We have all begun to appreciate the importance of sustainable resources, right? Certain fisheries and crops, for example, when managed with the proper care, will be available to meet our growing future demands.
You need to think of your team as a sustainable resource as well: one that must be cared for in ways that will enable it to meet the demands of your business as you move forward.
One of the best ways to do this is to grow your talent, leadership, and loyalty from within through thoughtful and generous training and education benefits. And as you do this, don’t forget that you are one of your organization’s most valuable resources, so don’t overlook your growth!
Fortunately, offering training and education benefits to your employees is easier today than it has ever been. Let’s look at some excellent opportunities.
Online courses
Most of us have had some experience with online courses; they are available in abundance. In fact, that overwhelming abundance is what can make them difficult to incorporate into your training and education program. To overcome that problem and help you focus your efforts, I suggest you check out Class Central. It’s sort of an online catalog of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from the world’s top colleges and universities.
You will discover all kinds of business and technical MOOCs available so you can target the skills you need and the skills your team members are interested in acquiring.
The Small Business Administration has an excellent Learning Center and its related organization, the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) offer a wide range of classes and courses. Many of these are available online and you’ll also find that your local SBDC holds live “in-person” sessions.
Important online businesses also have educational arms, like Grow with Google and Hubspot’s Academy. These often concentrate on the knowledge and skills necessary to use their services effectively, but they also offer general information that’s useful to any business. And, let’s face it, who isn’t depending on companies like Google today?
Making the commitment
It’s important to stress that you need to support your team as they work to increase their knowledge and skills. At the very least, release time needs to be offered and paying for tuition and materials is also a smart move. There won’t be too many costs involved with the online courses mentioned above, but the more effective training and education employment benefits will go further.
Your local two-year and four-year colleges have courses available that would benefit your team and your business. MBAs for the working professional have been around for a long time and there are other classes and certifications created specifically for people who are already pursuing their careers.
And it’s not only your neighborhood college that has excellent programs for working professionals, maybe you’d like to increase your knowledge while enjoying a new cultural experience. The Oxford Summer School , for example, brings together an international group of business professionals. And, considering the rising importance of the export market, the information you receive as well as the network connections you make, could prove very beneficial to your company’s future growth.
One final word: I’ve been making the case for establishing a robust training and education benefit in light of boosting your internal talent so it can sustain your growing business. Let me add that this also greatly enhances employee loyalty. Today, one of the most cherished benefits is the availability of on-the-job growth opportunities.
