CTC Staff Development and Training

As you look through your list of things to do in order to get your CTC up and running, is training at the top? Staff training is often an afterthought in the development of a CTC; there are so many more obvious demands and pressing needs that it can be difficult to see staff training as a priority.

But staff training is an integral part of any CTC. Here are some reasons why you should pay more attention to training:

• For your teachers: Unless all of your teachers know everything they need to know about technology, software, students, and the community, training will help your staff serve your clients.

• For your staff: Staff invest more in an organization when the organization invests more in them.

• For your “accidental techies”: Technology training disperses knowledge and creates an environment where learning can be shared. As a result, no one person is the “keeper of the keys” of IT knowledge. The importance of this becomes painfully obvious when the only person who knows how fix a printer problem leaves your organization.

Be sure to write down any other reasons why you think staff training would be important to your CTC. This list will come in handy when you’re fundraising.

What Does It Cost?

Naturally, the cost depends on the type of training you choose. But to start your thinking, remember the tried and true equation that only 30 percent of your technology spending should go to hardware and software, and a full 70 percent should go to training and support. While training will cost you money, it will save you money in the long run.

What It Takes to Build Your Staff Training Program

Staff training will take commitment, time, and resources. The checklist below will help you evaluate whether you have what it takes to make your staff training plan a reality.

• Commitment:

  You need to have agreement from the executive level of your agency that training is a priority. The executive director (or comparable leader) will need to monitor and support the plan and agree to the milestones, dates, and deliverables.

• Time:

  Making training happen will require an investment of time from your organization. We recommend that you assign a staff person to coordinate your organization’s training and manage this program. Without in-house guidance and direction, training can too easily become an afterthought instead of a priority.

  Setting aside staff time for training is also important. You might consider making certain training sessions mandatory or offer incentives for training. It is also helpful to discuss training as a benefit of working at your CTC and an opportunity for growth.

• Resources:

  One of the best ways to make staff training happen is to identify funding to support it. If you don’t yet have funds allocated for training, it makes sense to begin figuring out what it will cost you and identifying funders who might support it in the future.

Budgeting for training does not mean using "extra" money for a class when it’s available, but rather creating a separate line item in your budget. When budgeting for training, be sure to include:

• Cost of materials and classes
• Cost of staff time
• Travel expenses
• Initial training expenses
• On-going training expenses

The total amount for staff training should not only be in your operating budget, it should also be incorporated into grant proposals and fund development plans.

Developing a Training Program

If you feel confident you have the commitment, time, and resources necessary, then you’re ready to start developing a staff training program. For each step, document your findings and keep them as a part of your CTC documentation.

Step 1

Identify Staff Training Objectives: Identifying objectives is one of the most important steps in developing a relevant and effective program. In order to make sure you have a clear sense of what your staff members need, it is important that you ask them what kind of training would be helpful. You can do this on an individual basis or in a group at a meeting. Ideas and suggestions can be written down or discussed. It doesn’t matter how you get the information, just make sure you get a clear sense of the following:

• What do you want the staff to learn or be able to do after the training?
• Who is the training being developed for?
• How is the information best delivered?
• How will you evaluate and monitor the success of the training?

Step 2

Identify Training Methods: Once you've identified what you want from the training (e.g., teaching everyone how to share files over the network), then you can determine how best to get the job done. Some individuals learn better when they work at their own pace. Others benefit from classroom training. Still others learn best when they receive tutoring or mentoring from other staff members who have the skills they want to develop. Regardless of how you provide training, make sure the training relates directly to your staff members' work.</p> <p class=">We've found that the best approach is often a combination of different training methods including classes, tutoring, resource libraries, and in some cases, online classes. We suggest that you identify the key skills you expect staff to know (e.g., set up Excel workbooks, develop charts) and then train staff to do those tasks.

For application training, we recommend that a few key staff members participate in a local training session. Then those staff members can schedule training for other CTC staff to share their knowledge and expertise. Peer training in a work setting can help staff do their jobs more efficiently and develop an understanding of how these software applications relate to their particular jobs.

Step 3

Identify Training Resources: When you are ready to purchase training materials and enroll in technology training classes, check out TechSoup's training section. Pay particular attention to the articles on Do-It-Yourself Training and on training opportunities and discount vendors (see TechSoup's article training ).

TechSoup is constantly exploring other online training opportunities and discounts for nonprofits, so check the TechSoup Stock site at Techsoup when you are ready to move ahead with your training plan.

Step 4

Coordinate Logistics for Training: For any kind of training you will need to coordinate the following logistics:

• Allocate time for staff training
• Identify where and how the training will occur and who will deliver the training
• Schedule training for every staff person (include initial and on-going training)
• Identify how and when you will evaluate your training

Step 5

Evaluate Staff Training: We highly recommend that you ask staff to evaluate their training sessions and share the information with other staff. If a staff person finds an instructor who is great or an online tutorial that is helpful, it is important for them to share that information with others.

We suggest that you keep reviews and evaluations of all classes in your CTC documentation for future reference. This will help you track your progress and success in reaching your training goals. Remember that all of this work will help you serve your clients and support your staff.