refresher training

“I wouldn’t change anything and think that it’s important to let things happen and stay ‘happened’. I think that’s all part of the learning curve, part of fate. I’m just glad that it happened” — Mike Peters. Well, we are usually satisfied after something successful happens — say, for instance, a good training session. We learn new information and absorb knowledge. However, this knowledge fades over time. The human forgetting curve has demonstrated that the brain tends to discard info when there is no effort to retain it. Hence, we need to discover ways to remind the brain that the information it has absorbed is relevant even after a while.

In learning and development, learners have to revise essential concepts at regular intervals. And this is where refresher training comes into play. A refresher training course ensures that trainees revisit basic pointers from a training session, which had taken place in the past. In this blog, we will try to explain the whats, hows, and whys of refresher training.

What Is the Meaning of Refresher Training Courses?

Refresher Training

Refresher training is ‘retraining’. As the name suggests, it is a session exclusively designed to help learners refresh their memory. It effectively tests if an employee’s knowledge about a particular subject is up-to-date or not. You can use refresher training for any learning category.

Refresher training is needed when organizations deliver compliance and safety training, where they usually have rules for annual or periodic reviews. Regular sessions ensure that trainees get continual updates about the latest knowledge and complex organizational procedures and processes.

What Is the Purpose of Refresher Training?

Bypassing knowledge gaps among your staff members can lead to severe errors in the future. There can be miscommunication or, worse, ignorance about essential safety rules! Therefore, it is critical to hold retraining classes to refresh knowledge and cover new topics in the workplace. Again, often, trainees complain that they cannot always recall key learning points after the conclusion of a training session.

Here you need to consider the concept of the forgetting curve — which “purports to show that humans tend to halve their memory of newly learned knowledge in a matter of days or weeks unless they consciously review the learned material” — Wikipedia. And employee refresher course training diminishes the effect of the forgetting curve on an organization’s valuable resources.

What Are the Benefits of Refresher Training?

refresher training meaning

Refresher training meaning for employees, contains numerous upsides. It leads to increased efficiency, reduced errors, and a continuous corporate learning culture. It promotes parity in employee knowledge, excellence, and adherence to safety norms. Timely reviews ensure that you effectively track employee training, achieve compliance, identify training needs and skills gaps, build employee confidence, have increased employee retention, and gain awareness of new products, trends, and marketplace information.

Having said that, here are the key benefits of refresher training:

  • Increased Efficiency: Refresher training reinforces existing skills and updates employees on new methodologies, leading to improved efficiency in their roles.
  • Reduced Errors: Regular training refreshers help minimize errors by keeping employees abreast of best practices and updates, fostering a more accurate and effective work environment.
  • Continuous Corporate Learning Culture: Embedding refresher training into the company’s culture promotes continuous learning, ensuring that employees stay informed about industry trends and advancements.
  • Parity in Employee Knowledge: By providing consistent training updates, refresher courses ensure that all employees share a similar knowledge base, reducing disparities in understanding and approach.
  • Excellence and Adherence to Safety Norms: Regular reviews reinforce safety protocols and best practices, promoting excellence in performance and ensuring strict adherence to safety standards.
  • Effective Tracking of Employee Training: Refresher training allows organizations to track individual and team progress effectively, identifying areas of strength and areas that may require additional attention.
  • Achieving Compliance: Keeping employees informed through refresher courses helps meet regulatory requirements and industry standards, ensuring the organization remains compliant with relevant laws and regulations.
  • Identifying Training Needs and Skills Gaps: Regular reviews highlight specific areas where employees may need additional training, allowing organizations to address skills gaps promptly.
  • Building Employee Confidence: Continuous learning opportunities boost employee confidence, as they feel well-equipped and up-to-date in their roles, contributing to a positive and empowered work environment.
  • Enhancing Team Collaboration: Consistent training updates create a shared understanding among team members, enhancing collaboration and communication within the organization.
  • Employee Engagement and Satisfaction: Providing refresher training signals that the organization invests in the development of its workforce, leading to increased employee engagement and satisfaction.
  • Adapting to Technological Changes: In rapidly evolving industries, refresher training ensures that employees are equipped to adapt to new technologies and tools, maintaining the company’s competitiveness.
  • Improved Employee Performance: Ultimately, refresher training contributes to overall improved employee performance, leading to higher productivity, better quality of work, and a positive impact on organizational goals.

How to Deploy Refresher Training in Your Workplace?

You can deploy refresher training in your workplace in several methodologies.

1. Traditional Classroom Training

corporate training methodology

In the traditional classroom-style training delivered by an instructor, you can reap the benefits of direct interactions between the trainer and trainees. Learners can ask questions, and the instructor can curate the session, depending on the group undergoing the training. Of course, offline sessions have their disadvantages, such as expenses, logistics, and accessibility amid a global pandemic.

Read More: Definitive Guide to Transform ILT into an eLearning Model

2. Virtual Classroom

In virtual classrooms, an instructor delivers training from a remote location by using web conferencing software. We still have the interactivity element between the trainer and the trainees. And employees can attend the session from the comforts of their homes.

If you use advanced software like an LMS online, you can enable additional interactive elements such as whiteboarding, surveys, and on-screen drawing, which promote increased engagement levels. However, there are some disadvantages, like unexpected technical issues and the need to schedule the session since it is synchronous training.

Therefore, the best way out is to choose eLearning, which ensures quick content creation and frequent, easy updates. Micro-learning is another methodology that delivers refresher training to employees in digestible, bite-sized chunks. Also, blended learning combines both online and hands-on training benefits — providing the best of both worlds.

Read More: Micro-learning for Super-efficient Workplace Training

How to Conduct Refresher Training Online?

refresher training is needed when

1. Define the End Audience and Frequency

How often should refresher training take place? To answer that the first step is to finalize the end purpose of your refresher training session. It would help if you also had a clear understanding of the schedule. You need to determine if you will have quarterly or annual review classes. Of course, in either of these cases, you must vary the covered content.

The organization’s needs determine the frequency, but a good base point to start from is the annual refresher training. Alternatively, you may decide who has to be present in a specific class. At this stage, your main task is to create a complete plan, including the material to be covered, a timetable, and the learner segment. The more accurately you define the knowledge gaps, the more efficient your corporate training methodology will be.

2. Review and Convert Existing Content

Once you have finalized the basic outline of your training program, you need to review the content — what content to include, what content is obsolete, and which new updates to be incorporated. In this stage, you can consider using e learning course creation software. Following this, decide on the images, interactions, and other elements you may include in the online session.

Create an eLearning storyboard to map out exactly how you visualize the presentation of your content in your course. Again, if you are creating the course from scratch, you should do extensive research and consult subject matter experts. Finally, if you decide to use scenario-based training, write new scenarios every year so your learners can’t repeat the same answer from the previous year.

3. Create Online Modules

corporate training methodology

Now, it is time to start creating your online modules — for which you will require an eLearning authoring tool. There are many options on the market. Hence, you need to do your research and settle on one that best suits your needs. Suppose you do not have expertise in online training development, and you aim to own the perfect professional learning program. In that case, you can always seek the help of our experts at PlayAblo.

4. Include Interactive Tools

To test if your employees have retained the knowledge imparted in previous sessions, including some quizzes, matching activities, or assessments in your course, is always a good idea. An excellent training management system like PlayAblo has all of these features in its templates. Therefore, creating a course is effortless. Other tools you may embed in your online modules are dialogue simulations, video clips, and gamified elements.

Read More: Impact of Gamification in Corporate Learning

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5. Communicate With Your Audience

Once your online training program is ready, you have to think about communication and engagement with your learners. Additionally, make it a practice to NOT inform your employees about an upcoming session on the first day of training. You should explain the purpose behind the refresher training beforehand. For instance, a few emails will go a long way in preparing the trainees and encouraging them.

6. Schedule Your Session

Set the timing of your refresher training course. If you are on the verge of launching a new product, scheduling a refresher training session amidst so many organizational activities is not good. Your employees will fail to retain knowledge if they get an overload of knowledge. Hence, avoid extra stress by scheduling your refresher training during more relaxed hours.

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Read More: How Much Does a Free LMS Really Cost?

7. Conduct Post-Training Evaluation

After the completion of refresher training, it is crucial to conduct a thorough post-training evaluation. This involves implementing assessments and surveys designed to gather feedback from participants. The objective is to gain insights into the effectiveness of the training program, understand areas of improvement, and identify any gaps in knowledge or skills.

This continuous feedback loop is essential for refining future refresher training initiatives, ensuring they remain relevant, engaging, and aligned with organizational objectives.

8. Focus on Recognition and Incentives

Acknowledging and rewarding employees for their dedication to refresher training is a key motivator. Recognition and incentives serve to appreciate individuals who actively participate and excel in the training process.

This positive reinforcement not only boosts morale but also encourages a culture of continuous learning. Recognition can take various forms, including certificates, public acknowledgment, or even tangible incentives, creating a sense of accomplishment and value for employees’ commitment to skill enhancement.

9. Integrate with Performance Management

To maximize the impact of refresher training, it should be seamlessly integrated with the organization’s performance management system. This involves aligning the outcomes of refresher training with individual performance goals and appraisals.

By tying training achievements to performance evaluations, employees are motivated to apply newly acquired skills in their roles. This integration ensures that the benefits of refresher training directly contribute to individual and, consequently, organizational success, creating a synergistic relationship between learning and performance.

Best Practices for Holding Refresher Training Sessions

microlearning

Now that you know how to deploy refresher training in your firm, let’s go through some best practices to get the best outcomes:

Personalized Learning Paths

In your organization, we recommend implementing personalized learning paths for refresher training. This involves tailoring training experiences based on your team’s unique needs and career trajectory.

By customizing the content to match your learners’ specific requirements, the training becomes more relevant and effective, addressing your organization’s learning goals and professional development aspirations.

Social Learning Communities

Consider being part of online forums or communities established within your workplace. These platforms are designed for learners to share insights, ask questions, and actively engage in collaborative learning. Being a member of these communities provides them with a valuable opportunity to contribute their knowledge, learn from their peers, and collectively enhance the overall learning experience within the organization.

Microlearning Modules

For your team’s convenience, we suggest breaking down refresher training content into microlearning modules. This approach involves presenting information in bite-sized, focused segments. By doing so, your learners’ learning experiences become quicker, more targeted, and easily digestible.

This allows employees to absorb information efficiently, making the most of their valuable time while ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the material.

Wellness and Mindfulness Integration

Consider exploring the integration of wellness and mindfulness practices into your refresher training. This initiative aims to enhance not only your team’s professional skills but also its overall well-being and resilience.

By incorporating practices that promote mental and physical wellness, the training experience becomes holistic. This approach recognizes the importance of a balanced and healthy lifestyle in contributing to the team’s effectiveness and satisfaction in both work and personal aspects of life.

Impactful Metrics Beyond Compliance

As an employer, it’s crucial to go beyond mere compliance when evaluating the success of refresher training. Identify and measure the impact of this training not only on employee compliance but also on broader aspects such as performance, innovation, and overall job satisfaction.

By focusing on these impactful metrics, you gain a more comprehensive understanding of how refresher training contributes to the overall success and well-being of your workforce.

Cross-Functional Collaboration Sessions

Enhance collaboration and knowledge sharing among your workforce by facilitating cross-functional collaboration sessions. Encourage employees from different departments to participate in sessions where they can share insights and learn from each other’s experiences. This approach fosters a culture of collaboration, breaks down silos, and contributes to a more interconnected and innovative work environment.

Mentorship and Peer Learning Programs:

Consider enhancing the refresher training experience by introducing mentorship initiatives and peer learning programs. By incorporating mentorship into the training structure, employees can benefit from the guidance of experienced mentors, fostering a more holistic learning experience.

Peer learning programs further contribute to this dynamic by encouraging collaborative knowledge sharing among colleagues. These initiatives not only deepen professional knowledge but also strengthen the sense of community within your workforce.

Cultural Sensitivity Training

Promote inclusivity and cultural awareness within your organization by addressing cultural nuances and diversity in refresher training. Acknowledge the importance of cultural sensitivity and diversity in the workplace, ensuring that training programs embrace and respect different perspectives.

This approach fosters a more inclusive work environment where employees feel valued and understood. By integrating cultural sensitivity training into refresher programs, you contribute to the creation of a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes mutual respect among your team members.

Final Thoughts

So, have you thought about introducing refresher training sessions in your organization? If yes, you can always talk to our experts at PlayAblo for guidance. We are just a call away!

Ad: PlayAblo’s Enterprise-Grade Micro-Learning platform is for the modern corporate learner. Micro-Learning, along with assessments and gamification features, ensures learning outcome measurement along with sustained engagement.
Find out more and request a custom demo!

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