How to Create an Effective Training Plan and Implementation

Training on the Use of Information Technology at Work 

This training plan is aimed at ensuring that all employees working in the organization can make use of technology in their places of work in order to improve efficiency. The training is based on the lack of skills amongst most of the employees on how technology can benefit them at work. In particular, the individuals lack computer skills and hence the implementation of technology in the workplace cannot be effective without first training the employees. 

Assessing the Needs 

The company will conduct a training needs assessment every year using a needs assessment instrument as well as other sources. There was a need assessment done during the commencement of this training to provide a baseline on what the organization needs to do. The survey conducted by the human resource department focused on the following. 

The knowledge as well as the attitudes towards quality improvement 

Any experience with formal training and technology improvement in an organization 

Experience with information technology use 

Knowledge of the improvement of efficiency at work 

The needs assessment tool will be administered every year to identify some of the gaps in skills that are existing among the employees. It is based on the results of the needs assessment that the organization can be able to determine whether to train all the employees or a selected few who show signs of lacking skills. 

Understanding Adult Learners 

Most of the employees are old adults. Thus, the training will be based on the Andragogy theory that concerns adult learning. Based on the theory, adult learners are goal oriented, and hence the training should indicate how it is of benefit to the employees ( Bell, Tannenbaum, Ford, Noe, & Kraiger, 2017) . Moreover, adult learners have different learning styles, and hence the training must apply different styles to accommodate all the learners in the organization. The training will also be aimed at instilling specific skills to the employees based on their needs. Therefore, the training should adhere to the principles of adult learning. 

Training Styles 

Adult learners have four different learning styles. The first category is made of doers who like to be actively involved in the learning process. They always want to know how the learning or training will apply to the real world. The second category is made up of the feelers, which are people-oriented and thrive in unstructured learning environments ( Brown, 2017) . The third is made up of the thinkers who enjoy independent work and likes sharing ideas and concepts. They are also analytical and also evaluating. The other category is made up of the observer who likes watching and listening and tends to take their time before participating in the training process. 

Training Objectives 

By the end of the training, the employees will have attained the necessary knowledge on how to apply computers in the workplace. The employees will also be able to improve efficiency and productivity in the workplace ( Brown, 2017) . The other objective to ensure that all the employees understand the need to use information technology and consequently be able to apply it in their workplace. The goal is to completely change the workplace to ensure that tasks are completed on time. 

Selecting, Designing, and Developing Active-Training Methods 

Based on the different categories of learners that the organization has, various training methods will be used. The first method will be the use of simulators to indicate how the employees will make use of the training provided ( Brown, 2017) . The second method that will be used will be on-the-job training for those who are doers in order to ensure they can understand how the training benefits them. The third training method is the use of lectures to accommodate those who learn through listening. 

References 

Bell, B. S., Tannenbaum, S. I., Ford, J. K., Noe, R. A., & Kraiger, K. (2017). 100 years of training and development research: What we know and where we should go.  Journal of Applied Psychology ,  102 (3), 305. 

Brown, K. G. (Ed.). (2017).  The Cambridge Handbook of Workplace Training and Employee Development . Cambridge University Press. 

Plan No. 2 

Introduction 

After the design of the training method and the explanation of the objectives, the next phase is the delivery of the training in regards to the provision of the actual training. This section looks at how the training on the use of information technology is to be delivered, the use of visual aids, as well as the importance of the group works. 

Deliver Training 

The facilitators of the training have two roles to play, which are content facilitation and process facilitation. The facilitator will clarify confusing statements to the employees. Consequently, the trainer will organize lectures for the introductory section and when new topics are developed. The trainer will also summarize and organize the ideas that are generated by the group. The delivery will also involve setting tasks and activities for the groups to handle. Based on the adult learning theory, it is important to make sure that every trainee gets a chance to take part in the training and provide input. It is also the role of the trainer to monitor the group processes and performance while also providing additional guidance when required. The trainer will also help members to express as well as deal with some of the conflict. The training delivery will also take place in the places of work where the trainer will work closely with the employees to guide them on how to apply the skills in their places of work. 

Using Visual Aids 

To accommodate those who learn by observing and listening, the trainer will use visual aids in conjunction with the lecturers. The displays should make use of videos on how the employees can make use of computers in the workplace ( Brockett & Hiemstra, 2018) . For example, there will be a video indicating how an employee can organize documents with ease through the use of technology and specifically computers. The visual aids should also reflect what the teacher or trainer is saying during the lecturers. 

Working with Groups 

Group work is one of the most important things when it comes to adult training. When people learn new information, they tend to employ their social abilities to test whether the new information would benefit others as well as the value it has to us ( Ford, 2014) . The implication is that in training design, the trainer needs to present new information in a social context to help the trainees see the information in a way that it is helpful to others and how they can use the information to increase their productivity. The trainer will organize the employees into groups based on the work they do in the company ( Brockett & Hiemstra, 2018) . Those who work together will be placed in the same group to ensure that they handle the same tasks. The groups will be used in handling similar projects versus the use of computers at work. 

Using Creativity 

Based on the adult learning theory, it is evident that adult learners have much experience they can bring into the training program. The trainer should make sure to use their input into the training process to enhance success. The learners should be allowed to take part in their learning and to direct the learning process ( Brockett & Hiemstra, 2018) . In order to get good ideas, the leader should be able to generate many ideas that should be deliberated upon by the students. The trainer should also allow the learners to take personal responsibility of their creativity. 

Evaluating the Program 

The evaluation will take part at the end of the training program. The evaluation will focus on the reaction to tell how well the participants view the program. The attitudes of the learners towards the program should help in understanding if they liked the program. The other evaluating factor is learning regarding the principles, facts, and techniques that the employees gained ( Brockett & Hiemstra, 2018) . The other factor is the behavior in terms of the changes that resulted from the program. The evaluation also focuses on results regarding how well the employees can apply the use of technology in the workplace. 

References 

Brockett, R. G., & Hiemstra, R. (2018).  Self-direction in adult learning: Perspectives on theory, research, and practice . Routledge. 

Ford, J. K. (Ed.). (2014).  Improving training effectiveness in work organizations . Psychology Press. 

Training Plan No. 3 

Training on Using Emails 

Communication in the workplace is important it determines the speed with which some of the operations are handled within the company. The training plan focuses on how to use the company email within the company and with the clients. The training is to all those who have direct contact with the clients. 

Objective: To ensure that the company email is used in the right way and in a way that has no negative impact on the company and its operations. By the end of the training, the employees should be able to communicate with themselves and with clients using the company email. 

Business Consultancy 

The company may decide to use either an internal trainer or an external one for the sake of the training. In this case, an external consultant will be ideal to enhance the seriousness of the training. The external trainer will be able to provide an unbiased training to the employees. 

Training across Cultures 

The trainer will ensure his or her cultural assumptions do not affect the effectiveness of the training. There is also a need to deal with some of the specific situations where the misunderstandings are likely to occur. People from different cultures have different learning styles, which means that the teacher should apply different methods to accommodate all those who come from different cultures ( Cox, 2015) . This training will combine both lectures and simulators. There is also the use of videos that show everything that the trainer has talked about in training. The three training methods accommodate the multicultural needs of the employees. It is important to allow the students to practice what is taught as a means of keeping track of how they are learning and if they are on track to meeting the objectives. 

Story Telling 

The trainer should provide the trainees with a case scenario of how important it is to use the email appropriately. The case scenarios should focus on incidences when the company has been harmed by the poor use of emails when communicating with clients. These stories act as the baseline for the employees to improve their skills. 

Use of videos 

The trainer will use videos on how the emails should be done as a means of communication within the company as well as outside the company. The videos will also focus on what is the best email and those that should not be sent by an employee working in the company. The visual aids should mirror what the trainer has taught during the lecture session (Adelsberger, Collis, & Pawlowski, 2013). 

Training on the Job 

The trainer will go round assisting the trainees in the workstations. The training will occur when the employees are behind their workstations to ensure they can practice what the trainer is teaching them. Training on the job is essential to adult learners as it helps them link the training to the roles they play in the company. 

Evaluation 

The company will look at the performance of the employees after the training and compare it with the one before the training as a way of gauging its effectiveness. If the quality of the emails sent is better after the training, then the program will have been a success. The evaluation will also focus on the satisfaction of the clients to the communication provided by the company. 

References 

Cox, E. (2015). Coaching and adult learning: Theory and practice.  New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education ,  2015 (148), 27-38. 

Adelsberger, H. H., Collis, B. & Pawlowski, J. M. (2013). Handbook on Information Technologies for Education and Training . Springer Science & Business Media