11 Responses

1. at the risk of being very contentious……

   ….unless this is a test of your resourcefulness/a purely learning exercise you should consider reporting your boss for setting unrealistic expectations……………..

   Asking someone "new to training" to "put together" a training strategy is a rather strange approach, perhaps an example of the "blind leading the blind".  IF this is a genuine work task upon which the organisation will rely and you will be judged it perhaps explains the low regard in which L&D/training is sometimes held*

   *See Garry Platt’s previous post re a recent survey relating to the low opinion of L&D departments perceived ability to help businesses overcome the skills gap

    

   Rus

2. Training strategy

   Nicky

   Putting together a training strategy is not like putting together flat pack furniture. It takes knowledge of both L&D and the business, access to right people and the authority to make tough choices.

   That said, I can recall a simpler scenario to the one you describe except it was a young woman who approached me and said: "I’m new to marketing and have been asked to put together a marketing strategy". She ended up doing a terrific job, partly because she knew so little. She started by interviewing the CEO, then she studied all the business plans and performance data, she spoke with contacts in agencies about trends in marketing, she constructed an interview questionaire which she used when speaking with a number of benchmark organisations, she started to pencil out some possible scenarios and talked them through with various senior managers (by now she had sufficient hard data at her finger tips to push back when the finance director asked her to justify some of the potential expenditure), she kept talking with her boss at each stage, and with me as her mentor, she didn’t copy others’ strategies as if they were templates but she did learn from them about what sorts of things to major on, for every big strategic issue she thought through to the detail of how it might work to test its viability, for every tactic and point of detail she checked how well that would contribute to the overall strategic objectives, she presented her draft proposals, including some tough cuts to staffing and some new spending on viral approaches, she took on board feedback and got answers to questions that had been raised, she agreed with her boss what the final product should look like, and she went with her boss to present it to the Board. She learnt a lot. She gained trust and respect and, dispite her lack of knowledge, her approach helped give marketing added profile and credibility. And, best of all, she had set out in the strategy that it should be a live and dynamic issue to be managed by the Head of Marketing and not a static document, and that it should be evaluated so that lessons learnt could inform the future. 

   I hope there are some lessons from her experience that may translate to your situation. Best of luck!

   Graham 

   Graham O’Connell 

3. Training Strategy Template

   Hi Nicky,

   I can let you have a Training Strategy template if that’s of any use to you. I can’t guarantee its relevance as I don’t know what sector you are in, however, it may well give you some ideas. If you want a copy, please drop me an email.

   Regards,

   Paul

4. Training strategy

   Hello Nicky, I agree that you have been asked to do something challenging but in essence strategy is simple if you ask the questions: 

   1. Where are you now? 

   2. Where do you want to do or what do you want to do? Also answer the question of where you do not wish to go/want to do?

   3. How will you get there? 

    

   All of these questions can be addressed in part by a good SWOT analysis. The current strengths and weaknesses of the training within the organisation will help you identify where you are now.

   The Opportunities should help you identify where you want to be and the threats will help you identify some of the possible futures that are going to be too difficult/ costly or time-consuming. 

   The key will be to involve your key busines stakeholders from the start and to make it their training strategy and not yours/ the training department’s.

   Ideally the business should have a clear strategy that you can align the training strategy to so that the

   planned training agenda and activites enable the business outcomes but this is often missing so you may find

   yourself needign to help build a business strategy before you can address the role of training. This may be a bigger ask but if you can facilitate this you will ensure a high degree of business alignment and commitment to any training plans that develop from the "how to" part.  You will also become a very valuable resource to the senior team. 

   There are many more strategic analysis tools that can be used but this should provide a starting point for more detailed discussions between the business stakeholders.   

   If you want any further ideas or assistance please contact me via my profile.

   Cheers.

   Nick       

    

    

5. Training Strategy

   Hi Nicky

    

   The CIPD publish a book that would be a starting point – "Creating a Learning and Development Strategy" Andrew Mayo.  It covers the key points in an understandable format.  There are also a lot of good resources on the HR leadership Council website, if your company is membership I would check this out.

    

   Regards

    

   Bridget

6. Creating a Training Strategy

   Hi Nicky

   What a great challenge and I wish you all the best with it. Having been there myself I agree with previous comments about really getting to know your organisation, both perceived and real, as this is key to putting in place a real and achieveable training strategy that will deliver what the business needs.

   A good read is ‘Implementing a Training and Development Strategy’ by Roger Cartwright. (http://www.expressexec.com/ee1108.html)

   The book covers what it is, why organisations have one and the key elements clearly and succinctly. It also includes some case studies. The ’10 Steps to Implementing a Training and Development Strategy’ chapter could be useful as a ‘how to’ guide. It is an easy and compact read.

   I hope this helps

   thanks

   Rosanne

7. IT Training strategy

   Hi,

   Could someone send me an IT Training Strategy template?

   thanks

   Aisling

   aislingmcclorey@hotmail.com

    

8. IT Training strategy

   I would be interested in this too.

    

   Many thanks

   Tina

   tdoyle@travco.co.uk

    

9. Strategy Template

   Please could I receive a copy of the template?

   Many thanks

   Di

10. Good Luck!

    Dear Aisling, Tina and Di,

    if you actually get any response from your requests please do publish this in a new "Any Answers" comment.  I say this since you are picking up a thread that is nearly two years old and it will be great to see if the originatorsd are still there!

    😉

    Rus

11. IT Training strategy template

    Thanks Rus I will ask this question in "Any Answers"

    Regards

    Tina