Training - it Matters

Training is a profit center, not an expense

Dan Bobinski

It can be tough to calculate the value of training, so some people view it simply as an expense. But if you crunch the numbers properly, its true value quickly becomes apparent.

Workforce training requires workforce investment

Dan Bobinski

Investing in your workforce means more than just paying them well. It means equipping people with skills and enabling them with authority. Because without opportunities to learn and grow, people quickly become bored and disengaged.

The key to a quality training program

Dan Bobinski

Getting training right can be like herding cats. But the secret isn't the talent of the trainer or even the comprehensiveness of the training. It's the desire within everyone concerned that the training be a success.

For anyone who's ever scoffed at training

Dan Bobinski

If you're going to invest in training managers (and every company should), senior executives need to go through at least a condensed version to make them aware of what's being taught. If they're not, any training will fall way short of its potential.

When you train, are people learning?

Dan Bobinski

Many managers are expected to train their staff. But if no one has ever shown them how to do it effectively, then how could they possibly know? They way adults learn is not a preprogrammed brain file, nor is it installed in us when we're born or when we become a manager.

Companies that train are more profitable and productive

Nic Paton

There is a clear link between the productivity and profitability of manufacturers who not only place a high priority on training but also relate their training plan to their strategic business goals.

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Generation Y: teach the teacher?

Emma Murray

How relevant are traditional methods of teaching to today's technology-obsessed youngsters? And what – if anything – are schools and universities doing to help 'design the future'?

Are employees your greatest asset or biggest risk?

Mark A Smith

Most companies claim that employees are their most valued asset. But few seem to believe it and even fewer act on it. One sure sign is the attitude towards training. While some firms see training as an expense, others realize it is an investment.

Satan's training catalogue, summer 2011

Wayne Turmel

It's that time of year again and Wayne Turmel has a hot-off-the press preview of the latest catalogue of business and personal development learning programs from the Prince of Darkness himself...

Fixing the broken education system

James M. Kerr

The US education system is broken, says James Kerr, and it doesn't look like it will fix itself. In fact, if fundamental reform isn't undertaken soon, it is very likely that American businesses will find themselves grossly short-handed in the coming years.

Why cross-cultural training could be a waste of money

David Livermore

I may be shooting myself in the foot here, but while I place great value on education, I'm not convinced one-off training events do a whole lot to change the way we work across borders - at home or abroad.

Do training departments still train?

Wayne Turmel

Trends in business, especially in HR, tend to come, go and then come back again. Sometimes, though, the change is more permanent. Here's an example: the role of training coordinator has become less about training and more about coordination.

Satan's training brochure 2010

Wayne Turmel

It seems like forever since I received one of the Lord of Darkness' training catalogues. This actually makes sense since it has been a long time since any big organization (and they don't come much bigger than Global Evil Inc. LLC) did any training at all.

The missing trainees

Jorgen Thorsell

Are far as most mature workers are concerned, formal training programmes are a big turn-off. So how can organisations overcome training fatigue and offer staff in their mid-forties and beyond training and development that meets their real needs?

What can a college degree do for you?

Dan Bobinski

To those who might question the value of a college degree, please let me encourage you to 'go for it.' If you still don't think it's worth it, perhaps a few figures might persuade you otherwise.

The missing link in strategic plans

Dan Bobinski

It is widely acknowledged that effective training programs make it much easier for organisations to achieve their strategic goals. But strategically-aligned training is still missing from most companies.

Satan's training brochure, Fall 2007

Wayne Turmel

Yes, it's that time of year again. The Unholy One has sent out his training schedule for the rest of this year and looks like another busy fall season.

What's all this about learning?

Charles Helliwell

Let's be honest here. Organisations have little, if any, intrinsic interest in providing learning for their employees. So why are they suddenly trying to present themselves as advocates of learning and development?

What inhibits workplace learning?

Dan Bobinski

To remain competitive, organizations need to learn faster than the competition. But knowing that and doing that are two different things – and far too many leaders seem to think that they don't need to learn anything more to succeed.

I don't want to be a manager!

Wayne Turmel

Getting promoted, especially into that first management job, can be a nightmare, one that is made all the worse by a lack of support and training. Which could be why so many people just don't want to be managers.

Satan's training brochure

Wayne Turmel

The secret is out. Satan has his own training company and a more mercenary (and more successful) man than I would buy stock - because it's having a heck of a year.

Training's dirty little secret

Wayne Turmel

In far too many organizations, Training has been mistaken for Learning, with pretty dire results. You can also do all kinds of training and have no learning take place whatsoever. So why do training at all?

Management training needs to adapt

Bob Black

With fewer significant IT advances in the pipeline today, organisations are now turning their attention to making sure they get the best out of their existing technology. That means moving towards more organic and creative approach to training, management and support.

How to lose a customer in two steps or less

Dan Bobinski

When our shopping experience is negative, statistics show it takes only two such incidents and we're likely to shop elsewhere. That's not a lot of wiggle room. Think of it as 'two strikes and you're out.'

Making the transition to managment

Dan Bobinski

Getting promoted is a common goal, but perhaps the most difficult promotion is transitioning from line worker to front-line supervisor. Why? Because the skills that made one successful in the rank and file are not the skills one needs for success as a supervisor.

Training daze

René Da Costa

How many training courses or events have you been to? How often have you left feeling it was worthwhile and that you could put your new found skills to immediate and practical use?

Working longer means more help for adult learners

Patrick Grattan

If Britain really wants a globally competitive skilled workforce, it needs to put far more effort into encouraging life-long learning. Because what we learn in our teens and twenties isn't enough for a 40 or 50-year working life.

Magic wands and traveling road shows

Dan Bobinski

Learning about a skill is one thing. But mastering it - particularly when it comes to people skills - is not something that can be learnt on a one-day course, however compelling the sales pitch may be.