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Creating and maintaining an employee training program

Editor’s note: Ashleigh Purcell is director of research and talent development at Echo Market Research, Auckland, New Zealand. 

It is important to infuse learning within the culture of a company in a way that fosters a feeling of responsibility to the people you work with. Learning is far more than simply upskilling people on a team. It’s also about responsibility for the people you work with. And while training people to help with retention is certainly a motivator, it shouldn’t be the only one or even the primary one. 

Learning is important at Echo. Advancing people’s skills so they can carry certificates or qualifications with them that might help at some point in their future is part of our company ethos, and it’s our belief that with a little ingenuity and desk research you can do that without breaking the bank. 

 Internally, we’re constantly testing out and learning new technologies, methodologies and striving to improve. It’s something we individually and collectively love. It helps us stay excited about our industry and we could talk all day about the benefits of learning and training. But how do you go about designing a training program?

Our experience is that it’s a bit of a concoction, so to speak. We aim for a mix of hands-on, on- the-job learning, with formal, recognized coursework that gives legitimate qualifications that help build resumes. It’s a recipe we’re constantly assessing and evolving. 

Creating a training program

With that in mind, I want to share our experience creating a training program. In this article, I’ll detail a five-ingredient recipe for success, using our project assistant progression plan as an example. 

1. Your objectives and structure. Let’s get strategic!

Start by defining your goals. What exactly are you trying to achieve, at a high level?

High-level playing field: Where is the starting point, and where do we ultimately want people to go? What high-level stages are needed in-between?

Example: For our project assistant (PA) progression plan, the starting point is junior PA (entry-level position – someone with limited to no experience in market research) and ending point is senior PA (someone with confidence and experience in project support across a range of methodologies and project types, to the point that they can teach and coach others.)

Identify high-level goal posts: What does success look like? What are the specific skills and knowledge needed, along with formal certifications?

Example: Given that a junior PA has limited to no market research experience, the high-level goals of the training and progression plan are:
  • Gain foundational base of market research knowledge.
  • Develop strong Excel and critical thinking skills.
  • Learn our recruitment process and associated tasks.
  • Develop coaching skills to teach others.

2. Define the associated milestones and create building blocks.

Now that you know what you want to achieve, how does that translate into stages? What specific skills and knowledge are necessary at each stage?

Define the milestones along the way: What are the journey points or larger building blocks? Take the time to match up subsequent stages with the specific skills and knowledge necessary for each.

Example: Align on how to define the in-between stages. Are they distinct roles? Are they tiers within the same role? Then, match up the specific skills and knowledge needed to achieve each subsequent stage. Some skills will be distinct to a stage, while others will progress throughout stages. For our PA training program, the three core milestones are junior PA, PA and senior PA. 

3. Make it tangible. Let’s get practical!

Look at each stage in the journey and break it down into bite-sized chunks. 

What are we solving for? Name the specific, definable skills, experiences and knowledge needed to achieve each subsequent stage or building block.

Example: First, we map out specific skills, and the tasks that demonstrate those skills, on what we call a mastery form. It enables transparency of what the specific skills and corresponding tasks are, and documents the progress of learning, practicing and mastering each. Junior PA has 18 various tasks and skills to master, while PA has 30. Second, we define the specific knowledge and document it for each stage, including each piece of external coursework to enable the theoretical expertise.

For each stage: What are the clear mastery points, knowledge acquisition and range of experiences? How will someone know they've achieved that stage? What will success look and feel like? For each skill and corresponding tasks, define the planned steps to help that person achieve them. 

Example: For us, this is usually a mix of shadowing a task, followed by completing a task while supervised and instructed, through to completing a task independently in a range of circumstances and a final confidence checkpoint. 

4. Make your training program living and relevant. Learning is ongoing.

Now that you have your training program, keep it relevant and up to date. This involves examining both your team and the required skills for the role(s).

Take it from theoretical to tailored: Create a list of questions and work with your current team to answer them. Where are there current gaps in knowledge, skills and/or experiences along the journey? Which building blocks need extra content, coursework or defined experiences?

Continue assessing over time: The training program needs the flexibility to evolve and grow with the needs of your team and business. This could include changing the program to incorporating new skills, changing coursework and/or training based on team feedback. Is the training in-depth enough? Too in-depth? Do you need more hands-on experiences?

Example: For our PA training program, we found that more frequent (monthly) formal check-ins were helpful in keeping up momentum, accountability and the opportunity to give and receive feedback. During this check in, the team member’s mastery form is reviewed, updated with progress and the goal for the next month is decided.

We’ve also sought out feedback from the team and adjusted accordingly. For example, we used to have new junior PA team members complete a three-month foundational market research course through the University of California, Davis, but feedback over time was that the course was too lengthy and provided too much information too soon in their development. We’ve since adapted to having multiple shorter external courses and spread these out over the first 12-18 months as on-the-job knowledge and confidence grows. 

5. Empower your employees. 

I’ve shared steps for designing, creating and maintaining your training program. But what is the true key to success? We’ve found that the real secret sauce is empowering people. But what does that mean?

  • Transparency: Everyone singing from the same song sheet and aligning on what they're working toward/being assessed on, and how and when that will be assessed.
  • Environment: Creating a culture of learning (cue: ability to self-reflect and embrace feedback). This includes 360 reviews, and the notion that giving and receiving feedback at all levels is valuable and important. 
  • Guidance: This means learning by doing and using a safety net approach. Build in the mentorship and support.
  • Flexibility: Enable wiggle-room within the structure to flex according to individual needs. Make sure there's multiple tools in the toolkit for trainers and mentors to adapt to various personalities, learning styles and strengths. 

If you have any questions, comments or training program experiences to share, please e-mail hello@echo-mr.com.