Training and Development

Read these sections on the process of strategically training and developing employees. In a competitive marketplace, effective training and development programs offer a recruitment tool to human resources (HR) and a valuable tool for employee retention. Knowing an organization is investing time and resources into your development can be critical.

The "Fortune 500 Focus" section describes how the Walt Disney Company conducts its training and development programs. In addition to providing training specific to each particular position in the park, the Disney Development Connection program offers continuous development to their human capital. In addition to in-house training, Disney also offers employees tuition reimbursement. In this way, Disney shows it is committed to its employees. How do these offerings affect employee performance, job satisfaction, corporate culture, and retention?

Types of Training

Key Takeaways

  • There are several types of training we can provide for employees. In all situations, a variety of training types will be used, depending on the type of job.
  • Technical training addresses software or other programs that employees use while working for the organization.
  • Quality training is a type of training that familiarizes all employees with the means to produce a good-quality product. The ISO sets the standard on quality for most production and environmental situations. ISO training can be done in-house or externally.
  • Skills training focuses on the skills that the employee actually needs to know to perform their job. A mentor can help with this kind of training.
  • Soft skills are those that do not relate directly to our job but are important. Soft skills training may train someone on how to better communicate and negotiate or provide good customer service.
  • Professional training is normally given externally and might be obtaining certification or specific information needed about a profession to perform a job. For example, tax accountants need to be up to date on tax laws; this type of training is often external.
  • Team training is a process that empowers teams to improve decision making, problem solving, and team-development skills. Team training can help improve communication and result in more productive businesses.
  • To get someone ready to take on a management role, managerial training might be given.
  • Safety training is important to make sure an organization is meeting OSHA standards. Safety training can also include disaster planning.