Busy employees don’t often take the time to think about what type of education or training they wish to pursue. Some are lucky enough to work for an employer who supports education. This type of help can come in many forms. Some employers offer support by allowing an employee to take time out of their busy schedule to attend a course or training session (guilt free!). Others offer financial assistance to people who want to go back to school. Some companies may even offer a course at their offices for employees to attend.

Some governments require companies to invest in employee training. For example, the province of Quebec requires that any company with a payroll of $1 million or more must spend at least 1% of that on employee training. If you are looking for ways to offer training to employees, it might be worthwhile looking into government funding for assistance.

Employee training, in any way, shape or form, comes at a price but has proven to have enormous benefits for both the employer and the employee. Companies who offer support for education will easily retain more loyal employees. An employee who has been given the opportunity to further their education is far more likely to stay longer, especially if they are given the opportunity to use that education to further advance within the organization. Elinor Whitmore, Vice President of ADR at the Stitt Feld and Handy Group, acts as a negotiation consultant and personal coach. She understands that “employees want to feel valued by their employers. One way to demonstrate commitment to employees and increase their loyalty is to provide opportunities for on-going development through training.”

Whitmore believes that “by refining their existing skill set, employees are better able to effectively and efficiently manage their responsibilities in the workplace.” In fact Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (www.hrsdc.gc.ca) did a study1 and found that people who took some form of training – either in a classroom or on-the-job - earned an average of $4.85 per hour more than people who had no training experience. As well, training led to a higher probability of promotion – in this case more so with on-the-job training than with classroom training.

Employers can get a leg up on recruiting the best new employees by investing in training and development. A company that offers training to its employees will attract bright people who are not only qualified for the job, but who are interested in further developing their skills. As the workforce diminishes over the next decade, with baby boomers beginning to retire, employers will have to compete for the best and the brightest candidates. Employee benefits, such as training, will play an increasingly important role in attracting people to their company.

In order to meet the increasing demand among employers, employee training and educational programs is a fast-growing industry in Canada. Online training is a new, innovative and cost-effective way for employers to reach more people, especially when employees are scattered across multiple area codes. Fore example, LifeSpeak Inc. has developed and continues to grow its online library of video clips that can be accessed by any employee world-wide. Subscription to the LifeSpeak On Demand program allows all employees to view this library 24/7. In other words, employees with limited time during the day to focus on anything but work can use their lunch-hour or evening to brush up on work-related skills as well as various “life” skills. LifeSpeak Inc. offers online workshops on health and wellness topics, parenting topics and basic work-related skills.

As we head into the fall season, and children across the country open up their books to discover new things, hopefully we adults can also take the time to learn something new and become better at what we do, both personally and professionally. There are many opportunities for employers to develop their training programs. Perhaps the best way to get started with learning is to learn more about how we can learn!