Has Training Ever Paid Off With Your Company?

M.D. Holloway · 03-06-2007, 08:43 AM

Just wondering, seems like many companies send their people off to various classes and seminars. Has any of them over helped improve operations or the way they do their jobs?

Is on-site training better than going away?

What do you guys think is a good mix of theory vs. applied?

legion · 03-06-2007, 08:53 AM

I've gone offsite for training twice. In both cases it was to learn a programming language that I would be expected to start using when I got back. So yes, it did pay off.

I like offsite training. I feel like I can focus on learning the material at hand and not be distracted by e-mail and other day-to-day concerns.

That being said, offsite training is not appropriate for everything. I've never taken training on some new management technique or anything like that--but I think it's mostly a bunch of BS anyway.

Jim Richards · 03-06-2007, 09:00 AM

no

stomachmonkey · 03-06-2007, 09:18 AM

No, but I did it because a promotion hinged on it.

Was stupid, learned nothing other than HR like you to have lots of certificates in your file.

But these were general mgt things. If it's to learn new tech or job specfic skills then it's a must do.

s_wilwerding · s_wilwerding's Garage

I've found that the most beneficial "training" opportunities are when you attend a conference with other folks in your profession. You will almost always pick up some valuable information from your peers, generally moreso than from the conference.

Sonic dB · Sonic dB's Garage

Ive been through various company sponsored sales training.
to be honest, no one implements these programs at all in their
daily sales activities. It just isnt feasable to put the principals
verbatim into a sales presentation. The most that a company
can reasonably hope for, with sales training, is to provide a new
perspective that hopefully the sales reps can latch onto and
pull that "one or two nuggets" from that can help in the field.
And perhaps most importantly, the sales training can serve as
a reminder to the team and also a new rallying-point, that the
sales process is a process and requires some thought... a rep
goes through this type of training, more to get back onto the
right path and improve...rather than in hopes of implementing
a rigid proceedure into their daily routine. Hope im making sense
here.

MRM · 10:10 AM

I've had both on-site and off-site training. The off site training is either very useful or turns out to be a glorified vacation at full pay. On site training inevitably either turns into either a complete painful bore or is a lot of hard work but worthwhile. Both ways need to be planned and supervised correctly or it's a waste of time.

The training I have received has been invaluable to my professional development. Off-site is most enjoyable as long as it is handled correctly. The program needs to include some time off as a reward for hard work, but needs to be carefully designed to make sure it's not a boondoggle.

To me the hands-on practical training is most valuable; seeing it done correctly and practicing it the right way myself.

Joeaksa · 03-06-2007, 10:32 AM

Yes.

M.D. Holloway · 03-06-2007, 12:59 PM

Interesting. So as I understand it, training which focuses on new applied information (software lang., installations, new tool use, et al) is beneficial but the soft stuff like selling and management and what not is a bit of a blow.

Very interesting fer sure. That tells me that the soft stuff is in a companies DNA and without a mutation that shows greater ability to survive than the exsisting business life cycle, the training from the outside is almost useless?

legion · 03-06-2007, 01:03 PM

I would say that most offsite "soft" training is usually a fad.

Six sigma?
Seven habits of highly effective people?
Etc...

Zeke · 03-06-2007, 01:09 PM

I don't know if I can draw that conclusion. Certainly companies with a lot of resources can do a great job of in-house training and keep it specialized. But, companies with say less than 100 people might do well to have outside training. Sales, for instance, is an art, it's learned in a lot of different ways. Any new perspective should help no matter how good you are. Can you get that from your won company?

I did in-house sales training, but it was put together at a national level using, I assume, some of the best in the business. I know I don't like to sell, especially using "technique." But, when on the game, one can be awfully good at the pitch and controlling of the prospect.

M.D. Holloway · 03-06-2007, 01:13 PM

Perhaps if the offsite training was on a schedule instead of a bump-n-run then it may be more beneficial?

oldE · 03-06-2007, 01:30 PM

When we did "Front Line Leadership", the vendor trained the trainers within our company, these trainers/presenters each presented to groups of us over a period of a year. FLL was the 3rd 'management training tool' I had been given over the course of 20 years and it was by far the best (no affilliation). I think it worked for our company and I noted some of my customers received it around the same time period. It was a smart move for us.
I think the keys were a/ ongoing process, not just a day/weekend/two weeks. b/ peer delivery, we were getting this from people we worked with every day. c/ management buy-in, every manager/supervisor etc. right up to the president went through the course. d/ solid material. No razzle dazzle BS. You could get up in front of a group of your peers and feel this was something worked out for people like you, in real situations.
Some was delivered on-site, some off, depending upon scheduling and space.
Having said that, there is SO MUCH cr@p out there sold to HR depts by very effective 'sales persons'.

Les

carambola · carambola's Garage

of course training can be a great thing, but most people are slackers.
i've seen bozos i wouldn't trust to drive stick, turn out to be fine men.
a few of which should have physicists

id10t · 03-06-2007, 03:44 PM

Like Legion, I've gone for specific app/platform/language traning for IT stuff. *very* useful. Also, any good working type person would consider it his/her duty to party hard on a collage's dime after all the work is done - anything less would be almost shameful from an IT guy. Anything a PHB would want to go to is just an excuse to vacation and party on the college's nickle.

I also do in house training - I work in educational technology. 99.9% of the people that sign up for a workshop (limited seats, large population) either don't show up, or will show up late and/or leave early - mostly and. If they are asked to do something before coming, they don't. And they always do whatever it is they hate their own students doing in a lab environment while lecturing - IRC, web surfing, email, etc. My fave is the ones that sign up, don't show (or stay for 20 minutes of a 2 hour session, arriving late and leaving early), and then call for help the next day on the stuff they didn't come learn about. And expect one on one hand holding and tutoring. Right then, on the phone.

/// need more beer...

jim72911t · 03-06-2007, 04:44 PM

I've done both on and off site training to learn new software, and IMHO, off site training is the way to go. When you bring the training in house there seems to always be distractions, most of which you can't control.

I also attended a seminar put on by several tooling manufacturers, and yes, it was a pretty blatant effort to sell product. That being said, there were several presentations by people who are paid to do nothing but maximize the performance of their tools in real world applications, and by putting into practice some of their techniques, I was able to significantly increase our production efficiencies. (to the tune of 30% over a two year period

)

Jim

Shuie · 04:53 PM

Its worked out well for me

However, unless its fundamental stuff, Id rather a hands on mentoring program or even to be in the trenches doing the work than to be in training any day.

lendaddy · 03-06-2007, 04:51 PM

We sent my brother off for a three day high intensity robotics training course and it was VERY effective.

Jamie79SC · 03-06-2007, 05:08 PM

Training is only as good as the students, material, instructors and follow-up.

I worked for Sprint in the mid '80s. They were fanatics for off site product and sales training. I can't speak for my co-workers, but they got their money's worth from me. The bonus for me is that I've applied the Xerox 'Solution Selling' model they taught ever since.

I wish I could send my sales people to that kind of training today.

The key, of course, is for management to re-enforce what was taught in class and to monitor, support, and reward use of the new skills.

HardDrive · 03-06-2007, 05:18 PM

Since I work for a Microsoft/Cisco training center, and have been in the business for nearly 10 years, I would find it hard to give an objective opinion.

At the end of the day, the training is only as good as the instructor and the materials. A great trainer, one that really knows the subject, can take garbage training materials, slow computers and less than conditions and still give a great class.

The other end of it are the students. Some people are......how do it put it........f*cking morons? Better yet, the morons who feel that by putting up a front, as if they are subject matter experts, they will avoid showing what morons they are really are. Yeah, that doesn't work.

*sigh*

God damn that sounds jaded. I think I need a new job