20 Ready-to-Use (& Free) Employee Training Templates

By
anjan sarkar
January 26, 2023
12
min read
Updated
October 27, 2023
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Boost productivity & engagement with our 20 free ready-to-use employee training templates. Create effective training plans with easy-to-use templates and best practices.


Introduction

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Employees are the lifeblood of a company and they perform at their best when given the proper training to help them along the way. 

But before spending your time or money on developing a training program, you should use an employee training plan template to make sure all of your bases are covered. Otherwise, you might end up roaming in the wrong direction.

However, creating various templates for different usage is time-consuming, but we’ve got you covered!

In this article, we’ll not only tell you why employee training plans are important and how to create them but also provide you with four templates to save your hours.

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TL;DR: Employee training templates

  • Employee training is crucial for both employees and organizations, as it improves job performance, job satisfaction, adaptability, and career prospects.
  • An employee training plan should include the purpose, training format, KPIs, training schedules, resources, and employees involved.
  • See how to use these four free employee training plan templates: employee development plan, training needs assessment, new-hire training, and individual employee training plan.
  • Get 16 additional employee training plan templates to help you design a dynamic, scalable training process.
  • Learn how to build an employee training plan, including steps such as identifying training needs, setting business goals, involving top management, determining the budget, selecting training methods, and measuring and improving the training program.

Wh‎at is an employee training plan?

An employee training plan is a document that outlines the goals, objectives, and methods for training employees. It's a roadmap for how employees will acquire the skills and knowledge they need to perform their jobs effectively and efficiently.

A good training plan is tailored to the specific needs of your organization and its employees. Your plan should also be aligned with your organization's overall business goals and objectives.

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‎Wh‎at are the must-haves in employee training templates?

The essential elements of staff training plan templates include:

  • The purpose of the training and SMART objectives.
  • Training format: online or offline.
  • KPIs and additional metrics to calculate ROI. 
  • Training schedules (start and end dates).
  • Training strategy.
  • Resources for training.
  • Employees that will participate in the training.
  • The required digital tools for employees to use.

‎4 ‎types of employee training templates

  1. Employee development plan
  2. Tr‎aining needs assessment
  3. Ne‎w-hire training
  4. In‎dividual training plan

All four employee training templates mentioned in this section have a general format, but you can always customize them according to your needs.

Don’t stress; we’ve got you! In every template, you’ll find a “how to duplicate this template” and “how to use this template” section; just click on them and voila, you’re ready to start! 

Let’s dive in.

1. Employee development plan template

Employee development plans are proactive, future-focused action plans for employees to learn new abilities and skills. 

They contain a set of objectives that workers hope to attain in order to advance their careers and perform better in their jobs.

Here's an employee development plan template you can use today.

2. Tr‎aining needs assessment template

Before starting a training program, it is essential to develop a plan for training requirements assessment.

This training needs assessment template will create the foundation for understanding the organization's true need for a given training program and enabling decision-making based on quantifiable outcomes to maximize ROI.

3. Ne‎w-hire training template

New hire training is crucial to ensure that new hires get off to the best possible start. This training program is put into action for practical reasons, including giving participants an understanding of the work position, introducing them to the company's regulations and procedures, showing them enterprise tools, etc.

When new employees are properly supported during their first few days on the job, it helps reduce the anxiety, uncertainty and low morale they could experience in the new workplace. 

Use our new-hire training template to guarantee your organization's success in these initiatives.

4. In‎dividual training plan template

An individual training plan is a document that describes a training program and includes the goals of the training, learning outcomes, training techniques, tactics and curriculum to train employees across the firm. Check out this individual employee training plan template.

‎‎1‎6 additional employee training templates

We have created some of the most comprehensive and high-quality prebuilt templates templates and checklists to help you design a dynamic, scalable training process for your organization.

Employee onboarding process templates

HR Onboarding Guide Template

New Hire Onboarding Guide Template

Employee Handbook Template

Onboarding Checklist and Plans Template

30 60 90 Day Template

Work Plan Template

Standard operating procedures templates

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Template

Process Documentation Template

Safety Work Instructions Template

Training Manual Template

Work Instructions Template

Role-specific employee training plan templates

Customer Service Training Manual Template

Sales Training Guide Template

Product Training Plan Template

IT Runbook Template

Leadership Development Plan Template

Ho‎w to build your own employee training plan

Here’s how to build a stunning employee training plan:

1. Find out your employees’ training needs

To create effective training materials and optimize your production time, a training needs analysis is one of the most important steps in your employee training plan.

An evaluation of the training needs assists in identifying the individuals who require training, the skills that are lacking and the style of training that will meet the needs. You can leverage research, interviews, internal surveys, observations, etc., to conduct a needs assessment.

2. Be specific with your business goals

The long- and short-term measurable outcomes that employees are anticipated to attain after completing a training program are listed in an employee training plan. These goals convey the training's practical benefits in a way that appeals to and connects with employees.

Ensure KPIs align with overarching corporate objectives when creating training objectives and provide the complete picture, taking into account quantity, quality, time, cost and effectiveness.

3. Get your top management involved

In a large company, employee onboarding and training need a significant financial and time commitment. Therefore, you need support from the leadership for it to function well if you want to develop the ideal training that includes cutting-edge employee training programs.

It is vital to make them comprehend the value of training and how it might result in specific types of business outcomes.

4. Determine your training budget

Based on the training requirements and methodologies, your training budget is allotted for the execution of your L&D program. 

This budget covers paying for the trainers' salaries and travel costs, reserving a location for holding workshops or seminars, purchasing training software and other supplemental resources, including paper, ink, print materials and extra instructional programs.

5. Determine your training methods

Understanding your employees' preferred methods of learning will help you choose the best employee training strategy for your training program.

Training objectives, goals, cost, timeframe, organization's culture, size, environment (remote or office-based) and other elements are also crucial to take into account when selecting a training approach. A great technique is to incorporate an employee hours tracker for new hires to get an idea of how long it takes them to finish certain tasks in real time.

Smaller businesses, for example, favor in-person training courses because they are more affordable, whereas larger businesses or distributed firms benefit from online self-paced training since it requires less coordination.

The following are some of the popular employee training methods:

  • Coaching.
  • SOPs.
  • Simulation training.
  • Group activities.
  • eLearning.
  • On-the-job training.
  • Instructor-led learning.
  • Cross-training.
  • Job shadowing.
  • Case studies.
  • Roleplaying.
  • Video training.

You can choose one of them as per your requirement or experiment with a mixture of different methods to know what’s working best for your organization.

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6. Develop your employee training program

To design a training program that benefits both the company and the employees, consider all the aspects we covered in earlier points.

Consider the many training tools, techniques and resources needed to design a successful training course. Interviewing professionals in various roles will help you determine the kind of training that is necessary for each job function and you can then incorporate that knowledge into your training program.

If you’re looking for an easy-to-use tool to create your employee training plan that enables you to create, share and edit on the go, Scribe has got your back!

Scribe is the fastest way to create employee training materials - employee training template

‎Scribe captures your screen and creates a step-by-step guide with annotated screenshots, texts and links, so that you don’t have to spend hours manually creating them. 

Here's an example of a step-by-step guide on how to create a sub-item in Notion made with Scribe.

Simply navigate to the tool you wish to create documentation for and click the Scribe icon in your browser. Scribe captures each step as you move through your workflow and converts it into annotated screenshots and text, auto-generating a step-by-step guide in seconds.

You can easily edit, and ask the generative AI to customize by adding titles, descriptions, additional context, and more.

With Scribe Pages, you can seamlessly combine your individual guides, and add videos, images and GIFs to create comprehensive instructional documentation.


‎Scribe makes it easy to share the visual content with your team:

  • Send a quick link for easy access.
  • Export your guide in multiple formats, including PDF, HTML or Markdown.
  • Use Scribe's platform to distribute your training content.
  • Embed your learning content into your preferred platforms for seamless integration.

Build AI-powered employee training materials for free

7. Measure, reevaluate & improve

Employee training initiatives should constantly change to meet the changing demands of both the corporation and the workforce. Even if your training regimen is excellent, there will always be room for improvement.

The success of the employee training plan depends on iteration. You may gauge the effectiveness of the entire training plan by regularly analyzing how the employees are responding to the training materials and applications.

Wh‎y is employee training important?

Employee training is important for both employees and organizations for several reasons.

“Employee training is the most important aspect of our organization. It is just as important for us internally as for our clients. Training helps increase productivity, improve customer service, reduce employee turnover, promote collaboration and encourage innovation. 

Through these training sessions, we teach our employees the necessary skills to do their jobs efficiently and effectively, which in turn helps us reach our goals. It also helps to reduce errors and boost morale, both of which are essential for any organization’s success.” — Omer Usanmaz, CEO and Co-Founder of Qooper

For employees, training can provide a number of benefits, including:

  • Improved job performance: Training can help employees learn new skills and knowledge that are necessary to perform their jobs effectively.
  • Increased job satisfaction: Training can help employees feel more invested in their work and more confident in their ability to do their jobs, which can lead to increased job satisfaction.
  • Greater adaptability: Training can help employees learn new skills that may be necessary as the company evolves and grows, making them more adaptable to change.
  • Improved career prospects: Training can help employees develop new skills and knowledge that may open up new career opportunities within the organization or in other companies.

For organizations, employee training can provide numerous benefits, such as:

  • Increased productivity: When employees are trained to do their jobs more efficiently, it can lead to increased productivity for the company.
  • Reduced mistakes and accidents: Training can help employees avoid mistakes and accidents by teaching them proper procedures and safety protocols.
  • Improved customer service: Proper training can help employees provide better customer service, which can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
  • Increased retention: Training can help employees feel more invested in their jobs and more satisfied with their work, which can lead to increased retention.
  • Greater adaptability: Training can help organizations develop a more adaptable workforce to change, which is important in today's fast-paced business environment.

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FA‎Qs

What are the 5 steps in a good employee training program?

A good employee training program consists of five essential steps that ensure effective learning and development.

  1. Assessing training needs: Identify specific training needs through surveys, evaluations, and feedback.
  2. Setting clear objectives: Establish clear objectives for what employees should achieve after training.
  3. Designing the training program: Align the program with needs and objectives, using appropriate methods and engaging content.
  4. Implementing the training program: Deliver the program through various methods, providing resources and support.
  5. Evaluating and improving: Evaluate effectiveness through assessments, surveys, and evaluations, and make adjustments for future iterations.

What is the employee lifecycle & why is it important?

The employee life cycle covers the whole interaction between an employee and the company they work for. In other words, it outlines the many phases that employees go through from the time they are hired until they leave.

The seven stages in an employee life cycle model are:

This image shows the seven stages of employee life cycle - employee training template
(Source: EmployeeCycle)
  • Attraction
  • Recruitment
  • Onboarding
  • Retention
  • Development
  • Offboarding
  • Happy leavers

This employee life cycle model aids in helping you picture how the employer-employee relationship is in your business. It enables you to ensure that you have everything in place for all of your employees to succeed and keep them satisfied, involved and productive.

Here’s what Darren Shafae, Founder of ResumeBlaze, says about it:

“The employee life cycle model is a framework that helps organizations to identify, recruit, onboard and retain the best employees. There are several benefits of using an employee life cycle model in your organization. 

For starters, it allows you to identify and hire the most qualified candidates based on their skills, experience and performance. This can improve employee retention rates as well since you will be able to match employees with positions that are a good fit for their skill set and interests. 

Additionally, an employee life cycle model can help you develop effective onboarding processes that enable newbies to integrate quickly into your organization and learn the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in their roles.

And finally, by continuously monitoring performance over time, you can identify areas for development and help employees to progress in their careers within the organization.”

Re‎ady to create your employee training plan?

By using the information and employee training templates mentioned above, you can easily develop a training process and build a targeted employee training plan that meets your company's needs.

Sign up for Scribe today and use our free employee training templates to build your training program—fast.

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