Learning within the workplace is something that may slow down the more comfortable an employee gets in their role. While it’s great when staff are competent in their jobs, growth and development are a large part of both the career journey, and personal improvement. In fact, 4 in 5 people in the UK say learning adds purpose to their work, demonstrating a clear need for sufficient learning opportunities in the workplace.
So we’ve established that learning at work is important, but how to go about implementing more education and skills-building for your team
Training Across Departments
Having a broader understanding of the work across departments may be useful in terms of employees understanding how they and their colleagues fit together amongst the organisation, as well as creating a more diversely skilled workforce who may be able to aid and support during departmental shortages. And if that isn’t reason enough, 7 in 10 of people in the UK say that learning improves their sense of connection to an organisation, so investing in learning is investing in loyal employees and a positive Employee Value Proposition.
Discounted Courses
Having access to courses that are desirable but perhaps out of their price range can help to remove a barrier to learning an exciting new skill. Offering discounted courses could enable your staff to pick up on valuable skills, from learning a new language, to getting a drivers licence. These skills could come in handy or be relevant for the job role, or they could just contribute to a greater sense of fulfilment in the employee.
Soft and Hard Skills
There are perks to having a set of both soft skills and hard skills. While hard skills may be regarded as highly valuable in a professional setting or a requirement for the job even, this doesn’t mean that we should dismiss soft skills! For example, employees could be brushing up on their communication skills with the goal of ultimately ending up in management positions. My Staff Shop even offers discounted leadership training, so staff can learn how to work their way up to more senior roles.
Offering Up Beneficial Training
Learning opportunities can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and why not invest in transferable skills that could come in handy at any point? For example, it may be worth offering up First Aid courses or Mental Health Awareness training to your workforce.
You never know when this training may aid employees in the workplace, or out of it.
Artificial Intelligence
As much as many people may fear Artificial Intelligence, or debate its ethical implications, it’s undeniable that AI is entering (or in most cases, has already entered) most aspects of daily life. The best way to prepare employees for the increase of AI in the workplace, and enable them to use the tools to their advantage, is to educate them.
Taking the time to teach your staff about AI, can help to reduce misinformation, understand what it looks like and even show staff how AI tools can be helpful. The best way to be prepared is to be informed!
Interested in how My Staff Shop can offer your employees Learning Opportunities? Contact our friendly team today.