Training of employees is an important task that must be carried out in every organisation, as it helps to improve performance and efficiency. Training of employees is even more important in high risk areas, for example, in engineering related projects, where the employees have to work in challenging environment and perform tasks and/or operate equipment that can cause significant damage to both life and property. Therefore, businesses and companies that are involved in engineering-related activities should provide high quality engineering training for their employees, which will equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills required to guarantee that they work safely in their respective fields.
Benefits of quality training engineers
Despite the obvious need for providing employees with professional training, some engineering businesses are a bit lax in training their employees, especially where the cost of training might seem high. What these businesses do not realise is that continuous professional development of engineering staff helps to bring about several benefits, which includes:
- Promoting a safe working environment
As already mentioned, engineers work in a very challenging environment and they are usually involved in activities that can become catastrophic very quickly due to a simple mistake. Therefore, continuously training your employees helps to ensure that they are proficient all the time, thus reducing the risk of accidents occurring in the workplace because of employee error.
- It helps to ensure that your employees keep up with the latest standards
The engineering industry is always changing, especially due to the fast-evolving technology. Therefore, new practices, trends, and industry standards are always emerging, bringing about the need for continuous professional training to ensure that your staff keeps up. Continuous professional training of engineers also helps to refresh their knowledge and skills, and at the same time, allows them to learn new ones. This helps to ensure that their capabilities are at the same level, or even better, with the capabilities of other engineers.
- It helps to improve performance
Training of engineering staff helps to improve their capabilities, which improves their proficiency when carrying out the assigned tasks. Therefore, they are able to handle more tasks without compromising the quality of their work. A well-trained staff is also able to work efficiently with minimum supervision. Therefore, continuous training of engineers helps to improve performance in the work place, which increases production and revenues.
- It helps to motivate your employees
Continuous professional development is one of the best ways of motivating your employees to work harder, as it helps them to feel valued. In addition, the skills gained through professional training opportunities helps to grow the careers of your employees, opening up chances for promotions. This can motivate them to work even harder, thus helping to improve productivity in your organisation.
Cost-effective training solutions for engineers
From above information, it is quite clear how important it is to train your engineering staff. However, offering continuous professional training is not an easy thing, as it can be quite expensive. Fortunately, there is an affordable solution for training engineers, which is to outsource the training to organisations that offer cost-effective training solutions for engineers. A good example is Edif Group, a leading engineering firm in the United Kingdom that specialises in technical inspection services, engineering consultancy services, and training for engineers and other professionals. Below is a look at some of the cost-effective training solutions for engineers that the company offers:
- Instructor-led training solutions
Instructor-led training is one of the most popular techniques for training, despite the fact that it might be considered by some people to be “old-fashioned”. The technique involves coursework material that is presented to the course candidates by an instructor, and it allows the candidates taking the offered course to interact together in the same environment, where they can share their knowledge and exchange ideas. The training can be done in-house, where an instructor comes to your organisation to train several employees together. It can also be external, where the employees participate in training courses for engineers from several organisations.
- Online solutions
Online learning, or E-learning as it is popularly known, is a new training technique that has come about due to the numerous technological advancements that have been made. E-learning is often used as an alternative for instructor-led training and it involves the use of online learning resources, which can include video, audios, graphics and animations, text material, etc. E-learning also involves exercises, tests, and exams that test the understanding of the course candidates. Since learning occurs online, the candidates do not need to attend physical classes, which makes the technique very affordable. The candidates can also take the online lessons anytime from anywhere. E-learning also offers other benefits such as:
– Allowing the candidate to learn at their own pace
– Providing easy access to online resources that the candidate can use to learn
– Supporting different learning styles, thus making it easier for the course candidates to learn
- Mobile learning solutions
Mobile learning (m-learning) is an employee training technique that is quite similar to e-learning, with the only difference being that mobile devices are used to support the learning process. The technique has become popular in recent times due to a rise in the use of mobile devices and easy access to affordable internet. Mobile learning is considered to be a highly effective learning solution, since it provides learners with quick access to learning materials, regardless of where they are. The solution is also very cost-effective due to the affordability of mobile devices.
- Simulation learning
Simulation learning is a technique that uses simulations depicting the real world environment to teach the learners. It is a highly effective training technique when it comes to training engineering staff, as it provides them with high-quality, real-like training without the risks involved in using real equipment. The method is also very cost-effective, as it eliminates the risk of expensive equipment being damaged during training.
Conclusion
The engineering sector is a high-risk work environment that requires competent staff in order to guarantee a safe work environment and reduce the risk of fatal accidents occurring. Therefore, engineering businesses/companies should take advantage of cost-effective training and learning solutions offered by organisations such as Edif Group, which will help to ensure that their employees are competent enough to work in their respective fields.