos, quizzes and more.
Due to the engaging nature of e-learning, this L and D method can be more effective for employees, helping them to better retain information. All in all, saving time and money.
On-the-job training (OTJ Training)
Generally, OTJ training is carried out by a more senior member of staff who demonstrates the required task to a less experienced employee. This is usually done on a one-to-one basis, where the trainer demonstrates what the task consists of allowing the trainee to immediately mimic what they have been taught.
This training approach is beneficial as the employee is immediately able to apply what they have been shown. And further practice what they have been taught with the help of the trainer. Through this direct learning and development method, employees can quickly learn from their mistakes and receive immediate feedback from the trainer.
Coaching and Mentoring
This training method involves knowledge sharing from different levels of the business. Using internal coaching and mentoring to enhance employees’ skills, knowledge and work performance. This can be done through a buddy system, partnering more senior employees with less senior members of the team to connect their skillsets and share knowledge.
This method of workplace training is beneficial for both the mentee and the mentor, enabling them to simultaneously gain new skills. It also helps to increase employee engagement and loyalty.
By adopting a mentoring program in you can create a learning and development lifecycle, employees who have previously been mentored will later become a mentor for another member of the team.
Learning in The Flow
This is an individual led learning approach, where employees are expected to access materials and resources when they are in need. For example, if the employee is asked to perform a task that they are unfamiliar with, they will have access to high-quality resources that can help them to learn and complete the task on their own.
Although there are several challenges to this approach, it can be beneficial for remote employees, especially those working on different schedules from their team. Through this learning approach, employees may also be able to better internalise information. Familiarising themselves with the information when they need it, not through an overload of information.
Ultimately, employers need to upskill their employees to support the objectives of the organisation. As an employer, it’s important for employers to define their company strategies and to keep planning ahead in order to see what skills will be in-demand. As we mentioned, employers should invest in their existing talent, rather than looking elsewhere. Consequently, this will have a positive impact on the business as a whole, and most importantly, employee wellbeing and satisfaction.
