Published August 12th, 2020

How to Implement an Employee Training Program

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Here’s how to implement an employee training program in six steps:

  1. Define success and identify obstacles
  2. Promote organizational habit change
  3. Assess employee skills gaps
  4. Personalize training to fill skills gaps
  5. Provide on-demand learning access anytime, anywhere
  6. Track results and ask for employee feedback

Keep reading for more on these helpful hints for implementing a successful AEC employee training program.

Define success and identify obstacles

Every company is different, so it’s helpful to hone the specific goals you’re trying to achieve because it can affect how you implement an employee training program and measure its success. Examples of goals include:

  • Get new team members up to speed on processes and standards, so they can start working and you can spend less time onboarding
  • Keep staff up to date on ever-changing technologies and establish a culture of long-term learning for professional growth
  • Centralize company standards for more efficient knowledge transfer and resource management
  • Minimize errors in project work and ensure team members understand processes and adhere to standards
  • Cultivate a well-trained and highly productive staff that will help solidify your company’s reputation as an industry leader

When you choose Pinnacle Series, you’ll get a dedicated Customer Success Manager (CSM) to review your goals and identify obstacles to success. You’ll receive a uniquely customized plan for your organization’s culture based on what motivates your users. Through sponsorship and planning, your CSM focuses on the “people” side to drive sustainable change and set you up for long-term success.

Promote organizational habit change

Whether adopting a new initiative or implementing new technology, organizational change can be challenging. Consistent communication and awareness can help cultivate the new habits that are critical for successfully implementing an employee training program. Start with messaging that helps your employees understand why you are making a change and how it ties into your organizational goals. Incorporate old habit-breaking strategies to promote new habits that drive usage and adoption, including:

  • Company-wide electronic or personal verbal recognition
  • Rewards and incentives, such as gift cards
  • Accountability standards

Assess employee skills gaps

For the most effective employee training program implementation, you must know which skills employees have mastered, and which they still need to hone. Thanks to our partnership with KnowledgeSmart, Pinnacle Series makes this easy. Employees can take AEC software skills assessments to gauge the competencies they already have and where there’s room for improvement.

Personalize training to fill skills gaps

Once you have an idea of current employee skills, the next step to implementing an AEC employee training program is filling the knowledge gaps. With Pinnacle Series, you can use employees’ assessment results to generate a custom learning plan designed to train concepts they don’t know yet without wasting any time teaching what they’ve already mastered. This intelligent approach makes the learning process more efficient and less repetitive. Managers can also manually assign individual courses or our pre-built learning paths.

Provide on-demand learning access anytime, anywhere

The ways we work and learn are continually evolving. With as much as 42% of the US population currently working from home due to COVID-19, on-demand learning is central to implementing an employee training program that will meet your teams where they are. A web-based platform like Pinnacle features expert-developed AEC pre-loaded training content at your staff’s fingertips. Whether onboarding, taking a training course, or in need on-the-spot support, they’ll have access to essential tools when working on-site or remotely. You can also publish live training events for a blended learning experience to foster engagement among remote teams. An on-demand employee training program like Pinnacle is reliable, accessible, and flexible for these dynamic times.

Track results and ask for employee feedback

As you integrate an employee training program into your AEC company, it’s vital to have a system to measure performance and ensure you’re on track to meet your goals. Pinnacle Series’ admin reporting tools let you monitor platform usage and employee progress, so you can see how you’re measuring up to expectations. Use staff feedback to further your understanding of how well an employee training program is working for your company.

What does a successful employee training program implementation look like?

The following are a few real-life examples to illustrate results that AEC companies have achieved with Pinnacle Series:

  • Construction group Skanska saw greater consistency in internal operations.
  • Architecture firm Noelker and Hull Associates improved their staff’s Revit skills without taking time away from top employees’ busy schedules to help others.
  • Engineering and architecture consulting company American Structurepoint used Pinnacle Series to easily onboard new hires and maintain consistency across 14 locations.

When it comes to implementing an employee training program, success hinges on finding the right solution for your needs. As the only e-learning system created by and for professionals in the AEC ecosystem, Pinnacle Series is uniquely positioned to take your company to the next level.

Ready to learn more? Schedule a demo with us today!

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