Defining a Learning and Perfomance Strategy
In my workplace I have the responsibility of training users on new software that is introduced to the county. Traditionally organizations budget and send employees to F2F instuctor led training. My thought on this is that this practice can be very expensive. You have to pay for the class itself, milelage, perdiem etc.This cost could easily exceed $4000-$5000 per employee. A more cost effective way to train is to implement a training archive server. This idea can provide cost savings because it replaces the need for F2F offsite classes, can be used by the employee at any time of the day or night and also training is self paced. For example after a skills assessment has been performed I realize that I need to send 10 of my employees to Microsoft training @ a volume discount of $5,000 apiece. For the fiscal year I have to budget $50,000.00 for training. So as a manager that is very cost conscience, I purchase the CBT nuggets archive server for a total cost of $23999.00. This server just cut my training cost in half.
One question that puzzled me was, when will my staff have time to train. During the hours of 8-5 they are completing work orders for customers. So how will my staff train. Well since they can access this training archive server at any time, and also since it is self paced, they can actually train on thier off time. I can offer an incentive that the first employee that get certified on their own time, will receive a bonus or days off. Any subsequent employees after that will get a lesser incentive, and so on and so on. In my opinion this will also expose the employees who are not self-motivated or who may have learning difficulties. The employees that are self motivated will be the first to complete their certifications. Also the employees that are last to complete their certification may possess a learning difficulty or work/personal issues that are hindering their performance.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
U-Blog 1
Constructivist Learning Theory :
I decided to write this short blog on constructivist learning because this is the learning style that was embraced by our instructor Dr. Keane. Constructivism refers to the idea that learners construct knowledge for themselves from their experiences through a process of accomodation and assimilation, and is strongly associated with learning by doing. This rate at which this knowledge is obtatined differs per individual. The constructivism theory is based on the works of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. Social constructivism encourages the learner to arrive at his or her version of the truth based on his or her own experiences. Social constructivism emphasizes the importance of the learner being actively involved in the learning process.
I decided to write this short blog on constructivist learning because this is the learning style that was embraced by our instructor Dr. Keane. Constructivism refers to the idea that learners construct knowledge for themselves from their experiences through a process of accomodation and assimilation, and is strongly associated with learning by doing. This rate at which this knowledge is obtatined differs per individual. The constructivism theory is based on the works of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. Social constructivism encourages the learner to arrive at his or her version of the truth based on his or her own experiences. Social constructivism emphasizes the importance of the learner being actively involved in the learning process.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Workplace Learning
What I have learned about workplace learning trends is that the more you know, the more important internally to your company you are and the more marketable you are externally. For example when interviewing employees I recently was confronted with hiring a person with the hands on knowledge that pertained to the job or hiring a person with a four year degree and minimal skills. Initially the 4 year degree was inviting to me because it showed that the applicant can actually start a tasks and finish it, but the applicant with hands on experience and the ability to hit the ground running is the person I eventually ended up hiring. In this time and age when we are experiencing money woes and financial crisis, it is essential that as a hiring manager I get the most bang for the buck.
To prevent American citizens from pursuing jobs in other countries, American employers should provide and train their employees with the necessary training that will allow them to be successful and feel as if he/she is a valuable employee. The catch 22 to training is that once an employee is equipment with that "competitive edge" called training, they also become more marketable and desirable to external companies that need their particular skillset. Job recruiters get paid to find the best person out of their pool of applicants. When a recruiter refers an applicant to an employer with the needed skillset that matches the job description plus a salary increase offer from the employer this becomes a management nightmare called "employee retention".
To prevent American citizens from pursuing jobs in other countries, American employers should provide and train their employees with the necessary training that will allow them to be successful and feel as if he/she is a valuable employee. The catch 22 to training is that once an employee is equipment with that "competitive edge" called training, they also become more marketable and desirable to external companies that need their particular skillset. Job recruiters get paid to find the best person out of their pool of applicants. When a recruiter refers an applicant to an employer with the needed skillset that matches the job description plus a salary increase offer from the employer this becomes a management nightmare called "employee retention".
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