According to CNN, Fox, and just about every Wall Street Analyst, this terrible recession is finally showing signs of turning around. Yeah!!!
What does all this mean to the training industry? Well, first of all I do not want to be a sour grape, but training has taken one of the biggest “hits” during this recession. I have heard analysts say that training expenditures were cut as much as 20-30% in organizations in 2008 and 2009. Training is also the last area to pick up again, once an economy starts to recover.
OK, OK – sour grapes – but let’s focus now on making some sweet wine instead.
Here are four suggestions all training organizations should take during 2010 and beyond:
Always focus on proving value to your organization by impacting the bottom-line.
Concentrate on offering training courses that address performance gaps caused by a lack of knowledge and skill. Better yet, try to act more like a performance consultant by solving non-training problems, rather than being just a program peddler. Few care about the number of training hours taken, or how full your classes are. What they do care about is increased performance.
Market your department, and all your efforts.
Don’t take for granted that your organization is aware of the fantastic things you did and are doing. Marketing is all about MBWA. Management By Walking Around means being visible in your organization. Meetings, newsletters, blogs, or any type of media are all ways that you can bring your department to the forefront of your company.
Ask questions.
For example, if training is being requested, ask, “What will success look like, and how will we measure it?” Want to build stronger working relationships? Ask, “How do you view the training department, and how can we better meet your needs?”
Stay current with technology, to see how you can use it effectively to provide a learning culture in your organization.
Do not use a certain technique just because it is the current fad, but use techniques that will save your organization time and money, while also enhancing job performance. To keep updated on technology, we have a wonderful resource that is part of My Langevin. Just sign into your My Langevin account, click on the My Resources tab, scroll down, click on the e-Learning link, and explore!
So, how did I do? Is it a richer sweeter tasting wine now? I hope so. Just remember these four key points no matter how good or bad the economy is to help your department and training thrive in your organization.
Ron
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Good post.
The economy will recover and training orgs. that are positioning themselves will be able to ride the wave to recovery.
Focusing on the value and the impact training can have on a companies bottom line will continue to keep the training company thriving.
Additionally the businesses that are focusing on training and talent keep the talent within their company.