Source: Entrepreneur

In an article for Entrepreneur, Heather Huhman describes four ways businesses can train employees more effectively to increase retention of skills learned and thereby increase productivity.

1. Blend in-person training and online training. Both forms of training have benefits: in-person training allows employees to ask questions and readily have them answered by the trainer while online training offers employees a resource to refer back to in case they need a refresher on a certain process or skill. Huhman says utilizing both forms of training will give employees a fuller understanding of information instructed during training.

2. Provide hands-on training. Huhman writes that hands-on training allows employees to experience the tasks they will be expected to perform on the job and learn from those experiences under the guidance of the trainer. This can help build employee confidence without the risk of new employees making harmful mistakes, Huhman says.

3. Incorporate mobile training apps. Not all employees work on-site all the time and mobile training apps can be a useful resource to allow employees to learn and refresh skills outside the office. Huhman writes that this method of training can also be useful because when employees choose to complete training at home, less work time has to be spent on training.

4. Allow employees to learn at their own pace. Every employee learns at a different speed. Giving employees the ability to go back and review material covered during training alleviates the need to rush through complicated topics and allows employees to process what they’ve learned.