Your skills, and those of your employees, are the biggest assets your business will ever have. It will be vital to keep your skills up-to-date and training is a proven way to attract a high calibre of staff and then ensure you retain them. Regular training is an investment that will allow you and employees to prosper and develop, whilst giving your business a highly skilled workforce and a competitive advantage in the market.
How to Start
Training is all very well but, during the first years of your new business, you will probably be faced with one very significant problem – a lack of time. You will probably recognise that personal and professional development for yourself or your staff is needed to make your business more efficient. However, taking
people out of work may appear to be too costly. This problem puts many business people off developing their staff, which if left unchecked will lead to a decline in the skills-base of your core business.
Training Objectives
In the same way that you have sat down and thought about a Business Plan, as a new business owner you should develop a Training Plan, even if you are the only person in your business.
The main thing to consider when deciding on a Training Plan is your training objective. This needs to be set at the beginning and preferably be measurable. This lays the foundations for what the course of training will be based on and if the objectives are measurable, it will allow the result to become quantifiable and show you whether the training was worthwhile.
Who Can Help
Once your training needs are established, the next stage is to evaluate which delivery option would best suit you. As a new business, many of the agencies and organisations in the Directory will be able to help with your training needs. It is likely that you might be interested in some management training and Fingal
County Enterprise Board will be pleased to take your booking for the latest courses online at http://www.fingalceb.ie/. The training programmes offered by the Enterprise Board are all geared specifically at the
needs of owner/managers of small businesses. In addition, the training is heavily subsidised so the cost to you is minimal.
Other organisations also provide training services and you can check training offerings from FÁS and others listed in the directory.
Generally, you will be looking for the most appropriate level of training to suit your needs. You should also consider the training method that will be used, particularly as your time will be at a premium.
Many training methods can deliver effective learning and development solutions for all development topics,
such as a customer service solution or a leadership programme. Each training method has individual benefits and a few of these are listed below: -
Bespoke Training:
Ready-to-Run:
E-Learning:
All of these programmes are geared at small business owner/managers and aspiring entrepreneurs interested in establishing a new business. Places can be booked online on http://www.fingalceb.ie/. ie. Some of the programmes available include the following (check the website for the latest schedules):
Start Your Own Business Programme
FETAC Approved Programme for anyone starting up a new Business. It is a part-time course consisting of a series of workshops designed to give you an excellent foundation for starting a new business. Essential for anyone who wishes to start a new business for the first time. Upon completion, course participants receive FETAC Certification in Business Start-up Skills.
Management Development Training
A series of short intensive, interactive courses designed to assist understanding of critical areas of business e.g. Sales, Marketing and Finance. Management Development Training can provide practical tips and techniques to apply to your business, refresh your knowledge and teach you new skills and ‘know how’
to help develop your business.
Covering practical issues affecting businesses today. These free-of-charge seminars are geared specifically towards anyone either considering or in the process of setting up a new business.
This 8 week part-time course is designed for the owners of existing small businesses as well as individuals who are looking to start a new business. Through each of the 8 modules, participants will be guided on how best to develop and execute an online and web marketing strategy that meets the needs of their business. The course is delivered by industry experts and experienced online marketing practitioners.