Some Workforce Planning Questions to Consider Before Taking the Next Step
From staff retention and motivation to increased revenue and good succession planning, there are many benefits and opportunities associated with investing in skills and training. Whether you’re a sole trader or a more established business, we’re really pleased that you’re thinking about recruiting staff or upskilling the employees that you already have.
The fact that you’ve sought out Transform means that you’re interested in finding out more about options such as apprenticeships, traineeships and other skills training. It also means you’re looking into the funding that is available to help you invest in your business.
What are my options?
As well as commercial training courses (those that you pay in full for), there are a variety of free or part-funded training and employment schemes available. They cover specialities such as English and maths, the technical requirements of different sectors, and the more generic business and employment skills.
You’ll find programmes that will help you recruit new staff, for instance an apprenticeship, as well as training programmes for existing staff such as Skills Bootcamps. Programmes and courses vary in duration and time commitment, from a couple of hours in an evening to three years. With longer courses, there may be a choice between full-time or part-time study. Some may be online in real time or on demand, while others are in person.
You can explore free and part-funded training and employment schemes here.
What should I be thinking about before I invest time and money in skills training?
The following questions will help make sure you are investing in the right part of your business and at the right time.
- Do you have a 3–5-year business plan which sets out your aims and objectives? Have you revisited it before making the decision to invest in skills and training?
- Does it identify the roles and skill sets your business needs now and in the future? Have you considered your plans for growth, any technological advances and new product lines/services?
- In what areas of the business do you lack knowledge or resources? As a business grows, gaps are often found and felt in HR, sales and marketing, finance and accounts, and business development.
- What training do you offer your current employees? Are there any industry requirements?
- Do you have existing employees who have the potential to step up into more senior roles or into different areas of the business? Do you have aspiring leaders and managers?
- Is there a succession plan in place for when experienced staff leave or retire?
If you would like to take a more in depth look at workforce planning before making any decisions, the CIPD has a very useful guide which takes you through the process.
Now that you’re clear on what it is you’re looking for, head back over to the Transform Skills Toolkit home page and we’ll take you through the next steps to find out what is available and how to access it.
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES