Benefits of investing in group training for your employees

Employers often ask us about investing in the development of their people. We understand the pressure on organisations to stretch resources (human and financial) in uncertain times, but we also know the benefits for organisations that prioritise industry training. Enabling professional development for your people draws top talent, increases retention and loyalty, and generates greater productivity from an engaged team with enhanced skills and knowledge.

If you're an employer considering investing in your team's learning and development, check out our top tips for investing in your employees' skill and training development - or reach out to discuss taking the next step. 

Should we pay for our employees’ study?

This may depend on the relevance to your organisation, and/or your approach to team development. Some organisations offer to pay fully for work that is directly related to their role, and only partially subsidise non-related study.

Others invest in non-financial ways, like allowing time off during the week to focus on study or lending them devices for online study at home. Investing in your team’s development is a great way to show them how much you value them and leads to improved employee loyalty and performance as they use what they learn to benefit your organisation.

Should we let employees use work hours to study?

Some employers offer a few hours a week during work hours if the study is relevant to the workplace and the person’s role. We fully endorse this!

This practice shows a clear commitment on the part of the employer to support their employee’s development and wellbeing. For full-time workers it can be hard to find time outside work hours to study while juggling life chores and family activities. Having an employers' support can make a meaningful difference to both their study and intention to stay with the organisation!

One way to encourage study at work is for more than one team member to enrol in the same course or programme. Studying together in group courses has real benefits as learners can discuss how the material relates to their own organisation and how they can practically transfer the knowledge and skills to the workplace.

Talk to us at Tuihono UC | UC Online if you do want to enrol more than one team member in a group course, as we can offer industry training solutions. This includes special rates for groups, and even separate occurrences with additional tailored content to suit the needs of your organisation.

What if the study is not related to their current role?

Many employers like to invest in both personal and professional development of their team members. Having employees with a range of skills and qualifications may be surprisingly relevant to you – even if the topic doesn’t first appear to align to their work.

Transferable skills are essential to anyone’s work toolkit. Group courses like project management, data ethics, and wellbeing can provide an employee with additional skills to complement their own work and that of the organisation.

What about the risk of an employee leaving us after we’ve invested in their study?

Employees leave for a range of reasons – don’t let your lack of investment in professional development be one of them. Organisations that prioritise employee development will always inspire loyalty among the team and find that their team members are more personally invested in the success of their workplace. 

Have a chat to your employee about your expectations around the investment, ensuring that they understand that it’s for both their own learning and development and that of the organisation. Trust from both parties is the key to ensuring a positive outcome. Sponsoring relevant study that has a direct and ongoing positive impact on your organisation should be viewed as an organisational investment.

You can also explore more formal options like ‘bonding’ agreements or adding conditions to more substantial investments in degree or post-graduate study. Just ensure that you both agree to the conditions and have a realistic agreement in place.

How can we support them in their study?

This is the best question of all! We know that having a supportive employer can significantly boost the chances of a learner succeeding.

Checking in with their progress (we'd recommend questions such as "how are you finding it" rather than "are you passing"!), offering some time and/or space to study, and encouraging them to feed back what they’re learning to the team in the most appropriate way are all good practices.

We know from our Learner Support team that having an engaged and supportive manager drives learners to accomplish great things, which can only benefit your organisation too!

Learn more about our group training and industry training solutions

I'd love to have a chat with you or your team about taking the next step in this valuable investment. I look forward to seeing you online!

Lisa Burdes

Te Ako Anamata | Partnerships Manager
Tuihono UC | UC Online
☎ 027 263 3607
📧 lisa.burdes@canterbury.ac.nz