Many employers choose to pay for their staff to do TAFE NSW courses

While it can be tempting to skimp on training, all the available evidence suggests it's an investment that pays big dividends. There are two questions business owners need to ask themselves about training their staff: is it worth it and, if so, what kind of training is best?

Why training is worth it

1. Well-trained staff are more productive.

2. Training demonstrates to your staff that you're prepared to put your money where your mouth is when it comes to developing their careers. The end result is that they stick around, reducing the costs involved in employee turnover.

3. Well-trained staff require less supervision, freeing up time for you to work on growing your business rather than spending time supervising employees.

4. It can help you avoid a hefty lawsuit. Poorly trained staff are much more likely to suffer or cause an injury. They can also get your business into all sorts of expensive legal trouble by unknowingly breaching laws relating to everything from workplace discrimination to intellectual property.

5. It prepares staff to take on bigger responsibilities. You wouldn't throw your child the car keys and tell them to work out how to drive on their own, so why hire or promote someone and then expect them to muddle along for weeks or months until they figure out how to do things properly? Especially if the position involves working with specialised machinery or technology, you need to equip your employee with the skills they need to perform effectively.

What type of training is best?

The type of training that's most effective will vary depending on the role, the skills being learnt and the nature of your business. It may be that you can provide on-the-job training or the staff member can undertake computer-based training.

Alternatively, you could arrange an expert to come into the workplace and conduct a training day. Many employers choose to pay for their staff to do TAFE NSW courses, which cover everything from bookkeeping and frontline management to welding.

When contemplating investing in training, it's wise to keep in mind the old maxim that it's much better to train staff and risk them leaving than not train them and risk them staying.