Business Training Makes a Difference

A business owner recently lamented the cost of training his employees saying “What if I spend the money to train them and then they leave?” I asked him “So, what if you don’t train them, and they stay?”

All too often, business owners and managers want to employ staff who are already highly skilled so they don’t have to bear the cost of training. If we all took this view, no one would invest in their employees!

Thankfully, many business owners and mangers invest in their business by investing in their employees. They believe that training helps employees to develop and grow.  They want to bring out the best in their employees and maximise the employees’ potential to contribute fully to the success of the business.

However, the cost of training is not the sole responsibility of the employer.  Training is a shared investment and a mutual obligation. Both the employee and the employer benefit from training, so it is fair that both the employee and employer share the cost. Of course, the cost of training is not just the course fee. There is a cost involved in travel to and from the course and the time to attend training sessions and to complete any assessment tasks or assignments. If employees aren’t able to contribute to the course fee, they can repay their employer in kind by working some extra hours, or completing some or all of the study and assessments in their own time and not during work time.  On the other hand, if the employee is paying the course fee, the employer can assist with the cost of text books or providing some ‘study’ time each week, or allow the employee to sit their exams during work time.

Any combination which works for both the employee or employer, where both give and take, will be beneficial for all concerned and especially for the business itself.

The bottom line is that training provides benefits to both the employee and to the business.  And yes, some employees may ‘move on’, however, others will come along with good skills and knowledge from having been trained beforehand.

Training is a very worthwhile investment for the employee, the employer and the business.

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