Enablement
Why skill-based training is more important than ever
By Seismic — On June 14, 2021
When it comes to skills training in the workplace there are two very different ways of thinking.
The old school way of thinking:
- Skills training is too expensive
- Employees miss out on work time while attending skills training programs
- Missing work time for skills training delays performance
The new school way of thinking:
- A skills development program is a worthwhile investment that leads to increased productivity
- It's crucial to ensure a certain standard of skill sets across your team
- Skills training programs enhance nearly every aspect of your employees' interactions with customers, prospects, and even teammates
What important skills do you need?
Ok, so maybe karate and nunchuck skills aren't exactly necessary to work at most organizations, but the point is that everyone benefits from some form of skills training. New hires need appropriate skills training to get up to speed in their roles. Seasoned employees need to keep their skills sharp overtime. That's why companies should provide different types of training in the workplace that focuses on both hard and soft skills for every teammate.
Hard skills vs. soft skills
Hard skills are job-specific abilities or knowledge learned through education, hands-on experience, or training. In practice, hard skills are either the technical skills needed to perform a certain job, or a general set of expertise, such as project management. Many examples of hard skills require time, investment, and practice to master, and you can track improvement fairly easily. Hard skill training examples are things like copywriting, video editing, graphic design, and accounting.
Soft skills in the workplace refer to transferable and professional skills. They are less specialized and more aligned with the general disposition and personality of a person. Soft skills training modules aim to build and improve teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving skills—both in the workplace and in everyday life. And, attributes that seem like less of a skill and more of a personality trait, such as empathy and interpersonal communication, can also be improved through skills training. It's important to the efficiency and success of any company to do what they can to ensure practical soft skills training programs are a normal part of onboarding and continued learning.
While hard skills are learned and mastered over time, soft skills are often harder to develop and difficult to evaluate and measure. But they are just as—if not even more—important to the success of a job and a company.
