Training consists of a sequence of planned activities with the overriding purpose of assisting participants in acquiring skills that will be valuable in their current employment or positions they will have in the future (Armstrong, & Landers, 2018). The resources and approaches that educators draw on to make learning more accessible are collectively referred to as “methods of training delivery.” There is a spectrum of training delivery systems, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages for achieving specific educational objectives. Because most training programs are intended to improve the participants’ knowledge, abilities, and attitudes, these programs are required to apply a wide variety of instructional methods to accomplish their objectives.
Soft skills training
According to Guerra-Báez (2019), the term “soft skills training” refers to educational programs that are designed to promote “soft” abilities such as communication, problem-solving, and teamwork. Emotional intelligence, a constructive outlook and initiative are three further characteristics of what is known as “soft abilities.” “Soft abilities” are larger and more general, covering attributes like personality and how well one gets along with others, whereas “hard skills” refer to knowledge that is unique to a career or field. Training in hard skills like data analysis, reporting, and mathematical prowess are all relatively teachable. On the other hand, training in soft skills, such as new habits and ways of thinking, can be significantly more difficult.
Technical training
The primary objective of technical education is to provide students with employable skills that they can put to use as soon as they graduate and enter the workforce (Sekerin et al., 2018). Participants in the program would acquire the skills necessary to make decisions effectively, collaborate well with others, and manage their time. There is a possibility that managers will have difficulty placing a monetary value on “soft talents,” but similar to “hard abilities,” these are able to be polished through experiences and training.
Web-Based Training Delivery
A number of terminologies have been coined to describe the process of providing instruction via the internet. The training that takes place via the internet goes by many different titles, but they all have one thing in common: the utilization of various forms of technology. In this day and age, there are two separate types of education that may be obtained online. A real-time instructor will walk you through the subject during the first part of a synchronous lesson. In a learning environment that is asynchronous, there is no presence of a classroom instructor. This facilitates the distribution of online training courses that are effective, catering to a variety of different learning styles (Hefter, 2021).
Brown Bag Lunch Training Delivery
Participants in training sessions that take place during brown bag lunches are given activities that are intended to ease their anxiety. During the course of a training session that takes place during the lunch hour, employees are required to bring their own lunches and are expected to do so while listening to a training session (Allen et al., 2018). Trainers can come from any department in an organization, including human resources, upper management, or even an employee who has already demonstrated that they are technically proficient in a new field. One more powerful team training method is holding a “brown bag lunch meeting,” in which participants bring their own meal. As a means of their employees’ continuing education and professional development, several businesses organize training sessions in the form of “brown-bag lunches.”
Pros and cons
There are many advantages to receiving education online. In the first place, it has the potential to save both time and money due to the fact that it can be utilized whenever it is necessary, does not require travel, and is constantly available. People are more inclined to interact and share ideas when they get together over a “brown bag.” Training is enhanced through participant engagement, which guarantees that knowledge is distributed consistently. They improve spirits, inspire cooperation, and drive home the company’s guiding principles. Employees can utilize them to improve their performance at work and learn new skills that will also help them in other aspects of their lives.
However, in e-learning, some potential negatives include a lack of human interaction during training, insufficient bandwidth, and insufficient technological capabilities. Concerning “brown-bag lunches.” there is a risk of low attendance and a lack of excitement from employees because they would prefer not to “work” during their lunch breaks to participate in this form of training. When training is delivered, but not everyone is present to hear it, there is a risk that contradictory information will spread.
Conclusion
In order to be successful in the modern corporate climate, HR managers need to ensure that their team possesses the skills necessary to fulfill both the needs of today and those of the future. As a result, an increasing number of companies are using unorthodox approaches to delivering training. When training is of poor quality, productivity declines, and businesses have negative consequences. Because of the rapidly evolving nature of the modern workplace, it is imperative that employees have access to ongoing education and training opportunities in order for firms to thrive.
References
Allen, L., Char, C., Hristov, N., Wright, T., & Merson, M. (2018). Beyond the brown bag: Designing effective professional development for informal educators. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 58(1), 77–84.
Armstrong, M. B., & Landers, R. N. (2018). Gamification of employee training and
development. International Journal of Training and Development, 22(2), 162–169.
Guerra-Báez, S. P. (2019). A panoramic review of soft skills training in university
students. Psicologia Escolar e Educacional, 23.
Hefter, M. H. (2021). Web-based training and the roles of self-explaining, mental effort, and smartphone usage. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 1-16.
Sekerin, V. D., Gaisina, L. M., Shutov, N. V., Abdrakhmanov, N. K., & Valitova, N. E. (2018).
Improving the quality of competence-oriented training of personnel at industrial enterprises. Calitatea, 19(165), 68-72.