The subject of training may act as a motivating factor for you and your colleagues to advance your careers, or it may fill you with dread at the thought of spending precious time away from your desk.

Scheduling tutorials within or beyond the walls of offices is an effective way of injecting professionalism into organisations. Employees can keep up-to-date with technological advancements for example, allowing them to get the best use of software. Also, training may help to break down barriers between colleagues and bring a more cohesive feel to working environments.

However, some employees may have heard stories about these kinds of sessions that made them see tutorials in a bad light, whether this be down to long-drawn out training that attendees find irrelevant or other reasons. It's important to get the right course for you and find out before booking what sessions are best for your firm. There are several other ways that you can avoid experiencing the myths that are sometimes linked to training days.

Boredom

Some workers don't like to attend sessions because they believe the tutorials are irrelevant to their careers. There are training days that need to be carried out so your firm is operating legally - such as health and safety lessons - and there are some that are 'voluntary'. It's very important that managers stress the need for obligatory training and the usefulness of those sessions that could benefit the careers of attendees.

If you are booking voluntary training on behalf of employees, ensure there is a need or skills gap that requires bridging and get your workers' thoughts on the training day, as they may be interested in other subjects or find other topics more relevant. Some firms offer bespoke sessions so you're able to get exactly what you require from the tutorials.

Problematic scheduling

Even if you're only booking a course for yourself, you'll know how difficult it can be to find the time to squeeze in sessions during busy periods. But this could prove even more of a struggle if you're responsible for booking sessions with a training provider for several employees. There may also be problems getting staff to the tutorials if they do not have their own transport. In order to get around these kinds of issues, try and book in advance as much as possible and find a firm that has dates free months ahead. It's also a good idea to keep travelling to a minimum and book within your local area if possible.

Unreliability

Trainers are human after all and they may experience problems with attending sessions due to many different reasons, such as poor weather conditions or car breakdowns, but this may also apply to you or your employees who have booked tutorials. One way of making sure that you'll definitely experience sessions is to check the cancellation policies of the training provider concerned and how they deal with any issues that crop up. If you're unable to make the tutorials, inquire how you go about re-scheduling and how straightforward this is.

Lack of support

Learners all pick up skills at different rates, with the lucky few only needing to go over material once or twice before it is firmly ingrained in their minds. However, this does not apply to everyone, and some attendees require more support after they have spent time learning about new topics.

If you leave a training session full of information but then forget what you covered soon after, it might leave you feeling like the tutorial is a waste. To avoid this, check the policies of your training provider and see if they're able to provide you with support regarding the sessions after you've completed the course concerned.