What is Learning and Development?

Learning and Development aims to improve group and individual performance by increasing skills and knowledge. Learning and development forms part of an organization’s talent management strategy. It is designed to align group and individual goals and performance with the overall vision and goals.

When it comes to practical implementation, individuals responsible for learning and development must identify skills gaps among groups and teams. This can be done often through SMART objectives, one-to-one interviews and performance appraisals and then finding suitable training to fill relevant gaps. (hrzone.com 2013)

How you can create high-impact employee Training?

1. Business Impact Identification:

Design and develop the training to meet the overall goals of the company. Keeping business goals in focus ensures that training and development makes a measurable impact.


2. Analyze Skill Gaps:

By finding out what the gaps are between employees’ current and expected skills, it will help to pinpoint what are the specific learning objectives should be. Categorize the learning objectives into these three groups as Motivation, Skills Mastery and Critical Thinking and define activities in the training plan that target all three groups.


3. Layer Training Methods:

The most effective training programs use layered, sustainable learning activities to create performance improvement over time. A layered approach makes sure the program targets the essential employee, customer, and business needs while training the right people at the right time in the right way. A layered approach is the best of all worlds because it blends learning experiences and training methods that maximize the benefits of the invested time.

4. Evaluate Effectiveness and Sustain Gains:

The continued support is required to ensure that initial training complies with the objectives. Measurable learning objectives are the foundation for evaluating the impact of the training. (Hartsfield, 2015)

References

Hartsfield, Emma. (2015) WHAT IS EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT?. WHAT IS EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT?|AllenComm [Online]. available at <https://www.allencomm.com/what-is-employee-training-development/. >. [Accessed on 14th May 2018]..

hrzone.com (2013) What is Learning and Development?. What is Learning and Development?|HRZone [Online]. available at <https://www.hrzone.com/hr-glossary/what-is-learning-and-development/. >. [Accessed on 14th May 2018]..