With a somewhat muted global economic outlook for 2017, the natural focus of organisations will be on addressing the business’ immediate needs. Employee training usually gets put on hold as employers view it as less pressing.

However, the consequences are detrimental. Problems such as productivity loss and employee turnover are often tied to inadequate training, making it difficult for businesses to stay afloat. Employers should therefore continue to train and develop their employees in challenging times to be better equipped for the future.

Here are three ways to maximise internal employee training and development.

1. Provide cross-training

Cross-training enables employees to develop secondary skills across different functional or technical areas and encourage flexibility. The ability of such employees to fill in during absences and peak demand can result in cost savings involved in hiring and training temporary workers.

2. Tap on older workers

Organisations can tap on their pool of mature, highly skilled employees to coach and mentor younger, less experienced employees. By leveraging and appreciating the inter-generational strengths of your diverse workforce, employees will feel valued and more willing to go the extra mile. This improves engagement and productivity.

3. Incorporate technology in employee training

The development of new technologies, along with rapid changes in global markets has had a great impact on businesses. Organisations will need to make changes to their business model, operations or products in order to stay competitive and sustainable in the long run. As a result, new competencies are required and some skills may become obsolete. To equip employees with the  latest skill sets and resources, organisations can leverage on the growing array of online training and e-learning platforms without having to invest too many resources on formal training sessions.

By keeping your employees’ skills current, organisations can better adapt to the everchanging environment and take advantage of new opportunities that come along.

Training presents a golden opportunity to enhance employees’ knowledge and work experiences. It also boosts employee morale and performance while helping to keep your business on track. Progressive organisations that understand this today will also be the survivors of tomorrow. Seize the day and make training an evergreen priority for your organisation now!

This article was contributed by TAFEP and originally published here.