What is an Employee Training Plan Template?

An employee training plan template outlines the requirements, goals, tactics, and strategy for employee development and can be adapted to any type of training.

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when formatting a training plan. You’re already investing time and resources into refining your employee training programs. 

Essentially, you know a  training plan is key to a successful program. Sometimes, getting started can be time-consuming or overwhelming. But an employee training plan template makes the process easier and more efficient. 

So, to help you maximize impact, use the time-tested tactics and structures from successful organizations to create training templates that work for every type of employee development. 

What are the must-haves of an employee training plan template?

At a minimum, your employee training plans should include the following:

• Objectives: The learning goals of the training plan
• Target audience: Who the training is intended for, their job roles, and experience level
• Desired outcomes: The skills you want learners to acquire during training
• Course content: Topics that will be covered in the training program
• Schedules: A timeline for all milestones
• Delivery method: How you’ll deliver training, such as classroom lectures, online courses, or webinars
• Resources required: Any materials or technology needed for training
• Evaluation: An assessment process to evaluate the program’s success

Why use an employee training plan template?

Saves time

Training plan templates help you save time by providing a straightforward program development format. A template can ensure all necessary information is included rather than creating one from scratch. 

The template also provides a standard format for any employee training program. This means you have a jumping-off point for all future training material.

Outlines objectives 

A pre-defined template will ensure that all training objectives are clearly outlined, and the right materials and resources are allocated. 

Then you can better track and assess program success and ensure employees get the most out of training. 

Improves program quality 

An employee training plan template guides you on what to include in each section, helping you navigate tough spots.  

A template also ensures you’ve considered every possible section, so you can create a complete plan specifically for your organization. 

How to write an employee training program 

When you write your employee training plan, you don’t need to stick to the exact outline. Use the sections that make the most sense for your business. 

Traditional employee training programs come with some combination of the following 10 sections.  If you need help completing the sections or building out your training, learn more about our Instructional Design services. 

Executive summary

Briefly give your reader an overview of the plan and why it will work. Include a high-level summary of the training plan’s scope, objectives, and intended users. 

Include any financial information, outcomes desired, and growth plans to get buy-in and program support from leadership.  If you need help or inspiration, check out this workbook: How to Define Learning Objectives.

Program team members 

List each point of contact involved in the training plan, such as the Project Manager, Program Manager, Coordinator, and QA manager. 

Needs and skills analysis 

You need a good understanding of your team’s skill level and company needs. A skills analysis includes the following steps:

• Describe the target audience’s training needs 
• Run a skills gap analysis to uncover the tasks that must be taught and the skills needed to accomplish them

Read more: How to Close the Skills Gap: Empower Your Team for an Unpredictable Future

Approach

Explain how you will develop the course curriculum and ensure top-quality training. Discuss the topics and content you’ll cover and how you’ll analyze program performance.

Risks

List any current or future issues around training. Include recommendations for how you’ll resolve each issue or limitation. 

Training methods

Describe the training methods you’ll use in the courses related to the needs and skills you defined earlier. Share your plans for course materials, such as outlines, instructors, student guides, and reference materials. 

Consider including costs and training criteria for each course you plan to create. Ensure to incorporate training methods that engage different types of learners.

Read more: [Infographic] What is Multimodal Learning?

Evaluation 

Specify how you plan to establish and maintain quality assurance during curriculum development. 

Give a detailed description of the methods you’ll use to evaluate training and learner progress and apply feedback to adjust or improve course materials. 

Resources required 

List all technology and resources instructors and learners require to administer the training program.

Items to consider including:

• Procedures for enrollment
• Course completion
• Certification
• Program monitoring
• Any special needs, as required

Timetable

Create a timeline that outlines any deadlines or milestones. Provide an overview of the tasks and deliverables, and estimate the efforts it’ll take to complete. 

Follow up

Describe any necessary follow-up actions after training completion.

Types of employee training plan templates

New hire training

👉 What it does: Outlines the training program for onboarding new employees. 

🥇Goal: Create an efficient and effective training plan to help new hires learn the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in their roles.  

A new hire training plan includes:

 Overview of the company mission, values, and culture 

• An introduction to employee’s teams and colleagues
• Deep dive into your company’s products or services
• Hands-on training to working knowledge
• Support and guidance throughout onboarding 

 Read more: 6 Best Practices for New Employee Training and Onboarding

Training needs assessment 

👉What it does: Outlines the steps necessary to identify and assess an organization’s training needs.

 🥇Goal: Ensure you’re providing relevant training for your employees. 

 A training needs assessment plan includes:

• Business goals and objectives the organization is working towards 
• A skills assessment to identify employees’ current experience
• A plan to identify skill gaps
• An assessment for evaluating training effectiveness

Individual employee training plan

👉 What it does: Explains the specific training requirements for an individual employee.  

🥇Goal: Help employees develop the skills to perform their job effectively and achieve their professional goals. 

An individual employee training plan includes:

• Specific goals for the employee to work towards
• Different learning styles for the individual, like on-the-job training or eLearning 
• Activities like mentoring, coaching, or job shadowing
• A system for tracking employee progress

Read more: 6 Effective Ways to Support Employee Career Growth 

Leadership development plan

👉 What it does: Outline the activities and experiences for developing leadership skills in an individual or group.

🥇Goal: Help people become influential leaders. 

A leadership development plan includes:

• What “leadership” means to your organization
• Training types for executives, like public speaking and risk management

Read more: Design Leadership Development Training That Works

Maximizing your employee training planning efforts

Any business—startup, non-profit, or corporation—needs employee training. 

Use an employee training plan template to organize your training so you can focus on the most important sections, such as defining objectives, creating a strategy, and analyzing skill gaps. 

 Starting with a structure saves time and energy, even if you remove some sections.

Save time and create employee training plans that work. Download our free employee training plan template.