"Go take WRT."

That's an instruction, but it doesn't tell the employee why they're going.

Before sending someone to training, both the employee and their manager should understand what they're trying to accomplish.

Is there a particular skill the employee needs to develop? Is the company expanding into a new service? Are you preparing that employee to take on additional responsibilities? Is there a gap in their technical knowledge or field performance?

Giving training a clear purpose helps the employee understand what they should be looking for and what they're expected to bring back to the job.

Instead of simply choosing a class, establish the learning goal first.

Even great training won't stick if employees never use what they've learned.

Knowledge fades over time. New skills need to be practiced, reinforced and applied in real-world situations.

Give employees opportunities to put new knowledge into practice as soon as possible. Pair classroom education with field experience. Have experienced technicians coach newer employees. Talk about what was taught and how it applies to the way your company works.

The goal isn't simply for an employee to understand something while they're sitting in the classroom. It's for them to be able to apply it when they're back on the job.

That's why the days and weeks after training can be just as important as the training itself.

Every company seems to have someone who says:

"That's not how we do it here."

Imagine an employee returning from training excited about a new process or a better way to approach a problem, only to have an experienced coworker immediately dismiss it.

You've just undermined the investment you made in that employee's education.

That doesn't mean every idea brought back from a class should automatically become company policy. Experienced technicians have valuable knowledge, and there may be legitimate reasons your company handles something differently.

But there should be room to ask questions, discuss new ideas and challenge old assumptions.

Leaders set the tone. When managers and experienced employees demonstrate curiosity and a willingness to keep learning themselves, they make it safer for everyone else to do the same.

Imagine spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on a new piece of equipment and then never checking whether anyone knows how to use it properly or whether it's producing the expected results.

Most companies wouldn't do that.

But it happens with training all the time.

An employee attends class, comes back to work, and nobody asks another question about it.

Follow-up doesn't need to mean creating a complicated measurement system. Start with a conversation.

Ask:

• What did you learn?
• What surprised you?
• What are one or two ideas you can put into action today?
• What do you still have questions about?

Then keep watching.

Is the employee applying what they learned? Where are they improving? Where do they still need coaching or practice?

Follow-up creates accountability, but it also gives managers an opportunity to identify where additional support may be needed.

Not every employee learns best in the same environment.

Some people thrive in a traditional classroom. Others do well with live-stream training. Some need hands-on practice before a concept really clicks. Others need to see a process demonstrated, try it themselves and repeat it several times before they're confident doing it independently.

That doesn't mean companies need to create an entirely different training program for every employee.

It does mean leaders should understand that one-size-fits-all training doesn't always produce one-size-fits-all results.

Talk to employees about how they learn. Pay attention to where they're struggling. And when possible, reinforce formal education with the type of practice, coaching and experience that helps that individual turn knowledge into skill.

I recently joined Restoration & Remediation Magazine for Technical Tip Tuesday to discuss some of the biggest barriers that prevent employee training from producing lasting results.

Watch “Turning Training into Measurable Results”