How do you design a training program?

Training and development programs are one of the most important investments a company can make for its employees. Whether the training programs are for new hires or to expand the knowledge of current employees, these programs help to maintain motivation. In this CPD article, we will be discussing what makes a training program successful, examples of training plans for employees and how to develop a training module.

How do you design a training program?

Training programs are created by companies to improve the skillset of workers. These programs can range from customer service, improving computer skills, safety and quality assurance etc. Training programs can take place in a classroom setting or online. 

Due to the vast amount of training programs available, these can be tailored in order to meet an organisation’s needs and ensure employees obtain all the information required. Not only are training programs a great way to ensure your employees are kept up-to-date, but well run programs can help to attract talented staff and boost retention rates. Training programs need to be planned and implemented strategically as the last thing a company wants is unhelpful or unclear training that could confuse or demotivate staff. With that said, here are a few key steps to designing your training program:

Designing an effective training program

Step 1 - Assess training needs – The main thing to find out as a company is what employees need to be trained on. As training programs can be developed for various different reasons, it is crucial to know what would be most beneficial to improve the performance and knowledge of employees.

Step 2 - Develop learning objectives – Training objectives keep employees focused, and helps to ensure that individuals are working towards the same goal within the program. This makes it easier for individuals to achieve the desired results.

Step 3 - Design training materials – Designing training programs is important as although you may know what you would like to include, it helps to determine correct placement and the best way to deliver the programs. A few questions to ask yourself: are the resources ready? What is the most efficient way to deliver the training program? Will my employees understand the training that I am providing? Will they remember what has been said in training?

Step 4 - Conduct the training – Once the program has been created, it is time to implement the training. It is also important to know how to deliver the training. Current employees should be made aware of the new training program, why they need to do it and how it can help the business.

Step 6 - Evaluate the training – Once the training program has been delivered, it is a good idea to check the progress and evaluate the training session that you have provided. This could be in the form of a survey that is sent to employees where they can anonymously provide feedback. This is a great source of knowledge, as if there are points within the training that need changing, these parts can be amended to improve future learning.

What makes a training program successful?

There are a lot of training programs available, but not all of them are successful training programs. A successful training program is one that provides your employees the knowledge they need in a format that is simple to understand, yet helps productivity.

Training should be simple to understand and to the point, this will help employees absorb the material. If there are multiple topics to cover, it may be more beneficial to create two training programs rather than one. This is because employees will not remember every bit of information they have been provided in the training session, and so multiple programs can often improve overall learning. 

Training programs are also more effective when there are regular training sessions rather than having training delivered at unspecific times or without advance notice. If employees are only made aware of a training session 15 minutes before, for example, they will not have enough time to prepare both physically and mentally as it is last minute. Programs should ideally be spread out as providing too much training in a short amount of time could become repetitive for employees.

As not everyone learns the same, it may be valuable to include visuals within the training program. Not only will this improve employee attention, but the information is also likely to stay with learners and help with understanding of the topic you are discussing. Also, successful training programs often include time for employees to ask questions about areas they may need more clarity on. If employees are hesitant to speak in front of the training group, time can be left after the training program for one-to-one question answering and can ensure that no one is left out.

Simple training plan ideas and examples

Before making the training program, it is important to assess who is being trained. For example, new employees will need more in-depth training on company goals, values, resources and key objectives. It could be useful for an assessment to be taken out so you know what skills and knowledge the new employees currently hold and what they still require.

A simple example of a training program structure:

Subject: New employee training

Purpose: To provide information to the new employees about the business, background, the work environment and introducing new employees to their co-workers.

Learning objectives: Company mission, company short term goals/long term goals, receiving login details for the computers, provide dress code and an overview on what is done day by day, meet current employees who are in similar job roles.

Program delivery mode: How will the training program be delivered? In a classroom setting, online, or a hybrid approach.

How to design and create a training module?

A training module is a structured section of a course. The information within the training module should be designed and created to support the learner, and to ensure they are retaining the information the training program contains. Modules are useful, especially when there is a lot of information that needs to be relayed.

If you are training new employees, dividing a training program into modules helps with organising your content. Another aspect that needs to be considered when creating a training module is the format that each module will be delivered as. This is important when planning and developing a training module as you want to maintain learner engagement and therefore having the same format may not be as engaging as various formats.

We hope this article was helpful. The CPD Certification Service is the world's leading and largest CPD accreditation organisation working across all industry sectors. If you provide training courses, workshops, eLearning and virtual events that may be suitable for Continuing Professional Development, please contact our team to discuss in more detail.

Alternatively, if you are looking for a free online CPD record tool to help manage, track and log your ongoing Continuing Professional Development, as well as store your personal training record and CPD attendance certificates in one simple place go to the myCPD Portal page.