You’ve signed your team up for training. You’re excited, so sure that they’ll love the exciting selection of courses you have lined up for them. And the best part is, they can access the training any time they want—on any device!
But you’re facing a roadblock: your staff aren’t completing the training. This is a concern that we hear from some of our customers. So what can be done? While it might be tempting to find training alternatives or come up with a reward system, it does not actually address the underlying problem.
Here are our top five tips to motivate your staff about training.
The most meaningful thing you can do is be honest and clear about your expectations. Give your team a reason and a purpose for the training. The hard reality is that workplace training tends to be compliance-driven more often than not.
Therefore, you must communicate the importance of the training and how it relates to your staff. Make it a part of their job requirements and ensure everyone understands how it benefits them.
While your staff have the power to complete the training in their own time, make it clear that you have an expected completion date and reiterate this during the timeframe.
Doing so can give them a deadline to work towards, which allows them to prioritise a time to complete the training.
Aim for realistic timeframes, too; don’t expect them to finish within one day of receiving the training!
Building a foundation for learning will lead to employee engagement with the training. Incorporating training into your onboarding processes ensures that new hires start with a strong foundation and feel supported from day one.
You can do this by actively setting aside time in a new hire’s orientation to complete training. This can be a combination of inducting them into the company and completing relevant training. For instance, disability service providers delivering introductory training to new staff/support workers would help staff understand the broader context of their responsibilities.
A strong foundation ensures they have the legs to stand on their own, so even after onboarding, your team will continue to seek out learning opportunities and complete training promptly.
If your team needs to complete a series of courses or has access to a whole training library, it’s a good idea to break down the training into smaller, manageable blocks.
An onboarding plan can assist with this by outlining what training a new hire should complete in the first few weeks.
Our NDIS Practice Standards Training Plan breaks down our NDS Workforce Essentials into an intensive six-week program, a monthly training program, and a refresher training plan.
Curiosity is a flame. Like fire, knowledge and curiosity need to have the right environment to burn.
A learning culture is crucial to motivating your staff to complete their training. Learning is valued at all levels of the organisation, from newcomers right up to senior management.
An environment where employees are encouraged to ask questions, freely discuss their roles and responsibilities, and suggest ideas for improvement is vital for success. Your staff needs to feel safe taking risks, making mistakes, and learning from them. Once such a culture is established, your staff will feel more compelled to undertake training and even actively seek out new ways to learn.
It’s also important to recognise that courses and modules are not the only ways to facilitate learning. Workshops, webinars, conferences, networking events, and even mentorship go a long way in establishing a learning culture.
A learning culture also helps you avoid incentivising your staff to complete the training. When the motivation is self-driven, it ensures your team are empowered to take ownership of their training.
It’s also important to involve your team in the training process. Ask them what they want to learn.
Gather feedback from your staff and use their insights to understand what worked and what didn’t. Doing so ensures that you are providing relevant content to their roles.
Training should go beyond compliance; it’s about fostering an environment where learning is valued and encouraged. By using these tips, you can create a framework that empowers and motivates your staff to engage with their training.
Remember, the goal is to inspire curiosity and nurture ownership.
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