If you work in the architecture, engineering, or construction spaces, you know that training is such an important aspect to a well-rounded team. It can create a more productive work environment, reduce errors and rework costs, and help with employee retention. But creating a feasible training plan for your team can seem overwhelming, especially when that training is for essential software like Sketchup.
If you’re looking for a few simple ways to improve your Sketchup training, follow the tips below!
Here are six ways to improve your team’s Sketchup training:
- Create an incentive or reward program
- Identify the SMEs in your organization
- Set realistic goals for your team
- Track progress
- Break training into smaller segments
- Implement a learning management system like Pinnacle Series
Ready to kick off your new (or improved) Sketchup training? Let’s go!
Create an incentive or reward program
Though it might seem simple, creating an incentive program can really help keep your employee’s minds on training. Incentives can be fun to create with your team, too! If your team is motivated by small wins, maybe receiving a cool pen or a fancy notebook after completing a training module keeps them driven to reach the next small milestone.
If your team likes long-term rewards, perhaps you can bring in a catered lunch when everyone on the team has completed a set amount of training. Having incentives can focus your team and keep them reminded of further learning opportunities they can use.
Identify the SMEs in your organization
Subject Matter Experts (or SMEs) are crucial to the success of any organization, and your experts in Sketchup are no different. They’re able to assist other co-workers and often are the “go-to” person when the team has questions. By being able to SMEs, you can figure out quite a few things about your current Sketchup training and where there might be gaps. For example, if your SME says they consistently get asked about creating tag folders, you know this is a gap in knowledge by most members of your team that should be addressed.
It can also be beneficial to have your SME create “mini-trainings” for your team. Having a quick 5-10 minute presentation every month about common questions can improve efficiency and reduce time spent researching questions. It’s also nice to have a live training demonstration by an office peer!
Set realistic goals for your team
Everyone likes to feel accomplished, right? Your team is no different! Setting goals creates a clear expectation for both individuals and the group. In fact, having realistic goals can improve team morale and give clarity to individuals on their roles within a larger organization. With this in mind, it’s important to set goals surrounding your Sketchup training. This can be as simple as requiring one training module to be completed every two weeks, or it could be that twice a month, the team sets aside an hour to watch training videos on new Sketchup features they haven’t worked with before.
Track progress
What’s the point of having goals if you’re not tracking progress? It’s important to check in and see how the new training is going, and get feedback from the team on how they’re trying to reach their individual and team training goals. Perhaps the goals were too easy to reach, and they’re wanting more of a challenge, or maybe they feel it’s on an unattainable timeline. Either way, looking into where the team’s progress is can help you edit those goals and make sure the team is keeping up with the required training.
Break training into smaller segments
While it might be tempting to kick off your new Sketchup training program with a half-day long seminar, your team won’t retain most of that information! Training is best accomplished in smaller segments so that your employees can retain the maximum amount of knowledge. Your team will enjoy personalized learning at their own pace for a few minutes each day rather than a large group training that goes over things they already know.
In fact, one of the best ways to personalize your team’s Sketchup training is to use KnowledgeSmart, a tool that finds the gaps in your employee’s skills; this way, all training can be directed toward things they still need to learn. KnowledgeSmart can also create a targeted Sketchup training program in the Pinnacle Series e-learning system for each employee based on their knowledge gaps. Speaking of which…
Implement a learning management system like Pinnacle Series
If all of the above tips sound like things you’d like to implement for your Sketchup training, then a platform like Pinnacle Series would be a great fit for you. You can easily identify the gaps in knowledge with the KnowledgeSmart integration, create custom learning paths for each employee, and create your own training documents as needed. With all of your training in one place, it’s easy to track the progress of your employees and celebrate the milestones!
Interested in exploring how you can use Pinnacle Series for e-learning and so much more? Schedule a demo or free trial with the Eagle Point team today! Want to know what else Pinnacle Series can do? Check out this blog on how to use Pinnacle Series outside of learning.
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