Set up in-house training

Informal in-house training

Learning for most employees comes from informal on-the-job training. Even the smallest businesses with no training budget can carry out in-house training.

Job shadowing involves one person showing another all the aspects of a particular job and can cover a lot of ground. It is suitable for training new employees as part of the induction process.

Coaching involves regular reviews of an employee's progress. It is typically carried out by line managers who advise employees on how to improve their performance. It provides employees with feedback and is useful to introduce new tasks or responsibilities.

Mentoring is typically used for senior management and chief executive level and is a personal way to coach and advise senior staff. The role is best carried out by someone other than a line manager, possibly someone from outside of the company, who has the skills and experience to guide the employee and suggest practical solutions.

Passing on training involves one employee going on external training and returning to pass on their knowledge to other employees. It helps to keep costs down but is more suitable for skills such as IT.

Knowledge banks, eg a reference book or CD-Rom library, intranet and handbooks are an effective way to provide basic information that employees can access at their convenience. They are a way of holding information on office procedures and how to do basic tasks.

Disadvantages of in-house training

By being aware of the potential disadvantages of in-house training, you can make every effort to minimise them. Disadvantages may include:

• passing on existing inefficiencies or perpetuating poor business practices
• employees not taking it as seriously, eg they may not attend because they think it can be done another day
• the need to provide PCs, rooms, etc
• employees not being entirely honest about problems and difficulties

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• The business case for in-house training
• Informal in-house training
• Formal in-house training - the options
• Buying in a classroom-based course
• Distance learning and Internet-based training
• In-house training - skills requirements
• Training resources and costs
• Evaluating training effectiveness
• Checklist: setting up in-house training
• Here's how I set up in-house training and tailored it to our needs

 

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