How can you ensure learning transfer strategies work over time?

If you want to engage learners, you need to make sure the ultimate goals of your training are visible. Training should be relevant to the learners, so they should be bale to understand how the information can be applied to their daily tasks. Here are two good examples: - Training in an IT company: if you're working on a new software, it needs to be clear how this will be used (client interface, internal process streamline). Give plenty of test before going live. - Language Coaching: the examples and the language need to be relevant for the job, so the learners are aware of how they can apply them in real life.

It's very crucial to align training with the organization goals, position goals and individual goals. To achieve this you need to have clear goals that are turned into SMART objectives. By aligning training with organization goals, you'll be able to achieve the organizational strategy. By aligning training with position goals, you'll be able to address performance gaps. By aligning training with individual goals, you'll be able to attract learners attention and answer the most important question that the learner would have which is "What's in this training for me?" By aligning goals you'll be able to get the most out of your training.

Peers can support when drafting the training program. They might provide different perspectives and additional ideas. I also think it is useful to involve colleagues form different departments (IT, Finance, Order Management, Purchasing, etc.) to get a quick review so your program is relevant. It might also be useful to prepare a training delivery report which you can share with your manager during your performance assessment, so you can get direct feedback.

One think which has worked really well for me is to have a test environment which you can customize. When delivery training on a company software, you can work with mock data and recreate real life scenarios, so the training is relevant to the learners. When you are coaching (language, new job) it is important to have focused sessions and then "homework" for the learners. A coaching program is effective if you are successful in empowering the learners and create independent learning experiences.

One thing I found really effective is to document the training process in a sharepoint repository. In this way, learners can access the program, the test environment and the tasks anytime and they can safely check and experiment with the training material. I also think it is effective having sessions where learners need to discuss and explain what they have learned both with more experienced employees and with new starters, to make sure they have absorbed the new skills.

I believe the best way to collect feedback is to cross check info from: - anonymous survey among learners at the end of the training; - peers feedback (especially people who are working with the learners); - management feedback (during your regular performance review). By applying this strategy you ensure your feedback is diverse and relevant.