We are closing in on the end of another year and, as with every other year, the scramble begins to get all the required training. Repair facilities are saddled with many requirements from different entities to maintain vital certifications. Whether they are OEM, I-CAR, ASE or one of many others, there are tests to be taken and qualifications to be documented.
Having an effective training program will remove some of the challenges of training and eliminate the end-of-year panic.
Most program requirements are known early in the year. As a matter of fact, you probably know now what training and certifications you will need for 2017. It seems obvious, but if these requirements were scheduled throughout the year, this mad scramble could be eliminated and December training costs could be significantly reduced.
As you plan your training requirements you can calculate your total training expense for the year. Once you have your total it can be divided by 12 to give you a monthly training budget. Keeping your training expense stabilized will help you maximize your schedule and allow you to budget the higher cost programs.
The first step to create your plan is to list all the training required for the different entities. Knowing the courses required and laying them out in a logical sequence will help you schedule your employees.
Most training has a “shelf-life” and maintaining certifications is probably the most important. Re-certifications are what I would put on the training plan first. As you create your training plan you will probably find some courses overlap – testing for one entity might meet certification requirements for another. In addition, some trainers will reduce your cost if you have several employees trained together, especially if you can hold the training at your facility.
Another necessary step is to know who you are going to train. Everybody goes through this, wondering if a technician will stay or leave causing you to lose your training investment. I think Zig Ziglar said it best, “The only thing worse than training employees and losing them is to not train them and keep them.”
To stay successful and build sustainability we have to train our people. However, we must ensure that we train the correct people and protect our investment. First on the list would be certified technicians that require training to maintain certification. Next, I would look at apprentices and B or C level technicians to see what training they need to move to the next level.
I mentioned the need to protect your training investment in the last paragraph. There are some precautions you can take. Here are some ideas you can adapt to fit your business the best. The first precaution is a simple letter to the employee stating the type of training the technician is going to receive, the value of the training and the length of employment required to satisfy your expense.
I have seen some shops that go as far as creating an amortization statement breaking down the training expense by month. The cost of the class is broken down by the number of months the training is valid. The technician signs the statement with the understanding of how much he will have to pay his employer if he leaves the company. This is normally done on high cost training such as welding certifications and some aluminum classes.
I don’t believe it matters how complex the precaution is, the purpose is to document the training you have provided and illustrate the return you need from the employee to justify the expense. If you have to make it real complicated to feel comfortable then maybe you are not training the right person.
We need to train; the easier we make it on ourselves the better we will be in the long run. As shop owners and managers, there is plenty on your plate. I hope this helped shift a little off it so you can spend time on that other pile on your desk.
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