Fueling Success: The Power of Ongoing Employee Development in Your Organization
5 important reasons to provide a robust employee training program
What types of training do you offer your employees? It might include mandatory organizational training such as employee onboarding and human resources. While these topics are important, you cannot overlook the significance of new and continuous employee development in relation to their job functions. Ongoing learning and growth contribute to employee engagement, a crucial factor in fostering a solid relationship between your company, employees, and customers. Moreover, your employees expect you to provide the training and education they need to stay up-to-date with changing skill sets in the industry.
Following are five of the most important reasons to provide a robust training program in your organization.
No. 1: Technical Skills Development
The printing industry is highly specialized in that every product produced is different and has unique challenges. These challenges require new staff to develop — and current staff to maintain — strong technical skills. Investing in education and training means your company and employees have the expertise to handle complex projects, implement the latest techniques, and utilize the latest technologies. Training will enable your company and employees to develop and hone their skills in sales, customer service, prepress, and printing operations.
No. 2: Innovation and Adaptability
Our industry constantly evolves because of rapid technological advancements and changing customer preferences and demands. Training helps employees and your company stay current with industry trends, techniques, and software applications. This knowledge empowers employees to innovate, experiment with new ideas, and adapt to emerging technologies, ultimately giving your company a competitive edge in the market.
No. 3: Quality Control and Efficiency
Training is also crucial in maintaining high-quality standards and ensuring efficient operations. Your company can reduce errors, minimize waste, and deliver outstanding client results by providing training on quality control processes, color management, and print production. Well-trained employees are also more adept at troubleshooting equipment issues, problem-solving, optimizing production schedules, and streamlining workflows — improving efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
No. 4: Safety and Compliance
The printing industry uses many different equipment, materials, and chemicals to produce a printed product. Proper training will help your company ensure a safe working environment by educating employees on working with equipment properly, implementing safety protocols, and complying with industry regulations. Training in hazardous material handling, ergonomics, and equipment operation and maintenance can significantly reduce the risk of accidents, injuries, and non-compliance issues.
No. 5: Professional Development and Employee Engagement
Investing in education and training programs demonstrates your company’s commitment to your employee’s professional development and growth. A formal, consistent training program will boost morale, job satisfaction, and engagement, increasing productivity and retention rates. By offering opportunities for your employees to learn and grow, your company will also attract and retain top talent, build a skilled workforce, and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Ideas for Training and Development
Technological advancements rapidly reshape the printing industry and skill requirements faster than many companies can adapt. The challenge lies in providing effective, industry-specific training that is relevant, up-to-date, and convenient for your employees. Some ways you and your company can provide training to employees include:
Mentorships. Many companies already have a formal or informal mentoring program for new staff to ensure successful onboarding. However, where this misses the mark is ongoing career development within an organization. Moving on to an experienced and knowledgeable employee (mentor) guides and supports a less experienced employee (mentee) in their professional development. A good mentoring program shares expertise, knowledge, and advice to help the mentee grow in their role and advance their career.
Industry conferences and events. Attending live industry conferences, trade shows, and other events is essential to ongoing employee training. These events are an excellent opportunity for employees to learn and expand their knowledge. Conferences and tradeshows bring together professionals, experts, and thought leaders from various fields, providing a valuable platform for learning, networking, and staying updated on industry trends and advancements.
eLearning. One of the great benefits of online courses is that the learner doesn’t need to absorb and remember everything presented. eLearning resources like LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, and PRINTING United Alliance iLEARNING+ are great examples of online training options where industry resources are available anytime at the learner’s convenience. Most importantly, when the resource is needed to review, it’s available to the learner on-demand.
For additional information and resources, visit iLEARNING+ at ilearningplus.org, where you’ll find the industry’s most comprehensive collection of eLearning and certifications. If you are at PRINTING United Expo, September 10-12 in Las Vegas, stop by the PRINTING United Alliance booth where we can answer all of your training questions, get a demo of iLEARNING+, and more.
