Training Responsibilities of the HR Department

Written by Ian Hopfe in Human Resources for Management 
Training Responsibilities of the HR Department

The HR department of large organizations handles the soft-skills training for employees and managers. The training is to help advance current employee’s skills to advance their career within the organizations. Alternatively, there is no room for career advancement. In that case, employees can leave the organization happy and grateful for their time there. To learn more about what HR does, read my previous article, “What is the role of human resources?“

The HR department’s training responsibilities are to identify training needs and then research training options before creating, conducting, or outsourcing training courses for employees.

Identify Training Needs

Identifying training needs is crucial for ensuring that employees have the correct skills and knowledge. These may be required to perform their jobs effectively, but they can also advance the organization. Some steps to identify training needs are:

  1. Conduct a Skills Gap Analysis:
  2. Analyze Performance Data:
    • Review performance evaluations, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), and productivity metrics.
    • Identify areas where employees are struggling or underperforming.
  3. Survey Employees:
    • Conduct surveys or interviews to gather employee feedback about their training needs and areas where they feel they need improvement.
    • Include questions about skills they feel are lacking, tasks they find challenging, and areas where they would like additional training.
  4. Consult Managers and Supervisors:
    • Discuss with managers and supervisors about their observations and concerns regarding employee performance.
    • Get insights into areas where they believe training could improve team performance.
  5. Consider Organizational Goals:
    • Align training needs with organizational goals and strategies.
    • Identify skills and knowledge areas that are critical for achieving business objectives.
  6. Review Industry Trends and Best Practices:
  7. Analyze Feedback from Customers and Clients:
  8. Review Regulatory Requirements:
    • Consider any regulatory or compliance requirements that necessitate specific training.
    • Ensure that employees receive training to comply with relevant laws and regulations.
  9. Assess Individual Development Plans:
    • Review individual development plans for employees.
    • Identify any training needs outlined in these plans and incorporate them into the overall training needs assessment.

Research Training Options

Researching training options will help you decide if existing programs are suitable. If not, you may have to create your own training, but you will have some background and ideas.

  1. Compile a List of Providers: Gather information on training providers such as universities, online platforms, and professional associations offering relevant courses.
  2. Evaluate Course Structure and Format: Consider factors like course duration, delivery methods (online, in-person), scheduling flexibility, and suitability to your learning preferences.
  3. Check Accreditation and Instructor Credentials: Ensure the provider is accredited and instructors possess relevant expertise and industry experience.
  4. Compare Costs and Financial Assistance: Assess tuition fees, materials, and available financial aid options such as scholarships or payment plans.
  5. Review Student Feedback and Support Services: Look for reviews from past participants, inquire about support resources like mentoring, and assess alum networks for ongoing support and networking opportunities.

Creating Training Courses

If you can’t find a suitable training course that meets your organization’s needs, you may have to create it. Below are some general steps you may take in developing a training course.

  1. Audience Analysis: Understand the characteristics of your audience, including their educational background, experience level, learning preferences, and any specific needs or challenges they may have.
  2. Select Training Methods: Choose appropriate training methods based on the identified learning objectives and audience analysis. Options include lectures, demonstrations, case studies, simulations, role-playing, group discussions, and e-learning modules.
  3. Develop Course Content: Create content that aligns with the identified learning objectives and selected training methods. Include slides, handouts, videos, interactive activities, quizzes, and assessments.
  4. Storyboarding: Organize the content into a logical sequence and create a storyboard to outline the flow of the course, including topics, activities, and assessments.
  5. Create Course Materials: Develop all necessary materials for the course, ensuring they are engaging, visually appealing, and easy to understand. Materials included are writing scripts, designing slides, recording videos, and preparing handouts.
  6. Review and Revise: Have subject matter experts and stakeholders review the course materials for accuracy, relevance, and effectiveness. Revise as needed.
  7. Pilot Testing: Conduct a pilot test of the training (Source: AEEA.SHOP | Tag | Create Learning Materials.) course with a small group of participants to identify any issues or areas for improvement. Revise as needed.
  8. Finalize Course Materials: Incorporate feedback from pilot testing and finalize all course materials, ensuring they are polished and ready for delivery.

Conducting Training Courses

After piloting your new course, you may still need to improve. Here is a list of some things to be aware of to help conduct and improve the course.

  1. Define Clear Objectives: Clearly outline the goals and (Source: Mastering Data Management: Strategies for Harnessing the Power of Information. https://www.tirum.de/post/mastering-data-management-strategies-for-harnessing-the-power-of-information) learning outcomes of the training course. Objectives help participants understand what they will gain from the session.
  2. Know Your Audience: Tailor the content and delivery style to match the participants’ backgrounds, skill levels, and learning preferences.
  3. Interactive Learning: Incorporate various interactive elements such as group discussions, activities, case studies, and simulations to engage participants and enhance learning retention.
  4. Use Multiple Learning Modalities: Appeal to different learning styles by incorporating a mix of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning activities.
  5. Provide Practical Examples: Use real-life examples and scenarios relevant to participants’ work environment to illustrate key concepts and make the content more relatable.
  6. Encourage Participation: Create a supportive environment where participants feel comfortable asking questions, sharing experiences, and actively participating in discussions and activities.
  7. Feedback Mechanism: Solicit feedback from participants throughout the training course to assess comprehension, address concerns, and make necessary adjustments to improve the learning experience.
  8. Break Content into Digestible Segments: Present information in manageable chunks with breaks in between to allow participants to process and retain the information effectively.
  9. Use Engaging Visual Aids: Utilize visuals such as slides, diagrams, and videos to supplement verbal explanations and make the content more visually appealing and (Source: Q&A Questions for Youtube – Text Answer.) more straightforward to understand.
  10. Provide Resources for Further Learning: Additional reading materials, online resources, or tools support participants’ continued learning and skill development beyond the training session.
  11. Promote Collaboration: Encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing among (Source: ISO 9001:2015 Clause 5.1 Leadership and commitment – PRETESH BISWAS.) participants by assigning group projects or activities that require teamwork and cooperation.
  12. Facilitate Active Learning: Rather than simply lecturing, act as a facilitator to guide discussions, encourage critical thinking, and foster a collaborative learning environment.
  13. Incorporate Assessments: Use quizzes, polls, or other assessment methods to gauge participants’ understanding of the material and identify any areas needing further clarification.
  14. Provide Timely Feedback: Offer constructive feedback on participants’ performance during activities or assessments to help them improve and reinforce learning.
  15. Follow-Up and Reinforcement: Follow up with participants after the training course to reinforce key concepts, address any lingering questions or concerns, and provide additional support.

Outsourcing Training Courses

While researching training options, you may find a good option for your training. Lucky you! Now, you only have to create a whole new training course if the price is way out of your range.

Training organizations have spent years developing courses and have a high degree of expertise. It would be a shame if you chose not to purchase and create your own. Make this choice slowly.

Cost Analysis

What is the initial and ongoing cost of developing your course? Remember to include your employee’s time, not just physical expenses like programs and tools.

What is the ongoing cost of purchasing and outsourcing a pre-made course? Is the price per employee or organization?

Time Analysis

Remember your time to implement and the expected return on investment! It may take you six to twelve months to create. So, you may not see results for a year or two after employees start taking the course.

Outsourcing may allow you to get results within a few months or less! Shorter timelines may be great, but was the cost of outsourcing so great that it will take years to pay back even with high levels of employee improvements?

Training for Small or Medium Organizations

Suppose you’re a small or medium-sized organization. In that case, you may need more HR staff or money to implement training programs. Here is a list of ideas to get you thinking creatively about training.

  1. Have each manager develop one short workshop to teach the top skills for their department.
  2. Reimburse a percentage of training that an employee takes outside of work.
  3. Spend time finding free videos and articles you can share with your team.
  4. Buy the top three books about your needed training and have them available for employees to borrow.
  5. Search for government grants that will help you pay for training.
  6. Find the best-outsourced training option, and if employees take and pay for it themselves, they are guaranteed a permanent pay increase.

What to do Next?

This article was extensive, with a lot of information and actions. It can be unclear, and it’s okay if you need HR support. Consider an HR Consultant like me, Ian Hopfe, at LBH Business Services Inc. If you’re asking many questions, consider joining my Patreon to ask me unlimited questions!

Ian Hopfe

Ian Hopfe is the owner of LBH Business Services Inc. in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Ian is an Indigenous Human Resources Consultant. He has over ten years experience in HR and over fifteen years experience in management. All blog articles on this website are written by Ian unless a guest writer is indicated on the post.

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