Connecting individual learning needs with business demands
In 2003, the Ontario Society for Training and Development formed the nucleus of the Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD) in Toronto. A brand statement was created to express the new national focus — “partners for learning and performance.” Since then, the new professional organization has grown in ways both predictable and unexpected, and the concept of “partner” has expanded.
Just who are the partners we were thinking of in 2003? Well, of course, as a professional association, we partner with our members — workplace learning practitioners. Through professional development opportunities and networking, we explore current trends in the workplace learning field. We offer services to members that help them develop in their careers, such as professional certification. And we partner with individuals and organizations from across the country to develop local chapters in regions from east to west. Today our 18 chapters are spearheaded by members who volunteer their time and expertise to benefit the industry.
Internal and external
Partnerships also exist on other levels. Both inside and outside Canada’s institutions and organizations, CSTD members work to improve productivity and performance. Whether they work as consultants and vendors, who design and deliver effective training solutions, or as employees, our workplace learning professionals partner with business leaders and others in their organizations to achieve the best results possible from training investments.
I also see a new arena for partnership through the Learn@Work Week initiative, a program first started in 2005. For one week in September each year, CSTD members lead activities in their companies to raise the profile of the training function and shine a spotlight on opportunities for learning within their organizations.
Concurrent with that higher profile comes recognition that the responsibility for learning must be shared — not only by training departments and senior management but also by individual employees. Employees want to be active partners in their learning and performance in a number of ways: they want to partner with their managers to find avenues of continuous development; they want to partner with the organization as a whole to create meaningful work; and they want to partner with other individuals in the organization through mentoring and coaching programs.
The real bottom line
It’s well-established that companies increase their profit and productivity by supporting and encouraging continuous learning. Companies also engage and retain employees by helping them reach their potential. The challenge is to take complete advantage of the learning that happens everywhere in organizations, not just in the classroom or online. Informal learning around the water cooler, on-the-job training, mentoring and coaching all play a significant role in transferring the knowledge that improves productivity.
CSTD is working with the federal government, education consultants and industry partners to conduct research on measurement and evaluation of training that benefits our members. This project, called Investing in People, extends beyond our members as we intend to share the results of this research — evaluation tools and instruments — with Canadian companies of all sizes interested in the connection between skills training and productivity.
Awareness of workplace learning initiatives and their impact is only the first step of the partnering process. By increasing awareness of the value and impact of learning, we also encourage companies to invest real dollars in the training and development of employees. The Investing in People project provides an opportunity for Canadian learning professionals to demonstrate that training contributes to business outcomes. The return-on-investment case studies conducted will not only quantify the business benefits of workforce development, but provide the tools and resulting best practices for Canadian employers to apply in their own organizations.
Finally, the evidence of these best practices and the community created in sharing this knowledge can be leveraged by the learning and development community to encourage employers to invest even more in their people. Imagine the impact of all Canadian companies devoting real dollars to helping their employees learn and grow — now that’s something to celebrate.
Lynn Johnston is president of the Toronto-based Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD), a national association for professionals in workplace learning and performance. For more information visit www.cstd.ca.
Just who are the partners we were thinking of in 2003? Well, of course, as a professional association, we partner with our members — workplace learning practitioners. Through professional development opportunities and networking, we explore current trends in the workplace learning field. We offer services to members that help them develop in their careers, such as professional certification. And we partner with individuals and organizations from across the country to develop local chapters in regions from east to west. Today our 18 chapters are spearheaded by members who volunteer their time and expertise to benefit the industry.
Internal and external
Partnerships also exist on other levels. Both inside and outside Canada’s institutions and organizations, CSTD members work to improve productivity and performance. Whether they work as consultants and vendors, who design and deliver effective training solutions, or as employees, our workplace learning professionals partner with business leaders and others in their organizations to achieve the best results possible from training investments.
I also see a new arena for partnership through the Learn@Work Week initiative, a program first started in 2005. For one week in September each year, CSTD members lead activities in their companies to raise the profile of the training function and shine a spotlight on opportunities for learning within their organizations.
Concurrent with that higher profile comes recognition that the responsibility for learning must be shared — not only by training departments and senior management but also by individual employees. Employees want to be active partners in their learning and performance in a number of ways: they want to partner with their managers to find avenues of continuous development; they want to partner with the organization as a whole to create meaningful work; and they want to partner with other individuals in the organization through mentoring and coaching programs.
The real bottom line
It’s well-established that companies increase their profit and productivity by supporting and encouraging continuous learning. Companies also engage and retain employees by helping them reach their potential. The challenge is to take complete advantage of the learning that happens everywhere in organizations, not just in the classroom or online. Informal learning around the water cooler, on-the-job training, mentoring and coaching all play a significant role in transferring the knowledge that improves productivity.
CSTD is working with the federal government, education consultants and industry partners to conduct research on measurement and evaluation of training that benefits our members. This project, called Investing in People, extends beyond our members as we intend to share the results of this research — evaluation tools and instruments — with Canadian companies of all sizes interested in the connection between skills training and productivity.
Awareness of workplace learning initiatives and their impact is only the first step of the partnering process. By increasing awareness of the value and impact of learning, we also encourage companies to invest real dollars in the training and development of employees. The Investing in People project provides an opportunity for Canadian learning professionals to demonstrate that training contributes to business outcomes. The return-on-investment case studies conducted will not only quantify the business benefits of workforce development, but provide the tools and resulting best practices for Canadian employers to apply in their own organizations.
Finally, the evidence of these best practices and the community created in sharing this knowledge can be leveraged by the learning and development community to encourage employers to invest even more in their people. Imagine the impact of all Canadian companies devoting real dollars to helping their employees learn and grow — now that’s something to celebrate.
Lynn Johnston is president of the Toronto-based Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD), a national association for professionals in workplace learning and performance. For more information visit www.cstd.ca.
