How to create a training program in 7 simple steps

Creating an effective training program is tough, whether you’re scouring the calendar to set up in-person meetings, trying to connect a distributed team, or finding ways to make virtual training engaging. All the same, a training program is critical for setting employees (especially new hires) — and your business — up for success. 

That said, every business has its own needs, and it’s not always clear how to get started, what to include, and how to measure your success. If you’re wondering how to create a training program, we’ve got you covered. 

First, be sure to include the following when developing a training program:

• Clear objectives
• Relevant and customized content
• Interactive assessments and activities 
• A variety of accessible learning formats
• Ongoing data analysis and feedback

According to LinkedIn, 94% of employees say they’d stay longer at a company that offered strong training, so you can’t go wrong with the following steps. From new hire onboarding to compliance training and new product training, we’ve got you covered.

1. Determine your audience

The first step to a thriving training program is true audience understanding. This means you’ve got to know who you’re training and what they want to learn. 

Audience needs vary based on role, industry, level, and experience. Additionally, you should tailor your program to suit the specific audience's existing skills and learning styles. For example, a fully remote team isn’t likely to be excited by in-person training — or they might be if they’re happy to get face time with the team. 

Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Conduct surveys or speak to employees to understand their backgrounds and existing knowledge.
• Be mindful of demographics, experience levels, and job functions — there isn’t typically a one-size-fits-all training.
• Provide customized examples and scenarios in your training sessions to reflect real-world situations.

2. Assess their needs

Once you understand your audience, it’s time to get clear on their training needs. 

Start with a thorough training needs assessment to align their needs with those of the business and ensure the training is impactful across the board. A needs assessment gathers data to identify employee skills and knowledge gaps and compares current knowledge and skills with what they need for future success. That gap is where you’ll focus your training efforts.

As you dive in, it may help to use a “backward design” approach. This means starting with your ultimate goal, then figuring out how to get there. For example, if you know your team needs to be proficient in AI, you can determine small steps to get them where they need to be.

The ADDIE model

The ADDIE model stands for analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. It’s a helpful framework for designing and delivering training programs. 

As an example of the ADDIE model, consider a company that needs its customer service staff to learn and adopt a new AI chatbot tool. As they’re determining how to create a training program for employees, their ADDIE model might look like this:

3. Define goals and set learning objectives

Next, determine exactly what you want your employees to be able to do after the training program. What skills should they develop? In what timeframe? Are there resources they’ll need? 

The more specific and measurable your goals are, the better you’ll be able to track and achieve them. That’s where the SMART framework comes in. A SMART goal is:

• Specific: Clear and detailed
• Measurable: Includes metrics to assess success
• Achievable: Targets are realistic and not too lofty
• Relevant: Goals align with business and employee needs
• Time-bound: There are clear, specific deadlines

4. Choose the right methods

Now that you know your audience and goals, it’s time to decide on the training methods that best suit them. Everyone learns differently, so consider who you’re training and remember to be flexible. Prioritize accessibility to make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to learn. 

Options for learning methods include:

• On-the-job training: Employees learn through doing, often as part of their daily work.
• Workshops: Workers come together to learn and practice new skills.
• Simulations or sandboxes: Learners have a chance to get involved with real-world scenarios or try new tools.
• Self-guided eLearning: Employees go at their own pace, reading, listening to, or watching training content.
• Hybrid approaches: These can be a mix of in-person and virtual, self-guided and group.

Whatever options you choose, a strong training software can help you develop robust, comprehensive training programs for all audiences. 

5. Outline and develop content 

No one wants all five courses of their meal at the same time, and the same can be said about training. Instead, break your program into smaller modules and lessons to keep it manageable. Make sure the material is engaging enough to keep employees’ interests, relevant to their roles, and interactive. 

Start by brainstorming a high-level outline of topics or modules. Then, incorporate elements to enhance interest, like quizzes, multimedia, or opportunities for live interaction. To ensure the accuracy of the material, consult with a subject matter expert in the area. 

Keep the end goal at the top of your mind throughout this process. 

6. Implement the training program

Remember to be strategic and intentional when it’s time to roll out the program. Rather than simply sending it out into the world, make sure you’ve first determined success metrics to measure and an implementation and completion timeline. Otherwise, it will be tricky to understand the training’s effectiveness or benefit. 

A few tips:

• Set a clear timeline for your rollout and employee completion, and communicate it right away
• Define metrics to measure completion rates, learner engagement, and overall educational outcomes
• Don’t just set it and forget it — instead, make sure you or the trainers are available for technical support, questions, or assistance as needed

7. Evaluate effectiveness 

After your training is rolled out, pay attention to how well it’s working. There are plenty of ways to do this, including: 

• Quizzes and assessments: Conduct quick assessments or quizzes during or after the training to see what employees are learning.
• Mock assignments: Give employees an assignment that lets them practice real-world skills, without the real-world stress. 
• Surveys: Employee engagement surveys can be a great way to seek feedback about a specific training or overall engagement. 
• Performance metrics: Analyze teams’ and individuals’ performance metrics before and after the training to see improvements.
• Direct feedback: Speak with employees individually or in group settings to understand their thoughts and impressions of the training, as well as what they’ve learned.

Based on what you discover, iterate and improve future editions of your training program. 

Challenges of creating a training program

There are clear benefits to creating a training program, but it’s not always the easiest task, especially if you’re new to understanding how to create a corporate training program. 

There are a few common pitfalls to stay aware of as you get started:

• Low engagement: Employees who don’t engage with the training are less likely to learn, so it’s imperative to keep them interested and paying attention. 
• Lack of leadership buy-in: Without leadership buy-in, employees may not feel a sense of urgency to attend training. Even worse, managers may not even give their teams time to do it if they didn’t buy into the training in the first place.
• Overwhelming or poorly integrated technology: Use technology to your advantage rather than letting it cramp your style. Sometimes, less is more. Know your audience and leverage technology as a helpful tool rather than something they must learn before learning what’s in the training. 
• Irrelevant content: Keep training content as relevant to employee needs as possible, or you risk their loss of attention or engagement. 
• Poor feedback loops and evaluation: Without understanding what is and isn’t working, you’ll miss out on truly making improvements and impacts. Mentimeter’s survey features are especially helpful if you want to gather feedback. 

Training vs. education vs. development: What are the main differences?

While the terms training, education, and development are often used interchangeably, there are some key differences to understand. Each serves its distinct purpose, so knowing the difference helps you determine the proper training and development strategy.

• Training is typically role-specific and related to an employee’s learning or improving how they do their day-to-day job. It can be self-paced or instructor-led (or a mix) and is often focused on shorter-term acquisition of skills.
• Education is broader and often more theoretical. Its goal is to help employees develop foundational knowledge they can apply across roles, levels, or industries.
• Development is longer-term and oriented toward the future. Often more focused on leadership skills or career progression, it can be done through mentorship, coaching, and collaborative learning. 

The table below will help you decide what best fits your organization's needs. 

Examples of employee training programs

Employee training programs come in all shapes and sizes. Here are some of the most common types. 

• New hire onboarding: This involves teaching new employees the lay of the land, including company culture, expectations, policies, and day-to-day work. 
• Customer service training: Training gives employees the skills to provide exceptional customer service. 
• Leadership development programs: Programs can prepare current and future leaders with management, coaching, and strategic thinking skills. 
• Diversity and inclusion training: These training programs help build empathy and inclusive behaviors to foster an equitable workplace.
• Compliance and safety training: This training ensures employees understand and follow required policies, regulations, and safety procedures.
• Software and technology training: Develops employee proficiency in relevant tools and platforms.

Why are training plans important?

Training plans are important because they directly impact business success through measures like employee engagement and retention or overall productivity. Here are a few areas where training plans can support your business (and if you want even more, we’ve pulled together plenty of employee training statistics).

• Quicker onboarding and time to productivity: As new hires join, they’ll receive clear direction, adequate resources, and transparent expectations. These ultimately reduce their learning curve, decrease their ramp-up time, and allow them to become productive team members faster. 
• Better employee retention: Training plans show employees you’re committed to their growth and development. And when employees feel confident in their roles and like the company has invested in them, they may be more likely to remain with the organization.  
• Stronger employee engagement and morale: Relevant, personalized training programs help employees feel capable and valued, which increases their motivation and overall engagement with the company. 
• Supports continuous improvement initiatives: Strong training plans ensure employees align with evolving goals and process improvements. Regular updates to your training content help foster an agile and ready-to-innovate culture.

Develop effective training programs with Mentimeter

Creating a training program is an excellent way to foster a confident, productive workforce as part of a broader learning and development strategy. But there’s a lot you’ve got to know to get started, and you may not have a training program to help you learn how to create a training program.

That’s where Mentimeter comes in. You'll capture attention and increase retention with training and onboarding tools like quizzes, Q&As, and word clouds. Interactive features let you revitalize stale slide decks — or create engaging new ones — and keep learners’ attention. Plus, you can upload essential resources directly into the training software to keep everything accessible. 

Check out Mentimeter today and get started with training program creation, delivery, and success.