Effective training and development

Training means giving employees the knowledge and skills they need to carry out their job. Development is related but not the same: it improves an employee's skills and future potential beyond the requirements of their current job.

A leisure centre trains a new lifeguard to follow the pool's rescue procedure, because the job cannot be done safely without it. The same lifeguard could be developed by learning to plan rotas and handle complaints, ready to become duty manager one day. Training closes a gap the job has now; development builds capability for a later role.

Training and development compared

Ways businesses train and develop employees

Businesses use a mix of formal training, informal training, self-learning, ongoing training, target setting and performance reviews. They differ in how planned they are, who leads them, what they cost and how closely they stay tied to the current job.

A course run by an outside expert is planned and consistent, so it costs more, but it can be worth it where mistakes are dangerous. A colleague showing a new starter how to lock up at closing time is unplanned, free and fixed to today's task. Self-learning lets an employee study on their own, while ongoing training keeps everyone's skills current as technology and rules change. Target setting gives an employee a goal; a performance review then checks progress against it, so together they show where training or development is needed next.

Choosing a mixture

No single method suits every situation, so a business picks a blend that fits the role, the employee and its budget. A small bakery might train a Saturday assistant informally on their first shift, pay for its manager to attend a course on new allergen rules, and set the assistant a target for serving customers, which shows what to teach them next. That blend keeps costs down while making sure the skills the business relies on are there.

Formal training is organised, planned learning with clear content and intended outcomes. It is usually delivered to a group of employees, rather than one person learning casually from a colleague.

The business can run formal training itself or pay a specialist external provider to deliver it to a group of employees. It is paid for and focuses on a subject that is important to the organisation, such as health and safety, customer service or using new software. Formal training may also lead to a recognised qualification. For example, a leisure centre might pay an external trainer to put six lifeguards through a first-aid certificate. Every lifeguard learns the same procedure and finishes with a certificate that shows they can respond safely.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Formal training is therefore most useful when consistency, expert knowledge or legal compliance really matter. It is not automatically better than informal training, because the business must be confident the benefits are worth the fees and the disruption.

Informal training is casual and often unplanned learning that happens naturally at work, with no set goals or defined outcomes. Nobody designs a course or books a trainer: staff pick things up as they go.

How it happens

Informal training usually takes one of these forms:

• Watching an experienced colleague and copying what they do
• Receiving advice or tips during a shift
• Asking questions when you are unsure
• Learning by doing the job itself and making small adjustments as you go

For example, a new assistant in a bike repair shop might watch a senior mechanic adjust the gears on a customer's bike, ask why the cable tension was changed, then try the same job on the next bike with the mechanic nearby. No session was scheduled — the learning came from the work.

Advantages

• Low cost — no fees for trainers or courses, and no staff sent off site.
• Fast — a new starter can begin useful work on day one rather than waiting for a booked course.
• Fits around work — learning happens during quiet moments, so output barely drops.
• Builds teamwork — staff helping each other builds trust and communication.
• Closely related to the actual job — people practise exactly the tasks they will do, with the real equipment.

Risks

• Inconsistent — two colleagues may teach the task in two different ways, so quality varies between staff.
• Poor habits spread — a shortcut that is unsafe or wastes stock can be copied by the next person.
• No record — the business cannot show what an employee has learned or when.
• Gaps remain — nobody checks the full picture, so essential knowledge may never be covered.
• Depends on the colleague — if the person teaching is only average, the learner may never reach a good standard.

Informal training is still real training and can be very effective, but it works best alongside structured methods such as formal training when accuracy, safety or legal standards matter.

Self-learning is when an employee learns independently, without a teacher or trainer leading them. They might work things out by trial and error on the job, or follow their own programme of study such as an online course, a book or a set of video tutorials.

Because nobody has to organise a session, self-learning can happen at a time and place that suits the individual. If the employee has internet access, they could complete a course at home in the evening, or look up how to fix a problem on their phone between shifts. For example, a hotel receptionist who wants to produce clearer rotas could work through a spreadsheet course over two weekends rather than missing work for a day of classroom training.

Benefits

• Flexibility – learning fits around shifts, family life and busy periods, so the business loses less working time.
• Self-pacing – an employee who grasps a topic quickly can move on, while someone who struggles can repeat material until it makes sense.
• Potentially lower cost – free or cheap online resources can replace paying for a trainer, a venue and cover staff.
• Responsibility – employees who take charge of their own development often feel more valued and motivated, and they become more adaptable as the business changes.

Drawbacks

• Lack of guidance – nobody checks that the employee is studying the right thing or is on track.
• Incorrect methods – material can be out of date or wrong, and trial and error can build bad habits, so a faulty technique may go unnoticed for a long time.
• Self-discipline needed – without deadlines or a trainer, it is easy to put learning off, especially after a long shift.
• Limited support – when the employee gets stuck, there may be no one to ask, so progress stalls.

Self-learning therefore suits motivated staff and fairly straightforward skills, such as learning a new piece of software. It is far less reliable for complex, safety-critical or legally required training, where expert instruction is essential.

Ongoing training means employees regularly update their knowledge and skills throughout their working life, rather than learning everything once at the start of a job. It is sometimes called continuous training, and it never really finishes while someone stays in a role.

Ongoing training can be given to anyone in the business, not only new starters or managers. A cleaner may need a refresher on safe chemical handling, a receptionist may need training on a new booking system, and a kitchen assistant may need an update on allergen rules. Because the world of work keeps changing, skills that were up to date a few years ago can quietly go out of date.

Keeping up with change

Ongoing training helps employees keep pace with four kinds of change:

• Technology — new tills, booking software or machines replace old ones, so staff must learn the new way of working.
• Law — rules on safety, food hygiene, data protection and safeguarding are updated, so staff must know what is now expected.
• Working practices — a business may change how shifts are planned or how orders are packed, and everyone must follow the same new method.
• Customer expectations — customers may now expect quick online replies or card-free payments, so employees need new skills to serve them well.

For example, a garden centre that installs self-service checkouts might run short sessions for everyone, including the person who waters the plants, so that any member of staff can help a confused customer.

Continuing professional development

Some professional roles require a set amount of continuing professional development (CPD) each year to keep their skills current — a minimum number of training hours or activities that must be completed to stay qualified to practise. This protects the public, because clients can trust that a professional's knowledge is up to date.

Because it never finishes, ongoing training has to be planned into the working year; regular short sessions in quieter periods fit around the job more easily than one long course.

Target setting means identifying particular goals an employee has to achieve within a timeframe. A useful target is clear enough to measure, so everyone can tell whether it has been met. For example, a garden centre might ask each checkout worker to serve 20 customers per hour by 30 June, or aim to raise its customer satisfaction score to 90% by the end of the year.

Target setting can improve a business's productivity (how much each employee produces in a given time) and efficiency (how well a business uses its resources to get things done). Employees know what they are aiming for, so they waste less time guessing what matters. Managers can monitor progress and spot who needs help. Targets also link each person's work to the business's aims: if the business wants faster service, individual targets can focus on serving customers more quickly.

Targets and training

Training and development help employees gain the skills and confidence needed to meet targets. If a target needs a new skill, the business may provide training first, such as showing a worker how to use a new stock-counting app before expecting them to count stock accurately. If the employee still struggles after training, the target may be unrealistic, or the person may need further development.

Targets must be fair, achievable and checked. A target that is impossible or never measured can demotivate staff rather than push them forward, so managers review progress and adjust the target if circumstances change.

A performance review is a planned, regular meeting between an employee and their line manager to look at how the employee has been working and what they have contributed to the business. It is normally held one-to-one. It is not a customer review and it is not a disciplinary meeting: the aim is to improve performance, not to punish someone.

Reviews let employees reflect on their work and agree new targets. The discussion should be two-way and based on evidence, such as job records or customer feedback. Reviews also identify training and development needs, so the business can provide the right support. For example, at a bike repair workshop, a mechanic's review uses job sheets and customer comments. They agree a target to cut repair times, and the manager arranges training on e-bike motors.

Benefits

Drawbacks

• Time and cost: managers must prepare and hold reviews, taking them away from other work.
• Stress: employees may worry about being judged, especially if they expect criticism.
• Bias: a manager may favour someone or judge them unfairly, so the review is not evidence-based.
• Demotivation: negative feedback that is badly handled can make an employee feel undervalued.

A rushed review can feel like a box-ticking exercise, while an unfair one can feel like a judgement. Handled well, a review connects target setting, training and development so employees know what is expected and how to improve.

Retraining means teaching existing employees new skills, often so they can use new technology. It is different from the training a new starter receives: the people being retrained already work for the business, but their current skills no longer match what the job now needs.

When retraining is needed

Retraining is needed when something about the job changes, not just when someone is new. Common triggers are:

• New technology: for example, a bike shop installing diagnostic software so its mechanics can service electric bikes.
• New procedures: such as a café changing how it takes and tracks orders.
• New job requirements: a sales assistant asked to take on stock ordering needs new skills.
• Changes in the law: a food business retraining staff on allergen labelling rules.

Without retraining, employees may make mistakes, work slowly or break the law. The business usually pays for the training and loses some output while staff are learning, but that is often less than the cost of getting things wrong.

Why retrain existing staff?

Retraining is often cheaper and faster than recruiting and training new staff. You avoid advertising, interviewing and a long induction, and existing employees already know the business, its customers and its routines.

It can also avoid making experienced people redundant (losing their jobs because their role is no longer needed), so the business keeps their knowledge and experience. They can put new skills to use straight away because they understand how the business works.

Retraining can motivate staff too: being taught something new shows the business values them and helps them feel confident with the change. But it does not motivate everyone automatically, because some people find change difficult, so retraining should be planned and supported. It also helps the business stay competitive as technology moves on: a hotel with staff trained on a new booking system can serve guests faster than one still using paper diaries.

Training and development is an investment: the business spends money and time now in the hope of better performance later. Whether it is worth it depends on how the gains compare with the costs.

Benefits of training

Being trained makes employees feel valued, because the business has chosen to spend money on them. That can raise motivation, and motivated employees tend to work harder, produce more and take more care over quality. Training also empowers employees, giving them the knowledge to make decisions for themselves, which makes them feel trusted and builds loyalty.

Loyalty improves retention, so fewer staff leave and the business saves the cost of advertising the vacancy, interviewing and training a replacement who does not yet know the job. Sharper skills also cut errors, so less stock is spoilt and fewer jobs have to be put right, which lowers costs and protects profit. And employees who understand the product give better customer service, so customers are more satisfied and more likely to return.

Costs of training

Training is not free. The business pays for the course, trainer or materials; employees spend time learning instead of working; and there is lost output while they are away, which may mean paying others to cover or turning work away. Skills that are never used are wasted money, and a course that feels pointless can annoy staff rather than motivate them.

Worked example: a chain of three pet shops sends six staff on a one-day nutrition course at £90 each, paying £540 and losing six days of shop-floor cover. In return, staff answer pet-food questions properly, fewer products are returned and customers come back for advice, so the gains can outweigh the fee.

Businesses still invest because of the benefits: motivation, retention, productivity, quality, customer satisfaction and competitiveness. The decision is a judgement — weighing the cost of training against the expected gains in performance, staff loyalty and customer outcomes.