Maximising the Impact of Corporate Education: Strategies and Best Practices

Establishing a corporate education strategy can be the most effective way to build an agile and creative workforce while contributing to a positive company culture. With valuable educational resources on offer, you not only attract top talent but also nurture and retain your existing talent.

Corporate education provides employees with the exact skills and knowledge to achieve company objectives and enables them to make a significant contribution to the company’s success. Strategies can be tailored to the company goals and targeted towards developing specific skills.

An effective corporate strategy offers a wide range of resources while being in alignment with the company mission. There are various ways to invest in your employee’s education both directly through in-house training and indirectly through subsidised learning. Providing employees with one-to-one coaching or access to a digital coaching program is an invaluable tool to ensure their growth and development, particularly for remote teams. Continue to read below for steps to develop an education strategy and best practices to follow.

Understanding the role of corporate education

A solid corporate education strategy builds a skilled workforce and a creative workplace. The benefits are not only felt by the employer and employees but the general workplace environment will improve. Educating employees is not only a method of retaining and developing your workforce but also a way to contribute to the company culture and create an exciting environment of growth and learning.

Benefits of corporate education

• Improves employees’ skills
• Contributes to employee motivation and morale
• Increases productivity
• Fosters a positive company culture
• Improves employee retention
• Creates an adaptable and agile workforce
• Encourages a growth mindset

Types of corporate education

• Onboarding programs
• Education subsidies
• Ongoing professional development
• Leadership training
• Personal development workshops
• Educational grants

Developing an effective corporate education strategy

The greatest factor of an effective corporate education strategy is total alignment with the overall company mission and vision. The educational resources in place must serve the same overall goal as the company. The corporate education strategy must be a vehicle that empowers employees to reach the company’s objectives.

Steps involved in developing a successful corporate education strategy:

1. Identify learning needs
Define what skills and knowledge the workforce must develop in order to be successful. What do employees need to learn and know in order to contribute to the success of the company mission?

2. Set goals
Establish a concrete set of objectives that will be achieved by the educational resources. What milestones can employees expect to reach through the educational strategy?

3. Choose learning methods and materials
Explore various educational resources and platforms. Do you need to make an IT investment for online educational platforms or do you need to hire external experts?

4. Evaluate the effectiveness of the program
Establish a process of evaluation and define the metrics of success. How will you measure the impact of the programs and what factors are important?

Best practices for implementing corporate education

When implementing a corporate education program consider the following key factors to ensure its success:

1. Strong leadership support

Support from company leaders will ensure that adequate resources are available while encouraging employee engagement. When employees see backing from top-level management they will be open and willing to take part. Consider appointing a leader to champion the initiative and promote the available resources. Ensure you align with leadership when designing the strategy to gain their support while making sure the program supports their objectives.

2. Wide range of focus

Ensure the program offers educational resources that cover various categories of learning and development. Singapore Business Review defines three major categories of corporate education:

• leadership and teamwork
• business acumen
• personal development

Ensure your program has something to offer employees in each category while using a variety of learning methods. Consider online tools, in-person classes, company-specific programs or even developing your own “corporate university.”. You may also hire private consulting companies or invest in digital coaching programs. Make it varied and ensure a wide range of resources.

3. Adequate resources and budget

It is important that the company makes an adequate investment in the program to ensure it achieves its objectives. Before moving forward make sure the company is willing to contribute the right amount of resources and budget or the program will be underwhelming and ineffective.

4. Employee engagement

Lastly, generate employee engagement and create a sense of excitement for the program. Ask for their input and what they would like to see included. Ensure the details of the program are clearly communicated and make it easy for employees to get involved. Create and promote a positive learning environment by celebrating participation and acknowledging employees’ educational achievements.

5. Ongoing support and reinforcement

Hold regular check-ins with employees to gather their feedback while measuring their success. Ask them for their experience and make regular adjustments to the program. Ensure employees still feel supported and listened to throughout the program. It is also important, once implemented, that the program is continually promoted and employees are regularly reminded of the educational resources available to them.

In conclusion

A varied strategy that reflects the direction and objectives of the organisation can be a significant driver of any organisation’s success. With clear objectives and company-wide backing, a corporate education strategy can be hugely impactful in the development of a competent and competitive workforce. Digital coaching can provide tailored learning and development programs to teams in any location. Private sessions can be a huge source of motivation and clarity toward employees’ individual objectives. Investing in employees’ education is an invaluable strategy for any organisation. Develop a strong corporate education strategy and you will cultivate a highly skilled workforce and a corporate culture of creativity and innovation.