HUMAN Capital - Fall 2016 - 17

EGIES TO TRULY ADD VALUE, IDEALLY, EMPLOYEES WILL DO MORE THAN JUST BRING BACK THE LEARNINGS. NOT ONLY SHOULD EMPLOYEES INCORPORATE THE NEW KNOWLEDGE INTO THEIR OWN WORK, BUT THEY SHOULD ALSO ATTEMPT TO EDUCATE THEIR COLLEAGUES. control over the learning process once the employee leaves the classroom (or finishes the e-course), and it's impossible to measure the outcomes. (Improving Learning Transfer, Posted: February 28, 2014, Carol Leaman, CEO, Axonify Inc.) states that "even as the baby boom generation approaches retirement, most companies still have no plan for transferring knowledge. Even fewer factor generational challenges into business strategy." According to Leaman, as noted above, while the training may be top-notch, if people can't apply what they learn on the job, then the training has failed. Ultimately, an environment needs to be created that allows for the time to practice new skills. Before and after their training, encourage your employees to participate in the following strategies. Some alternatives which can be considered for relatively little expense (employee time being the most significant) include: * Webinars * E-learning - "mooc" courses, massive open online courses offered by universities are offered at no cost * E-campus Alberta - www.ecampusalberta.ca * Workplace mentoring * Resources at libraries - with free library cards this is easy and cost effective * Lunch and learns - impact employees' "personal" time, but typically have more of a fun or entertainment quality Before the Training Write a learning statement based on the objective of the training. Three components are ideal to a clear statement of objective: 1. Gap - what is the gap you are trying to address? 2. Competency - what competency (competencies) will the learning advance? 3. Result - what will be the end result of the training? The How Keep a copy of the course outline on hand as a summary (information in binders tends to get put aside or are daunting to re-visit). The problem isn't the training; it's what comes afterwards. After the Training Learning and development is a shared employer/employee responsibility, because both parties benefit. Investment in development activities-time, cost and effort-should be shared by both in a way that reflects the benefits to be gained by each party. But we need to consider, how much is the responsibility of the employee and how much the employer? The Business Internship Coordinator at The King's University questions just that and comments "the catch phrase of the 90s was that we all need to be life-long learners; however, the employee mindset is now sometimes-'teach me,' rather than 'I want/need to learn how to'." Age matters as well. The Conference Board of Canada's whitepaper, "Bridging the Gaps: How to Transfer Knowledge in Today's Multigenerational Workplace," 1. Write a "Coles notes" version of your takeaways and circulate to your team 2. Organize course outlines in one binder, by subject matter 3. Talk about the training! Take a moment, stop by and inquire to engage them 4. Identify one thing that they will put into practice 5. Add training to staff meeting agenda (employees mention what they enjoyed, a few takeaways, and how they've incorporated these into their work) 6. Present a 30-minute lunch and learn on the high-level takeaways from the course (facilitator's permission may need to be obtained) Learning and development is an investment. Supervisors and managers are responsible for maximizing this investment by establishing expected outcomes and reinforcing, recognizing, and rewarding the application of new skills. O HUMAN CAPITAL | FALL 2016 | 17 http://www.ecampusalberta.ca

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