Training - what should it be?

Matthew Ferrin, digital project manager at BICSc explains how to get the most out of training staff

I recently attended a conference centred around youth employment. The event had some fantastic speakers who promoted the need for companies to invest in youth, training and progression. It was a great day out, but most of all, it sparked some thoughts on what training really should be.

Training brings results

Now, I’m sure it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that training needs to work for a business. It must supply proven results, either through increased productivity, improved employee engagement or increased employee retention. There needs to be a genuine business case. And when businesses in the cleaning industry are having their budget squeezed ever more, training becomes a struggle to maintain and deliver.

But if we can for one moment separate from the financial implication of such training costs, I thought that it might be good for us to discuss the benefits of training and why it should be considered by all companies.

Training for the employee’s benefit

We first need to understand that training should be useful to the employee and not just the company. Offering training to an employee to enable them to work more effectively is of course a main priority, but perhaps we should understand what the employee would find useful to learn more about. Does that employee wish to progress with your company? Do they wish to undertake some training which will help to develop them?

Consider the fact that training is important to your staff. It pushes them to be better, it empowers them with further skill, and it provides confidence in their ability. It also really makes people feel seen, something of huge importance, which can often be forgotten. Remember you are dealing with people and not just numbers on a spreadsheet, so show that you recognise this and present opportunities to train and to progress.

With limited job growth and development being one of the top reasons people leave jobs, it’s too risky to leave your staff out in the cold. So, push them to unlock their talents and keep them onboard.

Training for the business

It is also worth acknowledging the fact that many people simply do not wish to be trained. Some are set in their ways and do not wish to change. For these situations, we need to relay the fact that everyone can improve upon what they do. And that training is not simply there to push up their productivity. It is there to support them and give them assurance in what they do. It’s also going to make their life a lot simpler if they pick something up from the 

training session and there’s rarely a negative to be shown different solutions to problems.

If we look at training from the side of a business, it is a little bit different in terms of what you want to achieve from it. You will want to train your employees to ensure they can confidently perform the tasks they are set. Through clear and concise training, your employees will gain skills which allow them to effortlessly go about their working day. 

Picking the right trainer

For the business, you must ensure that you have a trainer who is passionate about what they are teaching. I’m sure we can all relate to the story 

of a schoolteacher from your school whose heart clearly was not in it. I can think of a few from when I was at school. All it did for me was make me lose interest and kill any want to learn. But years later, I would need to learn about a certain subject or process, and I would suddenly find it interesting and would be able to take on board the teachings. The difference? Learning from someone who had interest, passion and a skill for training/teaching. My point here is simple: ensure your trainers want to be there. Ensure they have an interest in being a trainer. And make sure they have your employees engaged.

Top-class training

At BICSc, we pride ourselves on delivering top-class training which works for both the employee and the company, allowing both sides to receive training which improves and builds on the trainee’s skill set. BICSc have in place a group of trainers who can deliver informative and engaging learning. We have built a catalogue of training courses which are available face-to-face or online. This gives the choice of preference to trainees and enables them to feel more comfortable in their training setting.

If you would like to find out more about BICSc training and what we offer, you can read our full 

training prospectus. This brochure details our skills training (these are cleaning skills to help you build upon your cleaning competency) and our Cleanlogic courses (these are supervisor and management level courses to supply you with technical knowledge). You can find the prospectus here.

We are ever expanding our catalogue, and we are now improving upon our existing courses with accessibility options. So it’s worth checking our courses when you can!