As workplaces evolve, upskilling and cross-skilling becomes increasingly important for employees to stay relevant. Over two-thirds of learning and development (L&D) programmes today are starting to focus on reshaping and rebuilding their organizations going forward.
Traditional L&D programmes are no longer as efficient as before. Bite-sized online learning modules, on-the-job training and even job shadowing are some of the new training methods used to encourage knowledge transfer and exchange within the organization. That said, implementing these L&D programmes is not enough. Organizations need to also learn how to track employees’ training progress over time to ensure that their L&D programmes are making as much impact as possible.
WHY TRACK EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAMMES?
Aside from regular L&D programmes offered by the organization, employees today are equally thirsty for knowledge, with 6 in 10 pursuing learning opportunities outside of work training. The top 2 reasons are that people simply enjoy learning new things and that it enhances their opportunities for career advancement. These continuous professional development programmes also ensure that employees working in high-regulated industries such as Insurance and Banking remain abreast of the latest industry regulations and standards in order to service their clients. Having a well-administered employee tracking programme also provides insights into the effectiveness of the organization’s existing training programme and uncover knowledge gaps. Concurrently, it serves as a power tool in convincing C-suites or key stakeholders to invest in tools and programmes to further support the employees on their own professional development journey.
HOW TO TRACK CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN EMPLOYEES?
Tracking continuous professional development in employees goes beyond just measuring the number of employees that have passed a course or received external certification. The system needs to be able to measure the effectiveness and impact of employee training.
There are different types of CPD tracking systems available in the market today: spreadsheet-based systems, dedicated CPD tracking software, Learning Management Systems (LMS), and Human Resources Information Systems (HR) just to name a few. Each system has its own methods in tracking and measuring the progress and performance of employees. Here are some considerations when deciding on the most appropriate continuous professional development system for the organization.
EASE OF USE AND ACCESSIBILITY
A strong user experience enables HR and employees to easily track their existing and upcoming learning objectives. Some software also comes with features that notifies employees and HR when a certain course or certification is due for renewal or recertification.
The system should also be easily accessible for employees to input their training objectives and track progress. For example, some systems allow employees to enter their progress and monitor their courses through the mobile phones, making it convenient to track their professional development on the go.
CUSTOMIZATION AND FLEXIBILITY
Continuous professional development programmes are likely to differ between organizations and even among employees. It is best to engage a software that allows for customization and flexibility so that it can be tailored to the organization’s and employees learning objectives.
ABILITY TO INTEGRATE WITH INTERNAL SYSTEMS
Integrating continuous professional development software with other L&D platforms and even HR management systems facilitates ease of tracking of ongoing courses or programmes that an employee may be involved in. HR can also link it together with their fnance systems to facilitate course registrations and payments. When multiple systems are integrated together, this minimizes data entry errors or missing information.
COST AND VALUE FOR MONEY
Most continuous professional development software operate on a licensing basis. Oftentimes, these software comes with key basic features with the option to customize and add additional features based on the organization’s needs. These will no doubt be a hefty investment for the organization. Hence, it is essential to review the features of each continuous professional development software to determine whether it meets the organization’s learning needs and objectives, before committing to one.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
As with any software platform, technical issues and end-user queries may come up from time to time. Read past users’ reviews and enquire about the customer support process. Ideally, it should be seamless and easy for end-users to reach out for support, be it through emails, phone calls, or online assistance. The system should also be regularly updated to maintain a seamless user experience and ensure compliance with the respective industry’s continuous professional development standards.
Developing good training and development programmes are essential to build and sustain the future workforce. By equipping employees with new skills, it ensures that the organization and employees remain competitive in the ever-evolving business climate.
To meet these goals, organizations need to be able to track employee training to ensure that existing L&D programmes are effective in driving continuous professional development among employees. With a robust tracking system, it helps HR to monitor and measure the effectiveness of these training programmes and in turn, enhance these programmes to upskill and cross-skill employees.
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