Online, Someone Must Spend The Time To Complete The Training Module, Which

Online, someone must spend the time to complete the training module, which makes it much more likely the employee in need of training will actually do so (Haeberle 2003).
Some training schemes combine classroom instruction with bonding activities in an effort to solidify team concept and attitude amongst workers. These types of trainings are usually provided at the management level and above due to cost considerations. A typical retreat-centred training scheme includes instruction in subject area, followed by situational exercises reinforcing that subject. Actors are typically hired to play roles other than those of the managers in training (Anon 2002). Odiorne (1970) showed that effective management training requires linking managerial concepts with real-life situations, and this type of training allows managers to practise just that but in a supervised environment with feedback and low risk. At some point during the retreat, employees participate in bonding activities such as sports or adventure activities, which serve to help participants get to know each other and practise team concepts presented earlier (Anon 2002). Training retreats have also been used effectively for teaching of brainstorming and other creativity and idea-generation methods (Pollitt and Webb 2003).
Mentoring programmes, where upper-level employees meet and work one-on-one with lower-level employees, have been long known to be an effective training scheme (Odiorne 1970).Mentors typically concentrate on long-term, career development areas of personal improvement, as opposed to coaching, which concentrates on specific short-term needs and skills (Pettit 2004). In addition to being effective, mentoring is time effective, with mentoring pairs meeting as often as once a week but more often six to twelve times per year (Pettit 2004). Unfortunately, due to the training and oversight required for proper implementation, most companies have been unable or unwilling to enact formal mentoring programmes (Harding 1991). However, this is slowly changing; recent surveys revealed there are currently more than 5500 mentoring pairs of managers in 1200 companies in England and Wales, with the number expected to increase substantially in the next ten years (Pettit 2004).
Coaching is also increasingly popular as a training method, for reasons similar to mentoring. This training method has experienced the largest increase in usage in the last few years, compared with other forms of training provision (CIPD 2004, 3). Coaches help workers devise specific learning goals, usually skill-related, and create a plan to achieve these goals. The coach then provides guidance and support to the worker as he or she pursues the plan (Pettit 2004).