When you’re tasked with running an agency (Learn how to write high-converting emails to agencies today), you expect your employees to be as efficient as possible. However, not every employee that you hire is going to check all the boxes right from the start. Everyone has certain weak areas that will need development, and that’s where employee development training courses come in.
Training is a great way to expand the knowledge base of your employees, and teach them new skill sets that will make them more suited to your agency’s expectations. Sure, training courses and events can turn out to be an expensive affair, and employees attending training sessions might also miss out on work for that period of time. But despite these potential cons, investing in employee training and development is essential for an agency, much like investing in CRM, automation tools, or other resources. But what exactly are these benefits that make them worthwhile? Well, let me list them out for you.
Performance
When you provide your employees with the required training, it creates an environment that is conducive to learning and provides a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities. It also builds up confidence, helping them better their overall performance. Studies indicate that 84% of employees at the best performing organizations are receiving the training they need. This shows that providing your employees with the required training can easily translate into a workplace where most of its employees are competent enough to place your agency as a leader in the industry.
Employee Satisfaction
The amount of time and resources that a company invests in training its employees shows them that they are a valued part of the organisation. In fact, 70% of employees say that job-related training and development directly influences their decision to stay with a company. Employee training opens up a channel to improve themselves through means that they otherwise would not have access to or thought of. This makes them feel appreciated and challenged, and provide a deeper sense of satisfaction.
Addressing Weaknesses
Not everyone can perform well at all facets of any given role, right from the start. One of the key motives of employee training is to discover and address employees’ weaknesses pertaining to their roles within the agency. Research shows that a whopping 40% of employees who don’t receive adequate job training will quit their jobs within the first year. It also helps bring a balance to the skills of all employees within each department, thus reducing dependencies.
Consistency
A holistic training program makes sure that there’s a certain consistency when it comes to employees’ exposure and knowledge about the agency. It is important that all employees are aware of the agency’s expectations and procedures, and training is one of the best ways to achieve that. This became apparent when studies in the UK showed that around two-thirds of the workers stated that they felt workplace training should continue throughout their careers.
Increased Productivity
The implementation of training courses has a direct impact on performance, as we saw before. This in turn ensures increased productivity, and consequently improves the agency’s turnover and potential market share. In fact, companies that offer its employees comprehensive training enjoy a 24% higher profit margin than companies that don’t.
Garnering Innovation
Continued training and cross-skilling can be an extremely effective tool to garner creativity within the workforce. Educating them on how to use the appropriate tools (White label marketing tools) can also help the agency expand more effectively.
Lowering Recruitment Costs
Since we’ve established that training programs have a direct impact on employees’ decision to stick with a company, it reduces employee turnover, thereby reducing recruitment costs for your agency.
Enhances Your Agency’s Reputation
When you put in place a robust training strategy that keeps your employees engaged and eager to learn, it also improves your agency’s reputation outside your workplace through word-of-mouth.
These are some of the major positives to having an effective training program for your employees. Depending on your strategy and the industry that your agency is in, you can choose to deliver these training courses via either on-the-job training, or off-the-job training, which are the two most popular methods. Now let’s take a look at what they entail.
#1 On-The-Job Training
This method involves training your employees within the framework of the office environment. It is relatively easier to carry out, and costs less. This method mostly involves training that is provided in actual workplace scenarios, where the employees learn mostly by doing. This can be executed by means of job rotation, temporary promotions, etc.
#2 Off-The-Job Training
Also known as vestibule training, off-the-job training usually consists of workshops, seminars, conferences, etc. As the name indicates, this type of training is held outside the working environment, usually for relatively new employees, or in the case of cluster training.
Besides these two training methods, there is another option referred to as blended learning, which is rapidly gaining popularity.
Blended learning aims to effectively combine online and classroom learning. Agencies that have offices in multiple locations can make use of this training method to train employees across several locations. It’s also a cost-effective option that allows for better process consistency.
Now that we’ve laid out the need for an effective training program and discussed the best ways to go about it, let’s take a look at some of the best training courses that you can make available to your employees.
We’ve curated this list according to the most common employee roles and their respective major skill sets, assuming that the employees already possess the core competencies for their respective roles. Hence, these courses are meant to supplement/further refine their core skills, which will help them move forward in their careers. Let’s take a look.
#1 Account Manager/Director
Skill 1 – Communication
Training Courses:
- Managing Difficult Conversations
- Communicating About Culturally Sensitive Issues
- Communication Foundations
Skill 2 – Team Management
Training Courses:
- International Leadership & Organizational Behaviour
- Leading People & Teams Specialization
- Organizational Leadership Specialization
- Team Leadership Virtual Course
Skill 3 – Project Management
Training Courses:
- PMP Certification Training Course
- Project management: The Basics For Success
- BrainSensei’s Online PMP Certification Prep
Skill 4 – Conflict Resolution
Training Courses:
- Conflict Management Specialization
- Conflict Resolution Training – TCP
- Certificate in Conflict Resolution
- Introduction to Conflict Management & Negotiation
#2 Art Director
Skill 1 – Graphic Design
Training Courses:
- Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design
- Design Thinking for Business Innovation
- Selling Your Creative Ideas
- Interaction Design
Skill 2 – Photography
Training Courses:
- Karl Taylor Advanced Photography
- Advanced Digital Photography
- Digital Compositing Photoshop & Photography Masterclass
Skill 3 – Illustration
Training Courses:
- Mastering Selections & Masks in Photoshop
- Digital Illustration II
- Advanced Illustration Process
- Illustrator CC 2018 1-on-1 Mastery
Skill 4 – Digital Media
Training Courses:
Skill 5 – Business Communication
Training Courses:
Skill 6 – Typography
Training Courses:
#3 Content Marketer/Copywriter
Skill 1 – Writing & Communication
Training Courses:
- Business Communication – Fundamentals of Business Writing
- Business Writing
- Business English Communication Skills Specialization
Skill 2 – Marketing Automation
Training Courses:
- SALESManago Marketing Automation Academy
- Marketo Certification
- Salesforce Pardot Certified Specialist
Skill 3 – Research
Training Courses:
- MRS Advanced Certificate in Social & Market Research Practice
- Marketing Research & Analysis
- The Insights Association Certificates in Qualitative & Quantitative Research
Skill 4 – Analytics
Training Courses:
- Marketing Analytics Certificate
- Professional Diploma In Search Marketing
- Advanced Web Analytics Certification Training
#4 Developer
Skill 1 – Version Control/Git
Training Courses:
- How To Use Git & GitHub
- Learn Git by Doing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Version Control
- Version Control with Git
Skill 2 – Responsive Designing
Training Courses:
- Mobile & Responsive Web Design
- Creating a Responsive Web Design: Advanced Techniques
- Responsive Design Training & Tutorials
Skill 3 – Browser Developer Tools
Training Courses:
- Build Better Websites with Chrome Developer Tools
- Devtools Pro: Beginner to Expert w/ Chrome Developer Tools
- Modern DevTools
#5 Graphic Designer/Illustrator
Skill 1 – Technical Expertise
Training Courses:
Skill 2 – Visual Communication
Training Courses:
- Visual Storytelling: Creating More Persuasive Presentations
- Quiet or Riot: Colour Communication in Your Art
- Visual Thinking: How to Create Sketchnotes to Capture & Synthesize Content
Skill 3 – Design Strategy
Training Courses:
#6 PR Executive
Skill 1 – Communication
Training Courses:
- The Definitive Guide To PR Writing
- Public Relations for Digital Media Specialization
- CIPR Specialist Diploma: Internal Communication
- Repairing Your Reputation
Skill 2 – Understanding Social Media
Training Courses
Skill 3 – Creativity
Training Course
#7 PPC Executive
Skill 1 – Technical PPC Knowledge
Training Courses:
- Building Your Marketing Technology Stack
- Google Ads Certification
- Advanced Pay Per Click (PPC) Certification Training
Skill 2 – Analytical Thinking
Training Courses:
- Getting Started with Digital Analytics
- Data Analysis & Presentation Skills: the PwC Approach Specialization
- Executive Data Science Specialization
Skill 3 – Excel Proficiency
Training Courses:
#8 UI/UX Designer
Skill 1 – UX Research
Training Courses:
Skill 2 – Project Management
Training Courses:
- UXMA Certified Project Manager
- Fundamentals of Project Planning & Management
- Making User Experience Happen as a Team
Skill 2 – UI Prototyping
Training Courses:
Skill 3 – Interaction Design
Training Courses:
#9 Social Media Manager
Skill 1 – Strategy Planning
Training Courses:
- Advanced Social Media Strategy Certificate
- Social Media Marketing Specialization
- Strategic Social Media Marketing
Skill 2 – Community Management
Training Courses:
Skill 3 – Content Optimization
Training Courses:
- Advanced Content Marketing Certification Training
- Advanced Search Engine Optimization Certification Training
- Advanced Content and Social Tactics to Optimize SEO
#10 HR Executive
Skill 1 – Employee Relations
Training Course:
Skill 2 – Performance Management
Training Course:
Skill 3 – Conflict & Ethics Management
Training Courses:
- Conflict Resolution – Cornell Certificate Program
- Business Ethics – Advanced: Ethical Leadership
- Business Ethics – Advanced: Ethical Leadership
So there you have it! We hope this exhaustive list can help you put together a great training program for your agency’s employees. Subscribe to our blog newsletter if you’d like to get more such posts delivered right to your inbox.