Employees are the essential resources of an organization. Nurturing, engaging, and guiding them is important but training them is highly critical for their well-being and the overall growth of the organization.
‘The best development programs change the way people see themselves’ – John Bright
This quote sums up the effect training and development have on an individual. It changes the outlook of an employee. It enriches the employee’s perspective and equips him/her with better tools to do his/her job effectively.
Training is about learning and re-learning. It is also about identifying the skills required to do the job well, accepting the current status of knowledge, and aiming to reach the next level of understanding to perform better. Hence Training and Development is a continuous process. It never ceases for an employee who wants to excel and create his/her mark in the field of work.
10 Examples of Training and Development programs for employees
Training and Development initiatives can be a crucial differentiator for an organization. An organization stands out for its efforts in this area.
Let us look at some outstanding examples of such programs that some companies run for their employees.
#1 Amazon
Amazon launched the Career Choice program in 2012. This program covers all employees who have spent a minimum of 1 year in the company. It provides educational benefits, tuition and fee coverage, and textbook reimbursements of up to 95%. They promote certificate or associate degree courses for select courses by granting access to up to $12000. Employees can build their capabilities and also transition into software engineering careers with courses from Amazon Technical Academy.
#2 SAS
SAS leads in providing extraordinary learning opportunities through internships and a range of entry-level programs like academy roles to help new graduates ease into corporates. Programs like Technical enablement, rotational marketing programs, and a series of leadership programs for emerging leaders are big hits.
#3 AT&T
AT&T has a tuition assistance program and strong series of internal training and development programs to upskill its employees. In addition, it has tied up with Udacity for online courses for non-degree programs. The icing on the cake is the online Master of Science in Computer science degree in association with Georgia Tech and Udacity.
#4 Culture Amp
Culture Amp has introduced a program called ‘Coaching for everyone’ wherein each employee has a personal coach assigned to him/her. Training sessions are planned every year. Based on the sessions, the Coach prepares a consolidated and personalized plan to reach the set goals.
#5 Optoro
Optoro encourages its employees to attend seminars, conferences and learning events that will help them at work. They also get a developmental budget to spend on suitable training and development programs.
#6 Etsy
Etsy invests in wholesome training and developmental programs. They design personalized training programs using scientific methods, including organizational psychology, adult learning theory, and sociology. In addition, a coaching program and online learning resources are available for all employees.
#7 Randstad
Randstad runs a large-scale global mentoring program. After studying employee engagement, they provide personalized development plans to employees.
#8 Chipotle
This fast food brand introduced 5,500 remote courses covering topics such as business, tech, and wellness. They have introduced the United Network of Influencers Furthering Inclusion and Ethnic Diversity course. It offers to provide mentors for minority employees, with quarterly training sessions that will promote workplace diversity and inclusion (D&I) and virtual roundtable events featuring high-profile speakers and panels.
#9 Marriott International
Marriott offers two development programs for its employees:
- For recent university graduates, Marriott International initiated the Global Voyage Leadership Development program.
- They also have the Marriott Development Academy that aims to help aspiring managers to acquire the skills required for leadership roles
#10 Workday
Workday leverages its in-house technology platform to identify and develop the key skills required to support its growth plans. Workday promotes the concept of ‘On the job training.’
10 Online Sites that provide Training programs for corporate
Online learning is the new buzzword. Every organization has embraced this concept as it is flexible and offers a massive range of learning opportunities. Let us learn about some of the online training sites that are favored by corporates.
#1 Udemy
Udemy is the most popular online learning platform, with 130k online courses in all disciplines. Some of the categories are Design, IT, Marketing, Personal Development, Photography, Music, etc. The courses are budget-friendly. Some courses are free, and some are paid.
Pricing: Start from Rs 500 for students
#2 Coursera
Coursera offers amazing courses from renowned universities. It has partnerships with more than 200 universities and educators from all over the world. Some of the popular course categories are Data Science, Business, Personal Development, IT, etc. Courses are free for those students whose universities have partnered with Coursera. There are free and paid courses.
Pricing: Available on request
#3 Linkedin Learning
Linkedin learning has over 16000 courses across industries. The learning categories are Business, Creative, and Technology. It provides a mix of free and paid learning courses. They also offer team memberships.
Pricing: Rs 2366 monthly membership per learner
#4 Udacity
Udacity is technology focused and offers career advancement courses. The key categories of courses are Programming and Development, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud computing, Data science, etc. It is a free membership platform. They offer free as well as paid courses depending on the course you choose.
Pricing: Available on request
#5 Masterclass
Masterclass offers online courses in creative fields like acting, creative writing, sports, etc. Some of the courses they offer are in the field of Business, Arts and Entertainment, Sports and Gaming, Music, food, etc.
Pricing: Rs 1224 per month billed annually (Membership platform)
#6 Google Skillshop
Google – the information giant, offers online courses to achieve Google certifications in various categories such as Google ads, Google for education, Google my business, Youtube, Analytics Academy, etc. Google skill shop is a free learning center.
Pricing: Free
#7 Skillshare
Skillshare is said to have the best courses for creators. They offer courses in the categories like illustration, design, photography, Video, etc. It has a user-friendly interface. When you enroll on this platform, you get a free trial period of 7 days, post which you have to pay the fees.
Pricing: Rs 1550 per month or Rs 8000 annually
#8 edX
Founded by Harvard and MIT, this platform has a lot to offer. You will find courses in the following categories: Agriculture, Art, Chemistry, Communication, Engineering, Food, Nutrition, etc. There are free as well as paid courses available. In addition, they provide accessible college programs, including online master’s degrees.
Pricing: Available on request
#9 Harvard University (Online courses)
Harvard University has an arm that provides online courses. There are a variety of available courses. Some of them are in Business, Computer Science, Mathematics, Science, Social studies, etc. Most of the classes offer a certificate of completion or credit toward a degree.
Pricing: Free to Rs 4 lacs depending on the course
#10 Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Learn offers online courses, certifications, and learning through live and recorded events. They have designed their courses as per the roles. They offer courses for the roles of AI Engineer, App maker, Business Analyst, Business User, Data Analyst, etc
Pricing: Free to Rs 1lacs + depending on the course
Wrap up
Training and development will always be an integral part of Human Resource development. The reason Training is critical is that Upskilling, personal development, bridging skill gaps, and career growth will always be critical to one’s professional journey.
Only suitable Training and development programs will chart the way if you want to succeed and stay ahead of the curve. Be it classroom training or online training – learning should go on!
FAQs on Training & Development Programs for Employees
What are the types of training?
There are various types of training like Technical training, Behavioural training, Soft-Skill training, Leadership training, New employee orientation training, Diversity, and Inclusion training, etc.
What are the modes of training?
There are many modes of delivering training programs like classroom training, online training, one-on-one training, On-the-job training, Hybrid training, Conferences and Seminars, etc.
What is the most popular training topic in companies?
The most important training topics in companies are Induction training, New employee orientation training, and Skills training.
Why do companies have training programs?
Employees need to perform in the organization, and for that to happen, they constantly need to upskill, learn new things related to their work, bridge the skill gap, and seek career growth. This can be achieved only through a well-planned training program.
What is behavioral training?
Behavioral training is the training aimed at improving interpersonal skills, Conflict management, Communication skills, time management, and empathy.
