Last week, we hosted the second in our four part webinar series covering how to create effective technical training programs. In this installment, Julie Menge, Treehouse’s HR Generalist, and Emily Schweiss, our Head of Organizational Sales, discussed how to align learning with company goals.
If you couldn’t make it to the webinar, don’t worry – you can catch the recording of it here.
Defining what success looks like for your training program is an integral part of the planning process that should be done before the structure, content and timing of the program are decided. Most training program managers know they need to set goals at the outset of their programs, but it can be difficult to get to get buy-in at all levels within your company. Julie and Emily outlined the two most common goals for training programs, retention and filling skills gaps, in the context of technical training programs specifically. Then, they walked us through the process of talking with each of the major players that may be involved in your training programs – learners, managers, program leaders, HR and stakeholders (like executives, project managers, or leadership for any team that may overlap with the learners’).
After describing the impact that aligned vs unaligned goals can have on the engagement and success of your programs, Julie and Emily went through some of the most common questions to consider for each of the of the roles. By identifying the five people you need to talk with to get consensus, and what questions to ask each of them, program designers are able to craft goal statements that ensure alignment across the organization.
Check out our sample goal statements for each person below!
Learners:
“If you take this training, you will be able to X, Y, and Z.”
Managers:
“If your direct report takes this training, they will be able to Y and expect Z as a result.”
Program Leaders:
“If learners complete this training, they will have clear paths to career advancement like X, that align to company goals like Y.”
Human Resources:
“Employee success is measured by X and Y, and completion of training means Z happens.”
Stakeholders:
“This training program will impact X and Y, by training employees in Z skills.”
If you’re interested in hearing real-life examples, seeing the specific questions to ask each person, and how to balance conflicting expectations from those involved, watch the full webinar here. And if you haven’t already, be sure to register for the two remaining live webinars in our series which will guide you through creating tailored curriculums and how to structure your technical training programs.