Implementing Your Company’s Education Plan

In the August issue of GRAPHICS PRO magazine (p. 54), I shared how employee education is an advantage to your company, builds employee satisfaction and retention, and creates a culture of innovation that drives profit. This month, I’ll share how to construct a checklist for your employee training program. One way that I’ve built these types of programs in the past is simply by building out a spreadsheet.

Name each challenge or problem identified through your research. This is what you want to build out your education program on. Identify who needs the information, who can teach, what materials you need, where the classes will be, and some proposed scheduling dates.

A well-organized checklist ensures your educational plan runs smoothly. To help, here’s some thinking on what might be on your checklist. Review and add to these ideas:

Assessment phase

• Conduct employee surveys 
and interviews.
• Review recent performance 
reviews for ideas.
• Review your market — what skill gaps are between what customers are interested in and your level of service?

Objectives

• Define clear, measurable goals.
• Align objectives with your company’s strategic goals — is it a match?
• Establish success metrics. Define the metrics you are trying to achieve. What number will make your 
effort a success?

Educational program design

• Decide on educational formats 
(workshops, online courses, videos, books, classes, etc.).
• Develop or source educational 
materials and links.
• •dentify instructors.
• Use a calendar and work out 
when the training will occur.

Resource Allocation

• Determine the budget for the program.
• Allocate time for training — get it on a calendar. How long will each session last? What day and time work best?
• Who is managing the program? How will they be judged that the program is successful?

Scheduling

• Create an education schedule that minimizes operational disruptions. Put it on a calendar.
• Be flexible — what are the 
options for moving a session?
• Integrate education into daily workflows. Can staff learn while they work?

Technology integration

• Create your own learning tools 
with videos or in-house handbooks.
• Register for webinars, online classes, or workshops.
• Ensure all employees have access to educational material. Keep track of who is learning. Create and use a spreadsheet.

Implementation

• Launch the program.
• Review at the end of each week. Monitor attendance and participation.
• Check for opportunities 
for improvement.
• Keep a whiteboard or note list for ideas for improvement. Solve them.
• Have regular check-ins with 
employees to reinforce learning.
• Schedule refresher courses as needed.

Program evaluation

• Get feedback after each 
session with surveys.
• Evaluate program effectiveness 
against stated goals.
• Adjust for success based on 
feedback and performance data.
• Identify and track key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Conduct a cost-benefit analysis to measure return on investment (ROI).
• Use an ROI calculator to project financial benefits.

Scheduling

There is no argument that you are busy. Frankly, one of the reasons why shops constantly skip any sort of education is they are “too busy” to learn.

This notion of being too busy can be a mistake. Taking an employee or two from a department to participate in some sort of education could undoubtedly disrupt daily operations.

You can implement educational sessions and get your work out the door on time, but you must plan for it. Here are some ideas that might help:

• Stagger sessions with your shift schedule. Can the training start a half hour before or after the shift?
• Plan for it like an in-house job. Order #123456 is a training session booked on the calendar like any other work order. If you would take a job to be produced next Thursday, why not schedule 30 minutes for something important on that day?
• Make one day of the week at the same time as the learning slot. For example, every Wednesday from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m., class is in session about something.
• Take advantage of what is in your production schedule. For example, there is an order next week that has a sleeve print. From start to finish and in every department, this order is used as a learning opportunity as it makes its way through the building.
• Are you already meeting about something? Add a 10 minute mini-class about something relevant and use the time at the end of the meeting for teaching.

Following up & continuous improvement

First, don’t worry about building the perfect education program in your shop. Nothing is perfect. That being said, you will want to evaluate the program’s effectiveness through surveys, assessments, performance reviews, and hard KPIs.

This feedback is vital for identifying areas for improvement and making any necessary adjustments. This two-way communication will foster a culture of trust and engagement in your business.

Nothing beats regular check-ins, refresher courses, and practical applications of learned concepts. If someone is learning how to do something, make sure they have time “driving the car,” doing the actual work that is being taught. People need repetition to help their learning sink in, so you need to provide real opportunities for students to practice their learning.

Aligning employee education with profit-creating goals

There is little doubt that having better-educated employees increases employee retention and job satisfaction. But new profits will always be where the rubber hits the road.

If you are going to take the time and effort to create an employee education program, try to link ways to measure its effectiveness with any increase in profits.

For example, education on improving lead generation and sales techniques could increase revenue. Methodology and techniques for quality control could decrease errors and money spent on replacing merchandise.

If you are developing educational programs on topics, determine how to measure the impact with some KPIs you can track. This helps demonstrate the program’s value and ROI.
KPIs include reduced error rates, increased production speed, decreased downtime, or higher customer satisfaction scores. By quantifying the benefits, you can make a strong case for continuing the investment in education.