Internal Training and Development

Employees appreciate the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills without ever leaving work or the workplace.Internal training and development brings a special plus. Examples, terminology, and opportunities reflect theculture, environment, and needs of your workplace.

• Enable the employee to attend an internally offered training session. This session can be offered by a coworker in an area of their expertise or by an outside presenter or trainer.
• Ask theemployee to train other employeeswith the information learned at a seminar or training session. Offer the time at a department meeting or lunch to discuss the information or present the information learned to others. (Make this an expectation when employees attend external training and conferences.)
• Perform all of the activities listedbefore,during, andaftera training session to ensure that the learning is transferred to the employee’s job.

• Purchase business books for the employee. Sponsor an employeebook club during which employees discuss a current book and apply its concepts to your company.

• Offer commonly-needed training and information on an Intranet, an internal company website.
• Provide training by either knowledgeable employees or an outside expert in abrown bag lunchformat. Employees eat lunch and gain knowledge about a valuable topic.
  (Some ideas include: investing in a 401(k), how to vary and balance investments, tips for public speaking, how to get along with the boss, and updates on new products that make work easier. These opportunities are unlimited; survey employees to pinpoint interests.)

• The developers and other interested employees at a client company recently put on a daylong conference with lunch and all of the trappings of an external conference at a local conference center. Attended by interested employees, the conference sessions were almost all taught by internal staff on topics of interest to their internal audience?
  Picture a "real" daylong conference and you'll see the opportunity. Employees were pumped up beyond belief; they learned and enjoyed the day and gained new respect for the knowledge and skills of their coworkers.