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Staff training and professional development are essential to running a good business.

The terms 'training' and 'professional development' are often used to mean the same thing. But generally:

  • training means teaching staff the specific skills they need to do their job
  • professional development builds broader skills that help an employee grow in their career and sets them up for future roles.

Encouraging professional development and training helps you keep good staff. If your employees can see themselves advancing in your business, they will have higher job satisfaction. This leads to increased productivity and quality, which is better for your business.

You can outsource training or develop your staff internally.

Training for specific skills

The type of training your employees need to do their jobs depends on your industry, as well as your employees’ existing experience.

Many industries have specific training needs. Some of these are legally required to ensure staff comply with laws and regulations.

Some examples of industry-specific training are:

  • forklift driver training
  • responsible service of alcohol (RSA) training
  • food safety training.

Business skills

Staff training can help you improve your core business functions. Some areas you might want to consider training in are:

  • finance
  • sales
  • marketing
  • administration
  • managing staff.

Work health and safety training

You must give your workers any training they need to stay safe and healthy in the workplace.

This includes:

  • induction and workplace health and safety training for new workers
  • training workers for their specific tasks
  • ongoing training and supervision.

Make a professional development plan

Work with each of your staff members to make an individual development plan tailored to their longer-term goals.

Take the time to understand the skills that your employee wants to learn or the knowledge they want to gain.

After you’ve identified what your employee wants to learn, you should both consider how to develop that skill. This might include:

  • mentoring
  • internal training by an expert already at your business
  • external courses.

Mentoring

Mentoring is a way to develop your employees at little or no cost.

It’s an informal arrangement where an experienced employee (the mentor) helps and guides a less experienced one. This may involve sharing knowledge, offering advice and helping the employee navigate their career. Mentoring can also be good for the mentor, who develops their teaching skills.

If you don’t have the right experts in your business, you could help your employee find an external mentor. A mentor who isn’t connected to the business can offer your employee new perspectives and guidance.

Other arrangements that are similar to mentoring include:

  • coaching, where a workplace coach helps an employee improve their performance or reach important goals
  • job shadowing, where an employee learns a new role or skills by observing another staff member.

External training and courses

An expert trainer from outside the business can give your staff specific skills and knowledge. You can send your employees on external courses or get a provider to present training at your business.

Financial help for training

You or your employees may be eligible for funding or assistance to support skills and training.

Free literacy, maths and digital training

The Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program provides free training for people who want to improve their skills in:

  • reading and writing
  • maths
  • English
  • using computers.

You can also partner with a SEE provider to deliver workplace training specifically tailored to your business.

English language training for migrants

If you or your employees are migrants, you may be eligible for free English language tuition under the Adult Migrant English Program.

Apprentices and trainees

Apprenticeships and traineeships combine on-the-job training with learning at a registered training organisation.

If you have an apprentice or trainee, let them know they might be eligible for financial support from the government. It could be just what they need to help them complete their training.

Available financial support includes interest-free loans and a living away from home allowance. Apprentices in priority occupations may be eligible for extra payments.

Your business might also be eligible for financial help if you employ an apprentice or trainee.

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