Small Business Training

It may be tempting to cut employee training when the company budget is tight, but well-trained employees are vital if you want your small business to flourish. The short-term savings arent worth the future losses the company may suffer from the resulting decreased productivity. Lack of training can result in inefficient business procedures and employees with outdated skills. It can also lead to a high turnover rate, as employees lose motivation and feel undervalued when the company doesnt reinvest in their careers. Training is also a worthwhile investment when you consider the process of recruiting and replacing an employee can actually cost more than the employees annual salary. To prevent these long-term problems, find effective ways to train employees, without breaking the bank. Not only does your company likely have untapped internal resources, but their many budget-friendly training options for learning new skills and keeping current skills up-to-date.

Its unfortunate that these vital skills have been de-emphasized in corporate environments. Even the name soft skills makes them seem relatively unnecessary. Emotional intelligence at work is just as important as the intellectual know-how required to perform a specific task. Self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill all play a vital role in effective leadership and execution at all levels of the organization.

Your employees dont just exist in a professional capacity to serve your organization. They are whole human beings comprised of physical, intellectual, and emotional experiences. For them to evolve both personally and professionally, employee development must be holistic:

Profitable small businesses recognize that its not so much what employees currently know that shapes a companys future its what they must eventually know thats most important. In addition, the degree to which your company is genuinely committed to the training and development of your employees is a critical factor in attracting and keeping high-performing employees.

Wouldnt it be great if every person you hired came with all the professional skills needed to work for your company? Gone would be the days of training new employees in basic concepts like quality, teamwork, productivity, and customer service.

Many employers hope that only the most qualified applicants for every position. Hiring managers dream of the day when they will not have to weed through hordes of untrained, unqualified candidates.

When it comes to providing employees with quality professional development, however, some of those same employers do not want to invest the time, energy, and money. Whose responsibility is it to develop people into quality employees? Does it rest with larger companies to train their people because they can afford it? Or can smaller companies contribute by offering professional development opportunities as a way to attract and retain highly qualified people?

Luckily Atrisco Heritage has had these same thoughts and conversations throughout the years. Not only did we gather the information needed and did the research, we created some of the most knowledgeable and engaging modules for a trainer to deliver to help these small businesses complete just that. These training come with ice breakers, peer-to-peer discussions, and lesson plans/activity sheets (workshops). What are the pros of my staff attending these training? Your staff will come out with more productivity, when people havent been trained, they can often still perform tasks, but inefficiently. Happier staff and people value training and development. More Uniformity, good training helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Plus.

1. Increased job satisfaction and morale among employees
2. Increased employee motivation
3. Increased efficiencies in processes, resulting in financial gain
4. Increased capacity to adopt new technologies and methods
5. Increased innovation in strategies and products
6. Reduced employee turnover
7. Enhanced company image, e.g., conducting ethics training (not a good reason for ethics training!)
8. Risk management, e.g., training about sexual harassment, diversity training.

Atrisco Heritage Foundation would love to be able to assist your small business in the professional development of staff and can ensure your team will not only enjoy the sessions but will be able to use them effectively in the workplace. We have many training modules in multiple categories to meet everyones needs. Please ask for a full list of available training modules now.

How to decide what training your staff &/or small business needs? We suggest:

1. Look at the current skills levels of your staff.
2. Identify the skills/knowledge gaps within the business.
3. Decide which new skills could take your business forward.
4. Plan for appropriate training to bridge those gaps.

If you have any questions please let us know how we can further assist you, and we look forward to working with you and building your business!!

Atrisco Heritage Foundation in partnership with Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce and Bernalillo County is offering free training. Scheduled training will take place at the AHCC campus in the Lockheed Martin Boardroom from 11 AM-1 PM. 1309 Fourth Street SW, ABQ, NM 87102. To see if youre eligible please contact Serena Sierra-Fazio.

Training may be available at Bernalillo Community Centers based on need. For information on dates and how to enroll contact: Serena Sierra-Fazio