Everyone already knows that professionals such as Lawyers and Accountants need to maintain their education to keep at the forefront of constant changes in legal or tax law.
However – it’s essential that EVERYONE keeps learning through their career in whatever profession they choose. A plumber should be keeping up with training on new devices or guidelines, just as an Accountant or Bookkeeper needs to keep up to date with Tax changes.
As a business owner it is essential to keep staff up to date with their industry knowledge. Many owners feel they lose time with sending staff to training or seminars, however the return on that investment is so much more – a highly trained employee adds so much value to the business.
A common roadblock is TIME. Many businesses struggle to find the spare time to ensure their staff are trained – let alone themselves! There are ways around this however and businesses need to be open to exploring different ways to train their staff. Some examples are;
* Ensure that a buddy-system is in place during a new employee induction period. This is great for the new employee, however if they are asking a lot of questions this can also prompt a lot of learning and stimulate the brain of the person training also.
* Treat education as a client. Allow a certain number of hours to training just as a business would with a client. Although businesses will see this as flexible time – do not cancel it! Create a client in the business management software and allocate time in each employee’s calendar to this “client”.
* Have the staff investigate training options. Have them actively involved in locating and getting excited about going to training or seminars. Allow them to find training that suits their needs, such as an online diploma or weekly classroom learning.
* Ensure there is a staff member that is capable of taking care of the office for the occasional day so that the business owner can schedule further education for themselves. There are so many courses or seminars available such as First Aid, Management courses, software courses or even motivational seminars that would add value to the business owner’s repertoire.
* Update website or social media pages to promote the education policies of the business. This will not only be a great advertisement, but also ensure that the business is accountable to maintain its commitment.
The amount of time allocated to training is highly variable. Some industry boards require a certain amount of education. As an example, a BAS Agent is currently required to undertake 45 hours of Continuing Professional Education over a 3-year period. This is currently being reassessed by the Tax Practitioner Board and may increase to 120hrs over a 3-year period.
It is really important that business owners locate their industry board and open up lines of communication in regard to further education. There may be no official requirements, but if an employee or business owner can keep their minds active with education it’s a win-win situation for everyone – including the client that will receive a much better outcome from a highly educated business.
