Yesterday’s Advisor provided some of the latest research on training and development from BLR’s recent survey; today, the rest of the results from our study, including detailed responses regarding employee development, popular training topics, and the top products and services in the training arena.
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A total of 976 respondents provided their opinions in the Training and Development Survey, conducted in April 2015.
Professional Development
Formal mentoring programs are available for employees at 29.6% of survey participants’ organizations who answered this question in our survey, and they are available for supervisors at 22.5%. Manager-level employees are included in formal mentoring programs at 22%. Formal onboarding programs for new employees are in place at 76%, and a formal training program for high potential employees is available at 35%.
Leadership/management is the professional development topic covered most (78.9%) when training management team members, and company mission and values come in second at 70.8%. Following closely is dealing with problem employees at 68.9% and ethics/integrity at 68.6%. Coming in next is teambuilding at 64.1%. Other professional development training topics for management include:
- Communication/presentation—63.7%
- Job-related skills—58%
- Time management—50.7%
Our survey question regarding professional development for employees paints a picture similar to 2014 with job-related skills topping the list for 84.4%, followed by company mission and values at 79.2%. Next in line is ethics/integrity at 65.9% and communication/presentation at 54.9%. Other professional development training topics for employees include:
- Teambuilding—52.6%
- Time management—45.4%
- Dealing/coping with problem employees—25.4%
- Leadership/management—24.3%
Training Topics
The following table indicates the training topics that our participants’ organizations provide to specific groups of employees:
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Employee Training
Incoming employees with no college education require more nontechnical training than their counterparts of prior years for 27.2%. This employee group requires the same amount of training for 49.1% and less training for 3.3%. Also, they require more tech training for 26.4%, the same amount of training for 53.6%, and less training than in the past for 5.5%.
College-educated workers require more nontech training for 21%, the same level of training for 58.4%, and less training for 8.8%. College-educated workers require more tech training for 17%, the same amount of training for 57.2%, and less training for 14.8%.
The training topic most needed for the organizations represented by our survey participants is leadership/supervisory skills (19.2%), followed by engagement/motivation (12.3%). Training in communication skills comes in third at 11.6%, with performance management training next at 10.3%, and employee conduct/workplace respect at 10.1%.
More time for training is the number one need for 19.9% and cost-effective training is the number one need for 16.6%. A training needs analysis is at the top of the list for 11.7%, and training measurements/metrics is the number one training need for 11.1%.
The number one complaint regarding training is a limited budget for 15.8%, and not having enough time for training heads the complaint list for 13.3%. Having no formal training program is the biggest complaint for 10.7%, and lack of management support is the number one issue for 10.4%.
Products and Services
Cost of training products/services is a consideration for 87.7% of survey participants, and the quality of the training materials is a decision factor for 78.4%. Adaptability to their needs is important for 76.2%, and the amount of time required for training is a factor for 74.8%. Ease of use is a consideration for 67.9%. Trainer credentials is a factor for 49.9%, while the ability to deploy training materials on mobiles/tablets is a consideration for 16.3%, and the kind of equipment required is a consideration for 40.6%.
The most recommended source/vendor for training is the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) at 63.7%. Coming in second and third are BLR® (51.7%) and HR.BLR.com® (50.6%). Fourth and fifth are OSHA (49.7%) and the Human Resources Certification Institute (42.9%).
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