As part of the MakeGreat campaign organised by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, a step-by-step guide has been launched as part of a guidance series. It aims to help businesses secure the funds required to develop their workforce and embed skills to ensure improved productivity and business growth.
The challenge for training and HR managers is how to find a way to demonstrate the value of workforce development to the organisation and its positive future financial impact on the business.
EEF’s white paper, ‘Making a Successful Business Case for Training’, shows that identifying the performance gap where new skills are needed within the company is crucial for acquiring funding. Defining the correct type of training required to plug that gap is the second step, avoiding new trends and fashionable options because they are new.
Crucially, to secure management approval, it is important to identify that the topic for the proposed training sessions is a core part of the company’s growth strategy and that training is aligned to business objectives to deliver value to the organisation.
Neil Withey, EEF’s training division director said: “Fashionable trends and methods are often not the answer when it comes to training. Just because it is a new way of doing something doesn’t mean it is the right way to go forward. However, it is also important not to stick with a tried and tested training method, just because it is how you have always done it as a company.
“Defining a performance gap needs careful analysis, but it is always a situation where there is something someone isn’t doing or it is not being done properly. Defining what the training needs to achieve involves looking at absence of knowledge, absence of skill, attitude problems and problems with equipment, machinery of materials. Looking at these areas should help ensure the training meets the required needs.
“Demonstrating that the proposed training will have a positive effect on the business and that it is a key part of the company’s growth strategy is also key to securing funding, as is benchmarking staff performance before and after the training will further demonstrate effectiveness.”
Download your copy of the guide here.
