Business Training

Introduction - to compete, differentiate and be more productive, small businesses need skilled employees, to help a business survive and thrive. Yet many small businesses do not allocate enough time or money towards training new recruits or existing employees. Business training is also invaluable for Individuals seeking to return to the workplace, following a redundancy or time off to raise a family. This article summarises the various business training options available to jobseekers and employees of a small business, including; seminars, online business training, management and leadership training programs, business schools, courses and tutorials.

On-the-Job Training - businesses with a small number of employees will usually provide on-the-job training for new recruits.  By allocating a coach or a 'mentor', to each new employee, new staff can ask questions, receive feedback, and learn the practical skills on a day-to-day basis. This management training can be arranged at a mutually convenient time and is highly relevant to the needs of the individual and their job objectives. Learning new skills may be limited to the capabilities of the more experienced trainer.  This training is free and a simple written training plan the effective means of monitoring the progress of a new employee.  A mentor does not necessarily have to be someone within the organisation, but could be from a third party trusted organisation. This could be a long established trusted supplier or customer.  If the new recruit has been brought into the company to replace someone who is leaving, knowledge handover exercise can be arranged, during the short overlap period. This involves question and answer meetings and handover of any relevant materials and electronic data.

Public Training Courses - these types of business training seminars and classes usually cater for a large number of people from different companies. They tend to be organised by certified larger training organisations, usually involving speakers and presentations to a large group.  Therefore, they are the less relevant for individuals and the subject matter can feel generic and uninspiring.

On-Site Classroom Training - using this option, teams come together in a workshop environment with an external trainer, who visits the premises to deliver a bespoke training programme.  This is the most popular form of training, as it means a team does not have to be off-site for too long.  In addition, learning together promotes group cohesiveness and teamwork, and is also is cheaper than sending everybody offsite to a remote location.  Sometimes a business centre or local hotel is used by the training company as a means of facilitating the course, which increases overheads accordingly. 

Online Distance Learning - it is now possible to learn skills and obtain knowledge using online business training programs.  The convenience and flexibility of the Internet means that training videos, downloadable manuals, instant chat and e-mail, all blend to facilitate interactive e-learning.   A tutor can provide advice and support from a remote location via teleconferencing or e-mail.   Even before the Internet existed, organisations like the Open University pioneered this type of remote learning, using television lectures and training manuals.  This type of training is ideal for learning international languages and technical topics. The main advantage of this type of training is that it is relatively cheap to undertake.  Time is saved, compared to traditional classroom training, (doing introductions, lunch breaks, travelling to the event etc).  Students doing e-learning can also forward and skip through sections of a training videos or manual that they already know about. Where as in traditional group classroom training, the trainer has to respect the entire group and cannot 'skip' bits of their presentation, just because some of the class might know it already.   The main drawback with this style of learning, is that it is not bespoke to the individual, as training packages are designed to cater for as wide an audience as possible. The online course is likely to cover generic areas of business operations.  The individual will have to apply their newly acquired knowledge, to their day-to-day responsibilities.

  Government Funded Training - in the United Kingdom, the government provides training resources for a number of different reasons.  The level of employment and economic wealth generated by the small business sector, means there are a broad range of training initiatives to help small firms become more competitive, better skilled and better run. The main Government subsidised skills and training based grant in England s provided by 'Train to Gain'.  This scheme provides subsidised training to help improve business efficiency and increase profits, by helping employees grow in motivation and confidence. These scheme support employers of all sizes and in all sectors to improve the skills of their employees. The Service offers skills advice on everything from Investors in People, basic skills through to leadership and management training.  In Scotland, a similar scheme is operated called 'LearnDirect' and in Northern Ireland the 'Success through Skills' Programme provides local skills training.

Academic Educational Courses - there are many universities, business schools and vocational colleges providing the opportunity to study for a business degree or MBA. There has been huge Government investment in educational resources in the United Kingdom. This means job seekers and small business managers, now have more of an opportunity to advance their academic achievements, as well as go back to school, to develop or build upon their knowledge and experiences. 

PC-Based training - there are many CD-ROM based, computer training software packages available, covering a huge range of practical business topics.  Some of these 'off the shelf' packages interact with the maker's website, to allow the trainee to download the latest training PowerPoint materials, case studies, tests, surveys and basic program software updates.  Others simply provide the manuals, video and exercises to help people self learn from their laptop or computer. Unlike distance learning, there is no human tutor advice and support, provided by the makers of the CD-ROM software. The program simply provides information for the user to read, view and learn on their own.

Business Management Training - for small businesses, the importance of strong leadership may provide the difference between business success and failure. Therefore, for managers to develop the necessary skills required help a firm succeed, a business management training programme is required to support and develop the management team.  It is sensible to ask for professional advice from a training organisation to devise a programme suited to your individual needs.   The main areas of managerial skills include leadership, communication and presentation, motivating, prioritising, decision-making, analysing, delegating and supporting.  In addition, managers need to have functional knowledge of business strategy, sales and marketing, negotiation, customer care, information technology, finance, human resources, legal, project management, procurement, administration and production.  To improve these skills, offsite teambuilding exercises provide a constructive and positive means for the management team to understand each other's relative management skills strengths and weaknesses.  Teambuilding exercises also helped to develop the younger and less experienced members of the management team.

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