There are a variety of different types of training that are crucial to ensure you’re giving your staff the tools they need to succeed. In this miniseries, we’re going to give you everything you need to understand the three most important types of training. In this third part, we’re going to focus on transitional training.
In this miniseries, we’re going to give you everything you need to understand the three most important types of training:
- New employee onboarding
- Ongoing Employee Training
- Transitional Training
The third and last essential type of training that we’d like to share is transitional training.
Transitional training is the middle ground between onboarding and ongoing employee training. It allows your team members to stay up-to-date with the responsibilities associated with their roles.
Part 1: The three types of training – Part 1: Onboarding new hires
Part 2: The three types of training – Part 2: Ongoing employee training
What is Transitional Training?
Transitional training is all about equipping employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to move through a transition. This can include a workplace or career transition. Examples include a promotion, change of team or even moving cross-functionally within the organization.
Transitional training is typically needed to develop their skills.
Whilst it’s essential to bear in mind the employee’s existing knowledge and understanding, there are likely gaps that will need to be filled, and this should be managed proactively, as you would with ongoing training.
Any additional policies and procedures that are relevant to the new role should be considered as part of the training, as well as any upskilling required.
Why is transitional training important?
Transitional training is essential for minimizing disruptions, reducing resistance to change, and ensuring that employees can successfully adapt to new circumstances within the workplace. It ultimately contributes to the overall effectiveness and resilience of the organization.
How does transitional training work?
Transitional training works by following an employee throughout their time in the business and ensuring they are given the right information and skills at each point in their career as they transition. This could even mean just transitioning to a new software.
By implementing this form of training, you move team members through increasing and incremental depths of involvement and responsibility as time goes on, allowing them to develop confidence and skills in problem-solving, collaborative learning and teamwork, decision-making, organization, and self-responsibility.
Where do you begin with transitional training?
Four different areas should be looking into when delivering transitional training to your employees. It’s essential to understand whether training is needed for hard skills or soft skills.
Focus: On the team member personally, what they offer already, and what is important to them.
Direction: Where do they want to go in their career? What appeals to them, and how suitable are they for this type of work?
Adaptability: How adaptable are they to make these changes?
Self-knowledge and drive: Are they able to push themselves forward in their career? Do they have good self-esteem?
Once you have identified these areas for your employee, you can begin building the training process.
What are the components of transitional training?
Key components of transitional training may include:
- Change Management: Helping employees understand the reasons behind the changes and how they will impact their work.
- Skill Development: Providing training sessions or resources to help employees acquire new skills required for their revised roles.
- Communication: Ensuring clear and transparent communication about the changes, expectations, and support available during the transition.
- Support Systems: Establishing support systems such as mentors, coaches, or peer networks to assist employees in navigating the transition.
- Feedback Mechanisms: Encouraging open feedback channels where employees can express concerns, ask questions, and provide input throughout the transition process.
How do I create a transitional training program?
As with every form of training, at Whale, we have a recommended structure for developing your transitional training program.
Key areas to consider are;
Projective
Discuss the attitudes and responsibilities required for the new job and ensure your employee is comfortable with the overall direction of this.
Cognitive
Provide a documented framework of knowledge related to the job, giving yourself and the employee a foundation of technical information to refer back to before moving onto the more practical steps.
Application
This is where the skills are applied to the job, making the transition from ‘knowledge-based’ elements practical. This is where procedures and processes relevant to the role should be introduced.
Synthesis
Anticipate and resolve any potential problems that could affect the employee’s performance, such as a skills gap or lack of confidence. These should be documented and reviewed to ensure they are resolved over time.
Group reinforcement
Reinforce the standpoint of group accountability and who is responsible for which areas within the team. The employee should be aware that each team member has their responsibility, and there should be no competition throughout.
Self-direction
Ensure the employee maintains the initiative to push themselves forward whenever they see fit.
Learning Style
Learning style should also be taken into account throughout the training process to ensure the employee is given the best possible chance of success. It would help if you always worked together with the team member to understand their preferred way to progress and learn.
Your ongoing training checklist
Good employee training should be based on the following checklist
- You must be happy to work in a partnership with your employee to provide a full training program and ensure the best results
- The training must align with the newly introduced responsibilities or other changes
- The employee should be allowed to provide feedback, allowing you to improve processes where necessary
- The training should be reviewed regularly to ensure it remains fit for purpose and any further changes to responsibilities are taken into account
- Policies and procedures should be in place to ensure that any misconduct can be dealt with fairly and judiciously. Policies should be built to make employees accountable for such behaviors and have fair consequences
- Employees should be expected to self-motivate themselves throughout the training and highlight any areas which need specific focus
- Equal training opportunities should be provided to any staff members moving through the same process, whether it be for promotion, upskilling, or redundancy.
FAQs about transitional training
Who can benefit from transitional training?
There is a wide range of people who can benefit from transitional training, including:
- Those are moving up the ranks within an organization with new accountabilities.
- An employee using new tools & products within the organization
- Existing workers in precarious employment situations
- Workers experiencing retrenchment and redundancy
- Learning communities and learning organizations
- And more!
How long should transitional training last?
The length of transition training programs typically ranges from a few days to several months. The key factors influencing the duration include:
- Complexity of the Transition: More complex transitions, such as those involving significant changes to technology or job roles, may require longer training periods.
- Participants’ Background: The existing skills and knowledge of the participants can affect the duration. Employees with relevant experience may require shorter training periods.
- Training Goals: The specific objectives of the training program also play a crucial role in determining its length. High-level overview training might be accomplished in a few days, whereas in-depth skill acquisition could take weeks or months.
How do you measure transitional training effectiveness?
Effectiveness can be measured using various methods, including:
- Pre and Post Training Quizzes: Evaluating participants’ skills and knowledge before and after the training to measure improvements.
- Feedback Surveys: Collecting feedback from participants regarding the training’s relevance, content quality, and application in their job roles.
- Performance Metrics: Monitoring changes in job performance metrics, such as productivity levels, error rates, and quality of work, before and after training.
- Retention and Turnover Rates: Analyzing changes in employee retention and turnover rates post-training can indicate the program’s impact on employee satisfaction and engagement.
Check out our article on measuring the effectiveness of employee training for more.
Are there any legal considerations for transition training programs?
Legal considerations primarily involve ensuring compliance with employment laws and regulations, including:
- Non-Discrimination: Training opportunities must be offered equitably to all eligible employees, without discrimination based on race, gender, age, disability, or other protected characteristics.
- Accessibility: Training programs must be accessible to all employees, including those with disabilities. This may require accommodations such as accessible training materials or environments.
- Labor Laws: Depending on the jurisdiction, there may be specific regulations regarding paid training time, overtime, and other employment conditions.
All of the above will depend on the country in which you reside and the corresponding labor laws.
How can Whale help?
At Whale, we pride ourselves on being the experts in internal learning and processes. We are here to help you reimagine how you train and empower your team, providing the resource for delivering contextual content to your teams in their moment of need and allowing them to learn in a more gratifying and effective way.
If you want to find out more about transitional training processes, or any other training information at all, get in touch with us today!
Part 1: The three types of training – Part 1: Onboarding new hires
Part 2: The three types of training – Part 2: Ongoing employee training
Want a recap of this 3 part mini-series on employee training and onboarding? Why not download our eBook “How to integrate and optimize your onboarding processes”?
