IDS HR Study 849, July 2007

Training strategies

• Examines how organisations support business strategies with effective learning programmes that also meet the individual development needs of employees

• Considers how employers usually organise training delivery – often cascading responsibility to achieve maximum impact

• Looks at how organisations seek to measure the effectiveness of learning and development interventions

• Summarises the key issues and recommendations of the recent Leitch Review of Skills

• Includes five detailed case studies

A well-considered and effective learning programme can play a key role in helping an organisation evolve, grow and succeed by aligning development interventions with key business objectives.

The priority for most organisations is to develop a training strategy that meets their business requirements, while also addressing the individual development needs of their employees. Many organisations adopt a ‘blended’ approach to learning, delivering training in a variety of ways to meet employees’ learning preferences. Offering a wide range of learning opportunities, many of which can be short interventions delivered when and where they are most needed, reinforces the concept that training is not a supplementary activity, but an integral part of an organisation’s everyday activities.

Evaluation of learning is essential if maximum impact is to be achieved and if further funding is to be forthcoming. At its most basic level, participants give feedback that can influence future design, delivery and content of training. But some organisations are also now seeking to show how training activity can affect key metrics, such as turnover, quality and productivity. Increasingly, such information is appearing in annual reports as a sign of a company’s commitment to employee development.

This publication includes detailed case studies of the training strategies adopted by the BBC, Honda, Mothercare, Welsh Assembly Government and Whitbybird.