The Benefits of Training

Regular training and learning opportunities are an investment that allow employees to prosper and develop their careers while giving the organization a highly skilled workforce, and a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Studies of training reveal that organisations with lower staff turnover spend the most on training and education. Minimizing staff turnover benefits the organization: replacing staff is a costly process - skills are lost, resources are disrupted, and recruiting new personnel takes time and money.

Training increases the skill-set of the workforce, enabling it to engage in a wider range of tasks and responsibilities. The benefits of a trained workforce have been shown to flow through to customers who become more satisfied with the improved level of products and services (not to mention greater production and output !).

Training is also a perfect opportunity for staff to get to know each other better and develops teamwork.

How training benefits the organization:

• Improves the job knowledge and skill at all levels of the organization.
• Improves individual, team, and corporate performance in terms of output, quality, speed and overall productivity.
• Improves operational flexibility by extending the range of skills possessed by employees (multi-skilling).
• Improves the morale of the workforce.
• Attracts high-quality employees by offering them learning and development opportunities.
• Increases levels of competence and enhances skills, thereby enabling employees to obtain more job satisfaction, gain higher rewards, and progress within the organization.
• Increases the commitment of employees by encouraging them to identify with the mission and objectives of the organization.
• Helps create a better corporate image.
• Aids in organizational development.
• Aids in understanding and carrying out organizational policies.
• The organization gets more effective decision making and problem-solving.
• Aids in development for promotion from within.
• Aids in developing leadership skills, motivation, loyalty, better attitudes, and other aspects that successful workers and managers usually display.
• Aids in increasing productivity and/or quality of work.
• Helps keep costs down in many areas, e.g. production, personnel, administration, etc.
• Stimulates preventive management as opposed to putting out fires.
• Creates an appropriate climate for growth.
• Aids in improving organizational communication.
• Aids in handling conflict, thereby helping to prevent stress and tension.
• Helps to manage change by increasing understanding of the reasons for change, and providing employees with the knowledge and skills they need to adjust to new situations.
• Helps to develop a positive culture in the organization, which is oriented towards performance improvement.
• Provides higher levels of service to customers.

Benefits to the individual which in turn ultimately benefit the organisation:

• Helps the individual in making better decisions and effective problem-solving.
• Aids in encouraging and achieving self-development and self-confidence.
• Helps a person handle stress, tension, frustration and conflict.
• Provides information for improving leadership knowledge, communication skills and attitudes.
• Increases job satisfaction and recognition.
• Moves trainee toward personal goals while improving interaction skills.
• Develops a sense of growth in learning.
• Helps a person develop speaking and listening skills; also writing skills when exercises are required.
• Helps eliminate fear in attempting new tasks.

Benefits in personnel relations, and policy implementation:

• Improves communication between groups and individuals.
• Aids in orientation for new employees and those taking new jobs through transfer or promotion.
• Improves interpersonal skills, which is a key for career and personal success.
• Makes organization policies, rules and regulations viable.
• Improves morale.
• Builds teamwork and cohesiveness in groups.
• Makes the organization a better place to work and live.

… Similarly, avoiding training opportunities works against you, by:

• Missing promotion opportunities.
• Limiting your skills.
• Working with outdated knowledge.
• Missing opportunities for personal growth.

All knowledge has a half-life or useful 'shelf-life' of around seven years or less (unlike radioactive substances that usually last a lot longer !), which is why professionals in all walks of life believe in constantly upgrading their skills.

The world is rapidly changing, and new opportunities are constantly emerging. Organizations and individuals need to adapt to this changing environment through training.

Make the most of the training opportunities that are available to you. You will benefit, and so will your organization.

"It's all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you're properly trained." ~ Queen Elizabeth

This blog post is based on an article of the same title that I wrote in Newstalk, the newspaper of the Seychelles Marketing Board in March 2004, where I conducted Leadership Development (and other) workshops for over 200 SMB Managers and Supervisors / Team Leaders.

Participant feedback from the series of corporate training workshops at the Seychelles Marketing Board included:

“The workshop was job-related and of personal benefit, and I take it as an investment for future endeavours.”

“Yes, I now have more tools to work with.”

“It was beyond my expectation, full of great inspiring examples.”

“It will help you to improve especially when working with customers.”

“Mr. Ghosh knows what he is talking about.”

“The teacher was very good. I have good ideas to share with others.”

“The facilitator used examples of things that have actually happened. There was good communication between all participants.”

“The issues addressed were clear & related with my work.”

“Every module in this workshop has been clearly explained.”

“The course was very fruitful.”

“Helped me learn a lot.”

“The workshop is very interesting, especially working in teams. It helps also to know one's co-workers working in other sections.”

“It will help me set my goals, communicate more, and deliver superior service.”

“The sessions content were full of actual examples related to communication, visioning, goal setting, etc.”

“He helps me to have more confidence in myself. He is really a good teacher. I have learnt a lot.”

“It has helped me to build self-esteem.”

“There are things that have been discussed and explained that are relevant to my work but I’ve also got many new ideas.”

“No wasting of time. Well-coordinated and planned.”

“The sessions were very lively and entertaining.”

“It was very interactive.”

“Very detailed with good case studies / examples. Very informative.”

“It got us thinking more about how to analyse and apply the newly learnt skills.”

“The course was on a very advanced level.”

“It was easy to understand and examples were based on our everyday situations.”

“I enjoyed visioning and goal setting and leading a team a lot. On the whole, I enjoyed the whole workshop.”

“I enjoyed the whole workshop.”

“Everybody had a great time. Just two days seems too short to cover all the topics in every detail.”

“Everything I learnt during these two days is needed in my everyday work.”

I help visionary organizational leaders, business owners and CEOs of environmentally responsible companies who are struggling with strategy in uncertain times to pivot and grow their business by writing a focussed strategic plan in just 6 weeks without leaving the comfort of their homes or offices.

Besides strategy focussed executive coaching and a mastermind group for CEOs, business owners and organizational leaders, all delivered online, I also deliver online courses on Leadership Development (and shall resume face-to-face workshops as well when the Covid-19 pandemic permits) and other bespoke training solutions that organizations need.

I have designed, developed and delivered corporate training workshops since 1995 (...my first was a Leadership Development workshop for MacMillan and Company, the publishing house).

Since then I have delivered corporate training, faculty development and talent transformation workshops to thousands of participants of many different nationalities in 5 countries and 4 continents, with excellent participant and organizational feedback.

I have also served as Head of Training in India for a Fortune 100 multi-national corporation, and as Director / Executive Head of the Academy of HRD in Ahmedabad, India's premier institution specializing in human resources development for all organizational forms, before starting my own training, publishing and e-commerce startup.

In October 2019 CEO Worldwide listed me as their iCEO of the Week on their website.

I have served as a National HRD Network National Professor and as Senior Consultant to the United Nations Institute for Training & Development (UNITAR).

A search with my name on Amazon.com will bring up books I have written on Inflation and on Reducing Poverty to Accelerate Economic Growth.

As a lifelong learner (with a large personal library and over 26,000 online courses in my personal Udemy.com library and almost as many in my Kindle books library), I am also a quick study who is keen to continuously enhance my skills and competencies.

If you head an organization and would like help formulating a strategic plan, or with corporate training solutions, please drop me an email at [email protected] with the subject line: Strategy / Training.

Imon Ghosh has served as Director of the Academy of HRD, Ahmedabad (India’s premier institution specializing in human resources development for all organizational forms), Head of Training for a Fortune 100 MNC in India, Senior Consultant to the United Nations Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR) and as an NHRDN National Professor.

Imon is a life member of the All India Management Association, National HRD Network and the Indian Society for Training & Development, as well as the Indian Economic Association, Indian Econometrics Society and the Indian Society of Labour Economics.

Additional links:

Linkedin:??https://in.linkedin.com/in/imonghosh

TEDx Talk:?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o28RTu7ovlQ

Amazon Author Page:?https://www.amazon.com/author/imonghosh