Take Control of Your Training Plan
5 September 2008
Read by 1663 persons
Want to get more out of your training budget? A training plan helps you manage this particular expense and use it to develop your business.
Are you determined to prioritize training in your management priorities, but don't know how to start? First step: create a training plan. In other words, a document listing all planned training activities for the year. According to the latest annual study by Agefos-PME, the main joint approved collection body (OPCA) for SMEs, 39% of French companies have a training plan. This proportion rises to 55% for companies with more than 10 employees and to almost 100% for those with more than 50 employees, mainly due to the legal obligation to present this document to the works council (see box). But beyond this formality, "the training plan allows you to base yourself on the company's needs rather than decreeing that 2009 will be the year of English or safety," emphasizes Emmanuel de Prémont, founder of Finaxim, a human resources consulting firm. This may seem obvious, but "many SME managers, anxious to "spend" their training budget, draw up a program in a hurry," he regrets. This is evidenced by the latest barometer (December 2007) from the broker Place de la formation: personal development comes in 2nd place among modules prized by SMEs (after English), while it is only in 9th position for all companies. A surprising result considering the size of small companies, which have far fewer executives than large ones. "This proves a certain lightness in the way of approaching training," notes Jérôme Lesage, founder of Place de la Formation. There is still a long way to go before managers see it as an investment."
Translating economic orientations
Legally, companies with more than 10 employees must dedicate at least 1.6% of their annual gross payroll to professional training. "Take advantage of this to increase your competitiveness," insists Jérôme Lesage. Otherwise, you indirectly improve that of your competitors, who can ask for extensions from the OPCAs, taking advantage of unused training budgets." Frederick Oberty, for his part, dedicates 5% of his payroll to training. The co-founder of Venedim, an IT services company specializing in Unix infrastructure management, does not hesitate to send employees to training during their probationary period. "80% of our employees go to training at least once a year. In a sector as evolving as ours, it's a major argument for attracting talent," says his boss. But when you don't work in a high-tech sector, and you don't have a skills framework that scrutinizes the strengths and weaknesses of each employee, how do you fill the blank page? "You have to start from the activity forecasts for the coming year. Your training plan must reflect your economic orientations," argues Emmanuel de Prémont (Finaxim). Are you planning to launch yourself into the Spanish market? Training in the language of Cervantes is certainly essential for your salespeople. Are you going to invest in a machine that requires cutting-edge technology? The priority is to train your employees in the use of their future work tool...
Houda EL BOUDRARI
Posted on September 5, 2008
actionco.fr
Are you determined to prioritize training in your management priorities, but don't know how to start? First step: create a training plan. In other words, a document listing all planned training activities for the year. According to the latest annual study by Agefos-PME, the main joint approved collection body (OPCA) for SMEs, 39% of French companies have a training plan. This proportion rises to 55% for companies with more than 10 employees and to almost 100% for those with more than 50 employees, mainly due to the legal obligation to present this document to the works council (see box). But beyond this formality, "the training plan allows you to base yourself on the company's needs rather than decreeing that 2009 will be the year of English or safety," emphasizes Emmanuel de Prémont, founder of Finaxim, a human resources consulting firm. This may seem obvious, but "many SME managers, anxious to "spend" their training budget, draw up a program in a hurry," he regrets. This is evidenced by the latest barometer (December 2007) from the broker Place de la formation: personal development comes in 2nd place among modules prized by SMEs (after English), while it is only in 9th position for all companies. A surprising result considering the size of small companies, which have far fewer executives than large ones. "This proves a certain lightness in the way of approaching training," notes Jérôme Lesage, founder of Place de la Formation. There is still a long way to go before managers see it as an investment."
Translating economic orientations
Legally, companies with more than 10 employees must dedicate at least 1.6% of their annual gross payroll to professional training. "Take advantage of this to increase your competitiveness," insists Jérôme Lesage. Otherwise, you indirectly improve that of your competitors, who can ask for extensions from the OPCAs, taking advantage of unused training budgets." Frederick Oberty, for his part, dedicates 5% of his payroll to training. The co-founder of Venedim, an IT services company specializing in Unix infrastructure management, does not hesitate to send employees to training during their probationary period. "80% of our employees go to training at least once a year. In a sector as evolving as ours, it's a major argument for attracting talent," says his boss. But when you don't work in a high-tech sector, and you don't have a skills framework that scrutinizes the strengths and weaknesses of each employee, how do you fill the blank page? "You have to start from the activity forecasts for the coming year. Your training plan must reflect your economic orientations," argues Emmanuel de Prémont (Finaxim). Are you planning to launch yourself into the Spanish market? Training in the language of Cervantes is certainly essential for your salespeople. Are you going to invest in a machine that requires cutting-edge technology? The priority is to train your employees in the use of their future work tool...
Houda EL BOUDRARI
Posted on September 5, 2008
actionco.fr
