Training is important to any business to make sure employees stay up to date with the latest knowledge and to improve their skill sets. One good way to train employees is through performance-based learning. Research has shown that performance-based learning can cut the time it takes to train employees by up to half, while at the same time increasing the amount that they remember.

The name pretty much says it all with performance-based learning – the emphasis is on performance, the outcome of learning. It focuses on specific skills. Now, if you have a large business, determining the specific skills your different employees need may at first seem like a tall order. But if you break it down into smaller steps, it can be accomplished.

The steps are:

• Figure out what the employee skills sets are 
• Focus your training on what learning outcomes you want to see
• Make the training hands-on, light on theory and heavy on practice

Managers should meet to determine the skills sets that employees already have. You could even do a survey of everyone in the company to get input on skills they feel are needed.

You can streamline your training by grouping together employees with the same strengths and weaknesses.

When you put together the training courses, again, you need to make sure they are centered around outcomes, what goes out rather than just what goes in.

Everyone learns in different ways, so you can mix into your training live instructors with webinars and other types of electronic learning. Employees should be encouraged to practice, not fear making mistakes, thinking about their problems and errors and trying again. Workers should be encouraged to work and learn together, to discuss common issues and problems.

To make sure people retain what they have learned, you need to do the following:

• constantly assess the skills that people have and need, and fit your training to those needs
• give feedback in a timely manner as people learn and apply the new skills 
• recognise those who have trained and gained new skills through communications throughout the company

If your company is located in New York City, and you are looking for skilled professionals in a variety of areas, Winston Resources can help you. Give us a call today