INSIGHTs & INTUITION

Q.What forms of continuing education are the most effective and worthwhile?

I have found that it depends a lot on the person and how they best learn. I encourage my staff to engage in a variety of job-related continuing ed formats — both formal and informal — but the standard for any learning they seek is that it teach them, challenge them and motivate them. We reinforce their learning by asking them to relay to other staff what they have learned and how they have applied that information. We have found that when learning is part of an organization’s culture, team members are eager to participate.

If you want to get the best return on investment from your continuing education investment in team members, start with the team member, not the modality of the investment. You need to understand their career goals and aspirations. Once you understand where they want to go, you can figure out what their career path in your company is (and maybe create one, if it’s a great employee). Now that you understand where they want to go, you can assess and decide what areas they need to improve to succeed in the next role. Do they aspire to management, but don’t have any management experience? Consider investing in manager training and using them as a mentor for new or struggling hires to give them the real-world experience they will need to thrive in the role. For someone who doesn’t aspire to management, investing in specialized training will deliver a stronger ROI for your investment.

To be effective, continuing education must be timely, relevant and mutually agreed upon. What is gained from the continuing education is more important than the form in which it is delivered. Begin with the end in mind. What does the business, and the employee, hope to accomplish with the continuing education? How does the employee prefer to learn (i.e. visual, aural or hands-on)? What is the budget? And last, perhaps most important, how will the employee and the company measure the benefits received? This approach implies that the employee and the company enter into an informal social contract that both consent to and agree to perform.

It really depends on the learner’s abilities and the organization’s goals. There is no one size fits all when it comes to staff development. Quality training is essential for basic skill building for new staff. Conferences are great for managers and executives wishing to learn about industry updates and trends, as well as for networking with peers. Tuition reimbursement is a great incentive for organizations that want to retain high-performing staff. And for some, online learning is all they need. The key is to match opportunities to the unique needs of the learner.

Bachelor’s Degrees Earned 2013-2014