Can education and training be used against the recession?

Many companies see opportunities in times of crisis, as not all customers have stopped buying and investing in products and services. To take maximum advantage of these opportunities which occur it is essential that everything inside the company’s “toolbox” is fully functional - and that includes the people.

The management needs to have full focus on two things:

• Do we have the right strategy adapted for the market?

• How do we make it possible for employees to perform optimally?

Continuing education is an investment in both current opportunities and future competitiveness. With further training the company may retain those employees whose competencies and experiences it would otherwise take a long time to develop and acquire. A loss of key employees erodes the level of knowledge in the company. Crisis or not: There has to be room for star employees.

The obvious focus areas are sales and back-office. Salespeople face tough competition in the market. They have to be at their best in caring for existing customers, for canvassing and to complete the stages of the sales, regardless of whether they are simple or complex sales.

Back-office - bookkeeping and reception - must perform at their best at each customer contact, whether it concerns the central switchboard or efficient debtor reminders.

For the individual employee it is essential to become “attractive”, a real asset to the company or, as a bare minimum, keep the required qualifications up to date. Clearly an advantage if there is a round of layoffs in the company and a new job must be found.

The employee must be able to answer two simple questions:

• Would I be able to get the job I have today, if I was applying for it?

• When other companies look for employees matching my job description, would I be considered with my education and experience?

If these questions cannot be answered favourably it is worthwhile considering an investment in further training. Why not with the company? Here the interests are probably totally convergent. In summary therefore it is true to say that education can be used against the recession - both on a company and personal level.