Training can have a strategic impact on an organisation yet many organizations’ do not know or understand if they are receiving value for their investment in training. This course is designed to demonstrate that training has a strategic role and will demonstrate how organizations can obtain greater value from their investment in training.

Highlights of the course include:

• Setting training investment at the strategic level and establishing its contribution to the achievement of strategic organizational objectives
• Ensuring that proposed training programmes are relevant and the business case is made for the planned expenditure
• Learning techniques to monitor the impact of training in the workplace
• Learning techniques to identify future training needs at the strategic, operating and individual level
• Being able to establish that the maximum return on the training investment has been achieved

The Goals

By the end of this course participants will be able to:

• Understand the issues related to measuring and maximizing training return on investment at both a strategic and operating level.
• Plan, organise and deliver training programmes and events which are relevant to and will contribute to the attainment of the organisation’s strategic objectives.
• Demonstrate and be able to make the business case for specific training programmes and events and therefore be able to justify training related expenditure.
• Understand and be able to implement the techniques applicable to identifying and delivery relevant training needs.
• Describe best practice in relation to employee development and therefore contribute to the achievement of competitive edge by improving employee retention rates.
• Monitor and review the effectiveness and impact of the training ‘spend’ and as a result be able to apply measures to training related processes.

The Process

The training methodology used is designed to encourage maximum participation by all delegates. The presenter will suggest ideas and theories to the delegates and then encourage them to test out the ideas by the use of discussion, small group work, exercises, case studies and feedback. Each day of the seminar will end with delegates completing their own record of what has been learned on the day and considering how the ideas might be transferred back to the workplace.

The Benefits

• Will enable participants to make the business case for training plans and to justify expenditure.
• Will learn techniques applicable to the identification of training needs and the continuous monitoring of the impact of training in the workplace.
• Will promote a greater understanding of the need to align training expenditure with strategic business and organizational objectives.
• Will enable participants to apply best practice in planning, organizing, and delivering relevant and appropriate training programmes and monitoring the impact of training in the workplace.
• Will create a greater understanding of the business contribution and role of training in creating and sustaining superior organisational performance.
• Will enable participants to positively influence the achievement of the effective planning and delivery of relevant training programmes, change behaviour in the workplace and demonstrate added value of training through effective measuring of training outcomes thereby demonstrating maximum and optimum return on the training investment.

The Results

• Training expenditure will be aligned with organizational, strategic and cultural values
• The business case for specific training plans and programmes will be made in a convincing manner
• Training plans and programmes will be more effectively targeted to key areas
• Training investment (as a result of the above) will be utilized more effectively and organizations will be able to measure and maximize the return on investment
• Plans and programmes will be established to monitor on a continuous basis the identification of strategic and individual training needs and to monitor the impact of these programmes in the workplace
• The organisation will be recognised as an employer of choice through a proactive approach to training

The Programme Content

Day One : Introduction – An Overview of the Strategic Role of Training

• The strategic context of training
• The business case for training investment
• The principles of effective employee development
• Training models and approaches
• Establishing training needs
• Evaluating training
• Establishing appropriate processes for measuring training return on investment (ROI)
• The role of senior managers, HR professionals and line managers in measuring and maximizing the training ROI

Day Two : Aligning Training to Business Objectives: Maximizing Training ROI

• The organizational context
• Business Strategy: the need for long term planning for future skills and competences and the identification of skills gaps
• Identifying the training need
• Aligning training with business needs
• Planning training
• Delivering effective training
• Maximising training ROI

Day Three : Measuring Training Return on Investment ROI

• The arguments for and against measuring the cost and effectiveness of training
• Making the business case
• What and how to measure
• Identifying the appropriate success criteria
• Measuring the effectiveness of training
• Forecasting costs
• Forecasting benefits
• Calculating the training ROI

Day Four : Managing the Training Process

• Identifying the appropriate approach to training
• The roles and responsibilities of senior managers, HR professionals, line managers and employees
• Establishing training objectives at the strategic level
• Identifying training objectives at the operating and individual level
• Maximising ROI - preparing training budgets
• Planning and Implementing training
• Internal or external training provision
• Determining how training will be evaluated

Day Five : Evaluating Training

• Evaluation models and approaches
• Purpose of evaluation
• Some myths about evaluation
• Levels of evaluation
• Evaluation methodologies
• Linking evaluation to training ROI
• Course summary
• Personal development planning