How to Provide Employee Computer Skills Training

One of the most important sets of skills for an employee to have in today's workplace is computer skills. The software and systems an employee needs to know is dependent on his job, but a basic knowledge of computers is a must. In addition to assessing skills prior to hiring employees, it's an employer's responsibility to provide his staff with ongoing computer skills training.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Software and hardware for training purposes
• Guidelines of what constitutes proficiency
• Training budget
• Pre- and post-training computer exams

Provide Employee Computer Skills Training

1. Evaluate the computer skills each employee possesses. If your intent is to train your staff on the software and hardware you are currently using, there's no need to train those who are proficient in the technology--it's a waste of time and money. You can assess skills either by observation, by administering proficiency tests or simply by asking employees whether they feel the need for additional training in a specific area.
2. Determine what programs your employees need to be proficient in and what skill level is acceptable. In some cases, it may be enough for your employees to know how to navigate the basic shell of the system and to be able to use an integrated package of office software with spreadsheets and word processing programs. Many workplaces, though (particularly governmental offices), use software and types of computers that are specific to a certain career or job.
3. Personalize computer training to specific jobs, but also consider cross-training personnel. Your accountant needs to know the financial software, but the receptionist probably doesn't, whereas your IT person needs to know the entire system inside and out. However, making sure that a few key employees are trained to use a variety of systems and programs ensures that if someone is ill or suddenly leaves a position, there's another person able to step in.
4. Do your research by determining a budget for your computer training and investigating group rates for training by an outside consultant (if you don't have an in-house trainer). Discuss what type of follow-up support the training company will provide. You'll want to make sure to have provisions for phone support and in-person follow-up training sessions if necessary.
5. Decide if you need to rent a facility large enough to fit all your employees or if you will be having on-site training. Set aside enough time for an effective session. The time should be sufficient to provide for practice and questions in addition to any presentations.
6. Administer post-training tests to your employees. Post-training tests will not only help you determine whether an employee needs additional training, but it will also give you a sense of how well your trainer performed.

Tips & Warnings

• While many large private-sector organizations and governmental agencies have in-house IT personnel who can provide ongoing training, many companies seek outside consultants. Make sure to ask for references and check credentials prior to hiring someone.