RECENT announcements predict greater stability for the economic climate in 2010, so more and more employers are lifting financial restrictions on training and once again giving their staff access to development options.
With recruiting the best talent and staff retention high on employers’ lists, using training to its full potential is key. While training can be carried out within the office walls, Karen Pugh, director of property services at Enterprise North East Trust (Enterprise), advises business owners that taking staff away to a location out of the office will ensure that they are able to fully absorb everything that the training has to offer.
“Offsite training offers a huge number of benefits,” says Karen.
“Amenities, space and technology are all key factors to consider when organising any form of staff training, and onsite training can be restricting in these terms. Distraction is also one of the main culprits for unsuccessful training sessions. It never fails; if employees go to a training session that is held in the same building where they work, they can be called away to handle client phone calls or taken into staff meetings. Taking staff away from the office reduces the risk of interruptions and ensures the session is extremely valuable.”
Karen explores the benefits of offsite training:
Breakout – during breakout time, staff can network with peers/colleagues. This gives staff the chance to hear about what others are doing, as well as hearing about the different challenges that are being faced in other companies or divisions. These conversations can be as important, and in some instances, more important than what is being said as part of the agenda as they give an insight into how other people and other firms are dealing with similar issues.
Amenities – with hi-tech conference centres now boasting amenities only once seen in hotels and resorts, more companies are choosing to conduct their training at offsite locations. Many of today’s conference centres provide all of the services required to hold a successful training programme. This includes high-speed wireless access, (videoconferencing), built-in computer projection and digital cameras. Professional audiovisual technicians can also be available throughout the training session to ensure everything is set up according to the training specifications and runs smoothly.
Space – some offices may not have the capacity to hold training sessions for all staff in one sitting. Taking the course elsewhere allows for larger areas to be used and can accommodate all staff in one sitting.
Privacy – not all training sessions are suited to all staff and there may be times when a certain degree of privacy is required. Offsite locations take the worry out of staff potentially being party to confidential talks.
Karen concludes: “If organisations are going to provide staff training sessions they should invest the time, resources and money to maximise return on the investment. Above all else, they should encourage staff to get out of the office, focus on learning and have some fun.”
Enterprise’s property services offer a wide choice of conference rooms for training purposes throughout Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, including Admiral Court, which is situated near Aberdeen’s newest shopping destination, Union Square, and transport links, including the bus and railway stations.
Enterprise is one of the largest providers of purpose-built offices and meeting rooms. Working in partnership with Aberdeenshire Council, Enterprise has centres located across the north-east in Aberdeen, Inverurie, Banff, Huntly, Aboyne, Newmachar, Oldmeldrum, Portlethen, Stonehaven, Turriff, Fraserburgh, Peterhead (Burnside), Ellon and Westhill. Enterprise also has centres in Dundee and Brechin.