How to Upskill Your Employees

Hi, I am Elena Celona, CEO of Consider This Training. You’re probably wondering why I would say such a thing. Well, as I am both a business owner and employer I know what it’s like to experience the hassle and expense of training employees.

My business is up-skilling people, and all too often I have heard these complaints from employers, managers and business owners (just like you):

“Accredited training courses are expensive and I do not know if I can afford anymore…”

“My staff do not even finish the courses they start…”

“My staff have spent too much time off from work on courses…”

“People who have trained my staff do not even have the right skills or experience to teach my people…why should I trust them?”

“My staff have complained about courses because they’re too stuffy, boring and don’t take into account what it’s like to work in that industry in real life.”

“Technical skills are one thing but who can I trust to teach my staff those skills that create a great workforce – like good communication, resilience and leadership?”

If you have experienced any of these hassles, then you’d agree that training your staff can be a challenge. But you’d also agree that you can cultivate hard working, skilled and emotionally intelligent workers as this benefits both your company and them, too.

Luke is a valued client of ours – all our clients are – and his feedback means a lot to us. In fact, as you’re reading through this you’ll come across other real-life examples of employers, managers and business owners who have benefited from having their staff train at Consider This Training.

The High Cost of Turnover

“Take my 20 best people and, virtually overnight,
Microsoft becomes a mediocre company.”

- Bill Gates

Ever heard the old adage “Happy Wife, Happy Life”, well, what I am about to say doesn’t sound as catchy but rings true all the same: “Happy Staff, Peaceful Boss” or how about this “Happy Staff, Thriving Company”. Happy employees are motivated, remain loyal and employers reap the rewards.

So, what makes a happy employee? You and I both know it’s all about career progression. Whether the career progression is upwards, sideways, narrowed or broadened, staff want to know that they’re going places. Let me give you some alarming stats: More than 14% of Australians want a complete change of career and despite 29% seeing professional training as the solution to improving their career progression, 1 in 4 Australians have never been offered the chance to undertake training by their workplace.

So, what’s the net result? Recidivism – employees leave and move on to greener pastures. Fact is, if you do not offer career progression, another company will. Because of generous government funding initiatives introduced in 2011, training employees will never be cheaper (we’ll go more into that later), therefore smart business owner, employers and managers are taking advantage of this.

Will you?

But that’s not the half of it, the real sting is not in the loss of staff members. You see, even without government subsidies, training is far cheaper than losing employees. Research shows nearly 14 per cent of Australian employees will change jobs this year. And when you consider staff turnover costs can be between 50 and 150 per cent of a person’s annual salary, it’s obvious why staff retention is an important issue.

Oh, and research also shows a clear link between effective staff retention strategies and companies that perform well. Eighty percent of Fortune Magazine’s list of 100 best employers have outperformed their peers on the Standard and Poors Index. Many of these companies have excellent retention rates.

The thing this, the provision of training, is only one of seven ways companies can enhance their staff retention. For a free, comprehensive report on all 7 essential strategies to staff, retention worth $27, please call us on (03) 9091 3150 or email us.

The Low Cost of Training

Let’s get to the crux of it – in 2011 thousands of Australians could be eligible for a new Government scheme that provides funding of up to $4,000 towards training. This type of funding is unprecedented and represents a golden opportunity for employers, managers and business owners to up-skill their employees.

Take a look at what Joel Cage from Upskilled said:

“It’s not surprising to see the significant growth of employees looking to further their career with professional training. But what’s worrying is how many see training as unattainable. Many organisations are oblivious to the fact that they could equip their employees with valuable skills for next-to-nothing via the government-funded scheme.”

If you are looking to discuss your options with our expert consultant, please email usor call (03) 9091 3150.

So, if you’re looking for a great opportunity to enhance your business‘s or companies performance and increase the likelihood of retention with a cost-effective strategy, then this message is for you.

Consider This Training Delivers…

 Consider This Training offers the following accredited courses:

Business

• BSB30107 Certificate III in Business
• BSB40207 Certificate IV in Business
• BSB30407 Certificate III in Business Administration
• BSB40507 Certificate IV in Business Administration

Aged Care and Home & Community Care

• CHC30208 Certificate III in Aged Care
• CHC30308 Certificate III in Home and Community Care
• CHC40108 Certificate IV in Aged Care

Disability

• CHC40308 Certificate IV in Disability

Retail

• SIR20207 Certificate II in Retail
• SIR30207 Certificate III in Retail

Consider This Training offers the following workshop packages:

“Platinum – The Emerging Leader”

• The Influential Leader
• Resilience
• Presentation & Public Speaking

“Gold – The Efficient Manager”

• Time & Stress Management
• Coaching & Mentoring Skills
• Negotiation & Conflict Management

“Silver – Climbing the Ladder of Success”

• Indispensable Team Membership
• Rapport Building & Communication Skills
• Empowerment

If you are looking to discuss your options with our expert consultant, please email us or call (03) 9091 3150.

What’s Unique about Consider This Training?

You’d be correct in assuming that all accredited courses offered by training organisations follow a similar formula. This is because these courses are heavily regulated by the Australian government. So, I would understand if you’re thinking “what separates Consider This Training from other training organisations?”

All our trainings are facilitated by people who have experience both in the industry as well as in training itself. At Consider This Training, we understand that experience alone isn’t enough. We know that our students’ success comes from having trainers that are supportive.

It is a sad fact that many participants often do not finish courses (this can be frustrating for both the participants who ‘give up’ and, in some cases, their employers and parents who have funded their education) – this is a common problem faced by registered training organisations. However, we have addressed this issue by through effective motivation strategies that consist of:

(a) A fresh and proactive approach which means participants are inspired and motivated to learn and achieve their career goals; and

(b) Streamlined assessment procedures that ensure participants can finalise their assessments without fuss.

You now have two choices:

1. Hope that staff performance and retention improves…OR

2. Take a stand and be the kind of manager, employer or business owner that takes charge and does everything possible to make ensure their company, business and employees thrive.

Regards,

Elena Celona

P.S. If you haven’t already, email us.

P.P.S. For a free report on 7 essential strategies to staff retention (worth $27) please fill out the silver form on the right.