The Evolving Face Of Training

Devising training programs for employees is the most important agenda of the
HR in an organization. Training pro­grams are no more consi­dered as mere
orientation or induction sessions that educate about the company's structure and
poli­cies. Its dimen­sions have changed and it directly affects employees'
performance. Inno­vations have not just happened on the technology front but
also in the process of executing these training sessions.

Disturbing factor

Most often, the training procedure comprises imparting the basic technical
and non-technical skills through online and classroom teachings. According to a
recent report by Nasscom, 39 percent of all graduates absorbed into IT companies
are from a non-IT background-mainly chemical, mechanical and civil engineering
students. The companies there­fore invest a lot more time and cost in training
these students.

“The job requirements of a customer service executives, technical support
team, or sales representatives is very complex. They must be capable of
addressing complex needs or questions of customers and exhibit strong product or
service offering knowledge. They should additionally be efficient in deploying
strong service or selling skills, and should be capable of using multiple tools
and technologies to do so,” shared Marianne Langlois, VP-Lear­ning Solutions,
Convergys Corp.

He further added that training employees in tackling these challenging jobs
in a highly- competitive environment is a challenging task for enter­prises. If
they fail in adopting efficient training initiatives, an organization can fall
prey to the biggest issue haunting all verticals today-attrition.

e-Learning gaining grounds

With increasing challenges on the training front, educating fresh recruits
at the college level itself can be a viable option for organizations that can
help them save a lot of crucial time. e-Learning portals are also gaining
momentum when it comes to imparting training to these recruits.

Training programs have a direct impact on employees' performance. It enables new staff to get familiarized with the procedures and policies of the company in a better way

Quite often, the resources are non-performing during the training period, and
hence it becomes an unavoidable expense for the company. In lieu of today's
scenario, when the IT service industry is charging hourly rates for the services
provided, every hour invested in training a student becomes a financial no-no.
“A resource drawing a minimum probatio­nary salary of Rs 15,000 a month, will
cost the company Rs 1,80,000 a year and at least twice that in hourly grossing
charges. So, we're looking at an investment of close to Rs 6,00,000 a year, for
each resource trained,” averred NR Ganti, Chairman and MD, SQL Star
International.

He further added that social networks, online chat forums, and blogging
communities create an ideal learning environ­ment for students seeking
employment and successful careers. “This is probably why e-Learning portals have
grown to be hugely successful, with more and more companies looking to adapt to
this revolution and introducing e-classrooms to train their recruits, or in some
cases, outsourcing them to knowledge centers,” Ganti claimed.

SQL Star has one such e-Learning portal called www.thelearningport.com. The
portal is built in a manner that it provides innovative ways of training
employees such as blended learning method.

Working of SQL Star's learning portal:

• Courses delivered in classrooms: Instructor lead training and online LAN
  and WAN
• Online collaboration is facilitated through: Online discussions, online
  chats, bulletin boards, webinars (web-based seminars) and the like
• Communication is based on Web 2.0 and Elluminate (virtual classroom): Has
  features such as Wikis, blogs, app notes and case studies to make learning
  more effective and interactive.
  

Blended learning approach

Most organizations follow a traditional knowledge-based learning approach,
following a curriculum that provides new employees with an orientation session,
several weeks of new-hire training and a transition period where they receive a
level of additional hands-on support.

Langlois said that though these are all valuable tools and processes, they
might not be sufficient. He claimed that with blended learning, employees learn
by doing a task rather than reading about it or hearing someone speak about it.
The hallmark of blended learning is realistic training that is up-to-date and
ongoing.

The blended learning approach connects knowledge to real-world job
performance through a targeted curriculum and engaging classroom environ­­ment.
The curriculum blends instructor-led training, e-learning, simulations,
role-plays and performance support systems. “During blended learning training
sessions, students use and learn skills that are needed to ensure their success
on the job. Through role-playing, students are quickly engaged in the relevant
job content and concepts, and the time-to-proficiency, or learning curve is
decreased dramatically,” Langlois informed. He also added that blended learning
could lead to improved opera­tional performance, a happier and more confident
workforce, and ultimately savings to the bottomline, objectives that all
management is under pressure to achieve.

Companies such as Con­vergys, SQL Star, Everonn Systems India-all have set a
trend by providing innovating learning techniques to their employees. Convergys
has a solution called Agent Develop­ment Transfor­mation that leverages
perfor­mance-based learning (PBL) training program. Unlike most traditional
trainings, this transformed training model follows the agents throughout their
lifecycle with continued reinforcement and learning support. Advanced delivery
technologies, such as the Know­lagent System, which allows for delivery of
e-Learning modules and assessments to the agent desktop are used here for the
purpose of saving time and money. “Such technology allows one to schedule
learning sessions or take advantage of features that allow for trainings only to
be delivered during the 'downtime' between calls,” informed Langlois of
Convergys.

UST Global follows a game-based training approach for its employees. “Over
the last few years, we at UST Global have moved towards being strategic partners
to our clients' businesses. To ensure that the relationship remains at this
level, we have to ensure that our associates (employees) are well versed with
the client's business and processes,” claimed Niketh Sundar, Global HR Head, UST
Global. “Our employees spend a lot of time documenting the learnings from their
projects or assignments and put them in a format that is easily understood by
others. One such example is the 'Business Carpet' game. It is a customized
version of the famous 'Snakes and Ladders' game, where they represent the
'Depot' process in the form of a board game. The players need to move from the
entry point of the depot to the exit while passing through all the 'processes'
that take place in between. At every stage, there are cards that indicate the
details of the process involved at that step,” Sundar explained.

UST also has an innovation lab called the 'Apple Tree', where their employees
are provided the resources and the freedom to experiment with different
techno­logies. One of the challen­ges that have been thrown at the Apple Tree is
to come up with an online version of one of these business games. “The
non-conventional techniques of learning have been extremely effective. For new
members in the team, these innovative methods have added new meaning to the word
'fun@work'. The learning curve suddenly becomes a lot less intimidating and a
lot more fun,” claimed Sundar.

NR Sethuraman

sethuramannr@cybermedia.co.in