How do you design and deliver engaging and relevant skill training programs?

Un programme de formation pertinent et attrayant doit répondre aux besoins spécifiques des employés, pour ce faire une récolte des besoins en termes de formation doit se faire au préalable autour de discussions avec les structures concernées sur la pertinence de la formation et le feedback attendue de cette action. après une analyse des besoins des différentes structures peut nous aider amplement à identifier le manque de compétence à combler et à customiser des formations qui répondent aux mieux à ces besoins

It is important that the portfolio of observed skills gaps to be reviewed with the business in order to understand which gaps have the most impact on business results, and therefore deserve more immediate attention. By doing so, you obtain a business aligned prioritized list of skills to start working on. This prioritization is helpful both in terms of allocating resources and developing timelines for specific skills development initiatives. Often, you will not have all the resources necessary nor the time to work on all the identified gaps... this is why prioritization with the business is so important.

To assess skill gaps, an HR professional should start by identifying the skills required for success in a particular job or role. This can be done through job analysis and competency mapping. Once the required skills have been identified, HR can conduct a skills gap analysis to determine the difference between the current skills of employees and the skills required for the job. This analysis can be done through surveys, assessments, or observation. Based on the results, HR can then design and deliver engaging and relevant skill training programs to fill those gaps and develop the required competencies in employees.

A lot depends on the content of the training program. Based on the Training Need Analysis one can use the metacognition method and create content that would interest the participants and also engage them. Experiential learning is a brilliant way to design programs, but to make it relevant and interesting knowing the audience before even designing the content will give the trainer perspective to make changes in the presentation to make it effective and engaging accordingly.

When designing and delivering engaging and relevant skill training programs, it's important to choose the right training methods. Depending on the type of skills being taught, some methods may be more effective than others. For example, hands-on training and simulations may be more effective for technical skills, while interactive group discussions and role-playing may be more effective for soft skills. It's also important to consider the learning styles of the participants and choose training methods that cater to different learning styles. By carefully choosing the right training methods, HR can create an engaging and effective training program that enhances the skills of their employees.

The first element to take into consideration when choosing the training method is to look at 1) the type of skills that need to be developed (technical skills, behavioral skills, leadership skills, cognitive skills), 2) the level of mastery that is expected as an outcome of the training, 3) the amount of time required to attain that level of mastery, 4) the number of people to be trained and their geographic location (co-located vs. distributed across the globe), 5) the budget available and 6) the expected timeline for the skills to be acquired. Then, it is a balancing act between an ideal solution, and what can be pragmatically done given the constraints (resources, time, target audience,...) imposed on your initiative.

To customize your training content when designing and delivering engaging and relevant skill training programs, it is important to understand the specific needs and learning styles of your audience. This can be achieved through conducting a training needs analysis and gathering feedback from participants. Based on this information, you can tailor your content to be more relevant and engaging by using real-life examples and scenarios that relate to their job roles and responsibilities. You can use interactive activities and multimedia elements to cater to different learning styles and keep participants engaged throughout the training.

While designing the training content, always remember that adults learn by doing, and love to learn with others. Ultimately, the objective is not to fill the brain of our employees with theories, but rather to give them a space to learn and apply new skills, get feedback on the way the apply those skills, in order for them to feel comfortable to use them in their work environment.

Actually, thinking of timing, frequency, duration of training should have been thought through during the design of training programs, not when its time to deliver. When in delivery mode, it is important to collect all the data that will allow you to measure the effectiveness of the training. That may include a pre and post assessment. this assessment can take different forms, it can be a quizz, it can also be a simulated exercise (how well is it completed before vs. after the training) or observations from the manager when the learners applies those skills (before vs. after).

The training effectiveness measurement/monitoring approach must be designed and agreed with the business at the very onset of the design. Measuring the effectiveness of a training program should not be an after-thought once the program is designed, it should rather be decided upfront with the business so that it becomes an input for the design of the training program.

Training results can be gathered from learner feedback, through questionnaires or surveys, etc. This way learners can directly input on the training content, delivery, and anything else they feel relevant. It can also be gathered from assessment results. E.g., if one question is consistently answered wrong throughout multiple assessments, it could be that there is an issue with the question/delivery of the content, not the learner. Having fellow instructors input their own thoughts and feedback on a sessions content and delivery can be a valuable tool, too.