Companies told to invest in training programs

MANILA, Philippines - A learning and development services provider is urging companies to invest in employee training programs to make  their workers more competitive amid the rapid  use of new technology and changing market demand.

Learning and Performance Partners Inc. (LPPI) president and principal consultant Armi Stephanie Trenas said that investing in training is a good company strategy to cope with the increasingly competitive business environment. 

“For companies to be successful , training is  necessary to attain a stable and competent workforce.Training bridges the gap between education and workforce requirements,” Trenas said.

Citing a study of the Business Management Department of the De La Salle University, Trenas said Philippine companies spend a yearly average of P1.2 million for training, which is below two percent of their payroll.

While most Philippine companies are already investing in training programs, she lamented these programs are first to be taken off the expenditure list when company profitability is at stake.

She also noted that training programs will only be beneficial to their respective organizations if they are properly designed.

As such, training programs need to be customized to the specific needs of the learner and the organization.

“If you’re going to make an investment, you need to do due diligence to ensure it delivers results that you want,” Trenas said.

To be able to maximize the investment in trainings, companies can employ what is called the instructional systems design (ISD) in coming up with a training program.

The ISD involves analyzing the needs of the organization all the way to evaluating whether the training objectives are met.

The ISD, Trenas said, is not as prevalent in the country as it should be.

“If they believe in it (training) and they’re going to spend on it anyway, they might as well improve their chances that the training will be usable and valuable,” she said.

To be able to encourage more firms to improve their training programs, LPPI is offering public courses to impart the basics of designing effective learning programs starting next month at the Asian Institute of Management Conference Center in Makati City.

The first course which would discuss the foundations of instructional design is scheduled for Sept. 24 to 27, while the second course focused on evaluating training results would be held on Oct. 16 to 17, and the last course which would cover training the trainers would be from Nov. 13 to 15.

LPPI is the first and only company in the Philippines which specializes in integrated ISO solutions and offers a wide range of learning and development services.

The company has trained organizations here as well as in other parts of the world. These organizations include the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, EastWest Banking Corp., Globe Telecom Inc., the United Nations and the Southeast Asian Association of Central Bankers.