Boost Engagement: Making Employee Training Irresistible in Your Workplace

Posted by Laura Amendola on December 5, 2024

Employee training is important for many reasons, including business growth, employee satisfaction, and skill enhancement. In a professional office setting, providing opportunities for employee training can be crucial. But how can you market these opportunities to your employees so they want to take advantage of them? Learn how to ensure training initiatives are effectively adopted and utilized by your employees in this blog post.

Market training programs to employees

When marketing training programs to your team members, it’s important to shine a light on what’s in it for them. Lack of career advancement is the second highest reason employees leave their jobs, according to Gallup. When employees complete training programs and upskill, their qualifications can align with higher positions, allowing them to advance their careers. Highlighting the upward mobility a training program can offer them can be just the thing for your team members to take the leap.

Tips for effectively marketing your training programs:

The way you communicate what kind of training programs and initiatives are being offered can also make a difference.

Share benefits of training programs in regular meetings
Include reasons to enroll in training in any relevant newsletters or emails
Share employee testimonials or stories if available
Share infographics or short informational videos
Recruit your leadership team to promote programs

You may already have some employees who have gone through one or more of the offered training programs and have moved up as a result. Don’t be afraid to share and celebrate those employees’ success. Team members may be more likely to take advantage of these programs if they see their peers reaping the rewards post completion.

Get employees set up for training success

When your employees are ready to get started with the provided training program(s), you want to make sure the process is as smooth as possible. If enrollment is too much of a hassle many team members may quit before they even get started. You can achieve this in a few ways, including:

Make registration easy and accessible
Offer a user-friendly registration system with clear instructions and dedicated support.
Provide flexible training options
Allow employees to choose between self-paced, hybrid, or in-person options if feasible to suit their learning styles.
Prepare managers to support the process
Educate managers on how to encourage and support their teams, helping them integrate the training into daily work.
Offer pre-training resources
Share preparatory materials (such as glossaries, practice modules, or tutorial videos) to help employees feel prepared and confident.

Ensure employees are able to succeed in training

When implementing training initiatives at your company, employee success should be the end goal. Be sure to set clear expectations and goals for your team members who enroll in any training programs provided so they know what they are getting into. You should also ensure your employees have plenty of support from you and your company. Supplying them with mentors or a dedicated help desk can go a long way.

As your employees move through their training programs you should monitor their progress and offer constructive feedback so they know how they’re doing. You should schedule regular check-ins with them and even celebrate milestones to keep them motivated.

Penn Foster talent acquisition associate Kristen Schenck shares this advice for those planning their career moves: “Remember to stay focused and don’t give up. Every big goal starts with small steps, sometimes with wins and losses. Stay motivated and keep pushing forward toward growing and seeking feedback from others. Positive mindset, invest time and believe in yourself!” This sentiment can be shared with your team members going through offered training programs in order to advance in their careers.

Be sure to hear the employees out on any feedback they may have on the programs and what’s working and not working. The environment at work should be one where employees feel comfortable asking questions and viewing mistakes related to their training as learning opportunities. As the employer, you’re responsible for creating this growth mindset environment.

Partner with a trusted training program

If you’ve decided you want to offer training programs to your employees to help them upskill and advance in their careers, consider partnering with Penn Foster. With Penn Foster, you’ll work with specialists who can aid you in helping your employees adopt training initiatives and open the door to success. To learn more about partnerships and the kinds of training programs we offer, reach out to our training experts today!