Implement a Learning and Development strategy in 3 steps

The practical organization of Learning and Development (L&D) plays a crucial role in improving the skills, knowledge and abilities of employees and thus aims to optimize their professional performance. This function, which is essential within human resources, is at the heart of personnel development policy and is becoming a strategic asset in the employment sector.

Faced with an ongoing digital transformation, increasing complexity and increasingly fierce competition, L&D is emerging as a distinctive element for business success. He is not satisfied withattracting and retaining talent ; it also strengthens the corporate culture, engages employees, meets customer requirements and generates added value.

But how do you develop a L&D strategy effective and adapted to the specificities of your business? What steps should be taken to design, deploy and evaluate a coherent L&D program?

What tools and methods should you use to encourage the learning and development of your employees? This new question is used by experts to constantly adapt work environments to today's operational challenges.

In this article, we offer you a detailed guide to facilitate the implementation of an L&D strategy within your structure. Are you ready to deploy an effective L&D strategy within your business? Follow our guide!

Step 1 - Assess the company's skills needs

To develop a effective L&D strategy and practical, the crucial first step is to understand the skills needs within your business. This implies a precise organization and a situational diagnosis, opening access to a projection towards future needs. Follow these three key steps to get there:

1.1 - Identification of current skills gaps

Start by looking at existing skills, both individually and collectively. Use a competency framework, detailing the know-how and interpersonal skills required for each role and profession. If you don't know how to do it, discover our free competency framework soft skills in the form of a simulator with no less than 11,000 referenced jobs.

In addition, various assessment tools, such as interviews, tests, tests, questionnaires, or self-assessments, can help you assess the mastery of your employees' skills.

The use of specific tools such as Yuzu, is particularly effective during recruitment or internal mobility. It turns out that Yuzu Is a New Generation Assessment Center, specialized in the evaluation of soft skills (the famous soft skills) designed after several years of R&D with researchers in Psychology and Neuroscience.

With our method, talents are immersed in Situations developed with the latest technologies of Video game.

The evaluations, on the other hand, are accessible to all profiles thanks to simplified orders and cloud technologies (all you need is a computer and an internet connection to be evaluated).

Improve your learning and development strategy with Yuzu

The advantages of our solution:

• One candidate experience exceptional for boosting your employer brand;
• A solution accessible to all to ensure equal opportunities;
• A decision support tool to detect and promote interpersonal skills.

This will allow you to identify the gaps between expected skills and those currently mastered, in order to set training priorities.

1.2 - Predictive analysis of future skills required

Then, anticipate the employable skills of tomorrow by considering the strategic direction of your business. Study industry trends, technological developments, customer expectations, and discover opportunities to identify emerging skills that will be the keys to optimizing your future competitiveness. To learn more about these aspects, read our article on 10 HR innovations keys for this year.

This analysis will help you define the key skills you need to develop to prepare your employees for future changes.

Then, anticipate the employable skills of tomorrow by considering the strategic direction of your business. Study industry trends, technological developments, customer expectations, and discover opportunities to identify emerging skills that will be the keys to optimizing your future competitiveness.

1.3 - Involvement of stakeholders in the assessment of needs

The final step is to actively involve stakeholders in the skills needs assessment process. This includes managers, HR managers, L&D managers, staff representatives, and employees.

It is essential to consult them, inform them and make them aware of the importance of skills development For the performance of the company and their personal development.

Gather their needs, expectations, suggestions and feedback to jointly develop an L&D strategy that is both adapted and shared.

Step 2 - Define the goals and develop the Learning and Development Plan

After assessing your organization's skills needs, the next step is to define goals and develop a tailored Learning and Development plan. This plan must be designed to respond effectively to your specific needs, taking into account the challenges and resources available. Here are four key steps to get there:

2.1 - Setting SMART Learning and Development goals

Start by setting SMART goals for your Learning and Development strategy. The goals SMART are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Based. They help you clearly define your ambitions, the ways to measure them, and the timeframe for achieving them.

It is crucial that your SMART goals are in line with the company's overall strategic goals and that they meet the needs and expectations of your employees. Also, be sure to communicate them to all stakeholders to foster shared engagement and motivation.

2.2 - Choice of training methods: face-to-face, e-learning, hybrid

Then, select the most appropriate training modalities according to your goals, your target audience and your budget. There are mainly three types of modalities: The face-to-face, e-learning and The hybrid.

Face-to-face training takes place face-to-face, while e-learning allows distance learning via digital platforms. The hybrid modality, on the other hand, combines online sequences with in-person sequences, thus offering increased flexibility.

Each option has specific advantages and disadvantages in terms of cost, flexibility, and customization. Your choice should be based on a careful evaluation of these criteria.

2.3 - Planning individual and group learning paths

The third step involves planning learning paths, adapted to the individual and collective needs of your employees. A learning path is a structured set of educational activities designed to develop certain skills.

It is important to determine the content, duration, frequency, and materials of each educational activity, while taking into account the preferences and limitations of your collaborators. Don't overlook the importance of evaluations, feedback, and follow-up in measuring the progress and satisfaction of your learners.

Integrate opportunities for internal mobility in these paths can also be beneficial. By aligning training programs with opportunities for growth within the company, you encourage talent retention and boost employee engagement.

For example, identifying the skills needed for different internal roles and creating specific learning paths to help employees move into these positions can maximize your talent management internal and meet the changing needs of the business.

2.4 - Budgeting and resource allocation

Finally, set a budget and allocate the resources needed to execute your Learning and Development plan. You should estimate the total cost of the program by considering direct and indirect expenses. Also, identify the available sources of funding, whether internal or external.

It is crucial to properly distribute resources among all actors in the project, including service providers, trainers, managers, and HR or L&D managers.

Step 3 - Strategy implementation and monitoring

After defining the objectives and developing the Learning and Development plan, it is time to move on to operationalizing it and monitoring the strategy. This involves deploying training programs, measuring their impact, and demonstrating continuous improvement management.

To do this, you can follow the following five steps:

3.1 - Choice of learning technologies and platforms

The first operational step is to identify the learning technologies and platforms to choose, in particular learning management systems (LMS) compatible with LinkedIn Learning and other resources to optimize the training paths of your employees.

It is essential to select the technologies and platforms that meet your educational, technical, and financial needs, while offering quality user experience. Also, ensure the security, reliability, and compatibility of the technologies and platforms chosen.

3.2 - Deployment of training programs

The second stage concerns the organized establishment of training programs, in accordance with budgetary forecasts. To do this, access to effective communication that highlights the goals, practical content and benefits of training sessions is essential.

It is also important to support learners throughout their learning journey, by providing them with pedagogical, technical and logistical support. Involving managers in the deployment of training programs is essential, by making them aware of their role as facilitators and coaches in the learning of their teams.

3.3 - Measuring engagement and participation in training courses

The third step is to measure the commitment and participation of your employees in training and development programs. It is important to track quantitative indicators, such as the number of registrants, participation rate, completion rate, time spent, as well as qualitative indicators, such as the level of satisfaction and the perception of relevance.

Tracking tools, such as learning platform statistics, satisfaction surveys, and testimonials, can be used. These indicators will help you assess the adherence and involvement of your employees in training and development programs.

3.4 - Evaluation of the effectiveness of training courses: Feedback and KPIs

The fourth step is to assess the effectiveness of training and development programs, in terms of results and impact. It is crucial to measure the acquisition and transfer of skills, as well as the improvement of individual and collective performance.

It is also important to measure the return on investment of your Learning and Development strategy, considering the economic, social and environmental benefits. Assessment tools, such as knowledge tests, observations, interviews, and case studies, can be used.

It is also essential to collect the Feedback of your employees, their managers, your customers and your partners, in order to obtain a global and complete vision of the effectiveness of your training and development programs.

3.5 - Ongoing adjustments and improvements

The fifth step is of great importance since it involvesadjust and improve continuously your Learning and Development strategy by implementing management and adjustments based on an analysis based on feedback from lived experiences, in order to optimize the strengths and fill the weaknesses of your training programs.

It is also vital to remain attentive to changes in the context, as well as to the needs and expectations of your employees, your company and the market. This means that you need to review your goals, content, modalities, tools, and resources on a regular basis. This process ensures the relevancy, the quality And theEfficiency of your Learning and Development strategy.

A key aspect of this continuous improvement is the consideration of internal mobility. By using feedback to identify emerging skills and development needs for various internal positions, you can adjust your training programs to better prepare employees for these new opportunities.

By supporting internal mobility in this way, you facilitate the career development of employees, while meeting the strategic needs of the company and optimizing the use of available talent.

To remember

You now have all the key elements to deploy an effective Learning and Development strategy within your company. You are in control of the key steps to:

• Evaluate the skills needs of your business, both current and future
• Define the objectives and design a Learning and Development plan, in line with your vision, your global strategy and your budget
• Implement and follow the Learning and Development strategy, opting for the most appropriate resources, tools and methods
• Measure the impact and return on investment of your Learning and Development strategy, and adjust it as needed

By implementing a Learning and Development strategy, you will promote the development of the skills of your employees, boost their performance, consolidate their commitment and thus generate significant added value for your company. It's time to take action!