In any sort of environment, the creative center are the ones that have to be at the cutting edge of their field of work. Things change so rapidly in creative fields that what applied to a particular sector today will be old new by the time tomorrow rolls around. Shift notes that as many as 56% of HR managers understand the usefulness of employee training, but also accede that they weren't doing enough to promote it in their own workforces. For fueling your creative team to discover its true potential, these five areas are the ones you should look into.
1. Publications
The field of research and development has utilized this methodology to share information across their entire field and advance the available research by leveraging the entire body of their practitioners. Publications such as magazines and journals provide a great way for training in current advances within any number of fields, ranging from application development to database management. A company that invests in a subscription to magazine publications that cover the newest industry specific improvements and speculations about the near future won't go amiss. It's likely to empower developers to start experimenting themselves, potentially creating added value for the company. It’s this spirit of exploration that a company should try to encourage in its employees.
2. Training Courses
Professional training courses are easily accessible to any company that's looking to develop its existing talent. Courses can cover a wide range of subjects both technical and analytical. Investing in courses along the lines of sales and marketing can even have a positive outcome for the company's bottom line. Learn Dash reports that training centered on sales and marketing personnel ended up in generating a massive 24% increase in profit margins. These numbers are pretty amazing by themselves, but when coupled with individuals that can consistently apply what they learn, it could mean a far more profitable business overall. Corporate training short courses in sales and marketing are a major product in a number of different online learning centers.
3. Seminars and Conferences
These corporate conferences are well-suited to dispersing current interests within a certain field and setting up meetings and networking that a company can benefit from by sending the right people. Conventions are very important to technical fields since it allows these employees to get a firsthand look at the technology that is already developed and is currently being developed in the field. It also gives them the chance to learn from more experienced members of the community and to connect with them in the event of needing their expertise on a project that the company's working on. The return on these sorts of training exercises are beast realized by fields that have a large presence in traditional academia.
4. Blogs
These are more of a current-event type of employee training, encouraging them to follow and read what industry blogs have to say. Fields such as marketing, public relations, content creation, and other areas that require updated knowledge of what's happening within their field are good choices to approach with this sort of training suggestion. Engaging on these blogs does the same thing as employees going to a conference can do by creating networking opportunities. This method has the added benefit that the employees doesn’t have to leave the office. Blogs along these fields are updated regularly, allowing a company's employees to put new information into practice on a regular basis.
5. Influencers
Training employees through influencers is a relatively new idea, but one that has taken off quite spectacularly. One of LinkedIn's number one influencers, Richard Branson has said that businesses should train employees well enough so that they can leave, but treat them well enough so that they don't want to. Similarly, by allowing workers to focus on what influencers in their field are saying, they can formulate their own ideas and learn from the experience and stories of others. Among the most effective group that this works in is designers. Inspiration for design is a fickle thing and sometimes it takes looking at and hearing what someone more experienced has done to find your way once again.
Training is the Foundation
As with every other enterprise that a person undertakes, building a creative team is like putting up a structure. Without a solid foundation for that creative work, the structure will collapse in on itself. By providing training and challenges to workers, an employer can seek to create a working environment that is effective yet not soul-draining as so many others have the potential to be. Training builds a foundation for a creative team to improve upon, and choosing the right kind of training depending on what sort of team you're dealing with is essential to having that training help your team to grow and develop.
