We know a thing or two about training. Our experience in delivering SAP Training for 17 years has shown us what successful training looks like.

Are you measuring the right things? Are your employee students engaged? Are they learning? What should you be looking for in determining successful training? Here are three things that really matter no matter in skills training. (Not just SAP training)

Wrong idea #1 – Measure the completion rates as the standard of success.

Yes, of course, it’s great to have your trainees complete their course, but that is not the best measure of training success. A student can take a course by sitting through it, and not learn a thing. Does the training offer the opportunity for the student to go to any section? Can a student skip ahead or re-take sections?

In most cases course completion is not paramount to core business objectives. Employees have full schedules already, don’t require them to take training they will not use in their jobs.

You want to encourage curiosity and allow your corporate learners to get exactly the skills they are looking for when they need it. Motivation can come from positive sources like a peer or socially driven goals and management incentives. There are better ways to get your people training with mandatory completion requirements.

Of course, if you must set up a certain mandatory training, (like sexual harassment policy training) then go ahead and insist on completion. Keep the rest of your training open and flexible.

Wrong idea #2 – Keep training limited.

I know what you’re thinking. “Employees are too busy and overworked already”.  This is a huge mistake. Ultimately, more training means better skills. Period. The more access to training that your staff has, the better they will become. A highly skilled employee will add to your bottom line in many ways. They become more valuable to you and your organization.

The importance of training is being recognized by corporations nationwide. The Corporate Learning Factbook by Deloitte shows that “Mature organizations tend to spend 38 percent more per employee.” On training. There is also an increase year over year for corporate training expenditures.

 The key take away? Keep training as an on-going part of your corporate culture.

Wrong idea #3 – Set it and forget it.

You have your training in place. Great job! Your employees can train, or not. And once the options are there the company is no longer involved. This is a big mistake that many corporations make. For a training program to become a great training program the company needs to stay involved. Here are a few ideas:

• Dedicate training time for your employees
• Encourage supervisors to encourage continued learning and give congratulations to employees who excel at their training
• Acknowledge training in employee reviews
• Continuously improve your training program to incorporate several new choices for your learners

Making the best decisions for your company’s training can be daunting. When it comes to getting, your people armed with the best SAP skills training, we can answer your questions and help you get started.