How should I plan my training?

Whether you decide to book a particular training course or to use some more informal methods of self development, make sure you maximise what you will be getting for your money or time by doing a little bit of planning first.

Planning for regular training

It’s often best to do your training planning at the beginning of the year, whether you take this to be January or the beginning of your financial year. Have some key subjects in mind (you might want to check your training log for any particular requirements) and then assess what is on offer. For example, is there a particular specialism that you would like to

develop? If you tie this in with your overall business plans you will be clearer about how much you can afford to spend on your training and personal development. You will also need to take into account how you are going to meet the CPD requirements of any organisations you belong to. Remember, this can be achieved in a number of ways which do not necessarily require you to spend money on attending a training course. Professionally, you may have been set a minimum amount of training that you need to comply with, but on a personal level you may decide that you want to improve on those figures by some creative training of your own.

Make provision for your training

First of all ensure that you have made provision in your training plan to meet any minimum requirements and are clear about which courses, or action, this will require you taking and when. Make sure you put these dates in your diary or year planner so that they are kept free and also so that you can then see what space you have left to fit in those other training or experience needs. A good rule of thumb is to allow 10% of your work time for training and continuing your professional development – effectively ‘tithing’ time for personal and professional growth. There are many ways in which you can creatively use this time, and you might find you make better use of your time if you block out one half day each week for this purpose as this will allow you to maintain your focus.

Set your training plan for the year

This could be as simple as prioritising five key areas or topics which you want to research further, develop your skills around or seek formal training in. How you mix and match this is up to you, but make sure that you include a variety of ways in which you will achieve your priorities, for example:

• practical skills – trying out new techniques on volunteers
• researching – on a particular medical condition
• formal training courses – such as counselling or life-coaching
• experiencing – running a workshop for the first time with a more experienced colleague
• writing – a manual about your new techniques.

Don’t overstretch yourself

Make sure you are not overstretching yourself with the priorities you have set. If you are in any doubt about this, determine the top three topics that you really want to achieve and

allow yourself to put the rest on hold knowing that you can go back to these should time permit. If you have allocated a regular half day slot each week for training, it is now a simple matter to go back to your diary or year planner and pencil in these topics. You might also like to consider how much time you allocate for the completion of each topic. Any dates or timescales that you pencil in should act as guides only – allow them to be flexible benchmarks for achieving your training priorities.

What training would benefit me the most?

Whatever future training courses you may choose, be very clear before booking about what you wish to gain from the course. Ask yourself how it will aid you in your work. How will you be able to integrate this new knowledge into your sessions? If you’re not clear about any of these points, give the course organisers a call and get them to explain the course more fully and put those questions to them – if they’re not clear about the purpose and benefits of the course you might be well advised to look for a similar course elsewhere.

Apply the same logical analysis to training which does not take the form of a formal training course. Your time is precious, so ensure that whatever form of training you are engaged in it meets your strategic goals

Affording the training

Training and personal development and growth are very important, not just in business terms but also for you to both expand and balance the way in which you work, and the way in which you operate as an individual. Therefore, do make sure that you reflect this importance in the amount of money you are prepared to spend. Use that 10% rule again, and allow 10% of your income to go towards future development each year. Initially it might seem a lot, but this basic ‘tithing’ rule has worked well for me and for others. Of course, if you are unable to afford the full 10% in any one year than you always have the option of seeking out those cheaper ways of achieving further development.

If some courses you would like to do are too expensive to undertake in any one particular year, you will need to decide whether that training goes on your ‘wish’ list; whether there is an equally good course which is financially more affordable, or whether there is a short ‘taster’ or foundation course in the same subject which might fill some gaps in your knowledge base until such time as you can afford the main course. You might also be able to do some ‘on the job training’ with an experienced practitioner in that field for minimal cost.

If you decide however that despite the high cost, that training course is an absolute must as it will repay itself several times over in the first year after training, give some thought to taking out a loan to cover the cost. If you have done your research correctly about the potential benefits of the course you will be in a good position to persuade your bank manager to loan you the money.