How do you draw up a training plan in 4 steps? Follow the guide!

The training plan is a tool that helps the company to identify its new skills requirements, the talents it needs to recruit and those it has in-house that require further training.

The training plan is therefore an action plan to be included in your HR strategy each year, to build up human capital to match your ambitions and develop your organisation.

The stakes are higher than they appear. By paying particular attention to the training of your employees, you can increase their motivation, foster a favourable social climate and boost your competitiveness.

How do you draw up a training plan? After a brief reminder of its definition and the issues involved, we'll take you through the key stages, as well as an example of a training plan and some tools for your Human Resources department.

On the agenda:

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What is a training plan?

The training plan is a document summarising all the training initiatives selected by the employer to develop the knowledge and skills of its employees, in order to improve their performance and well-being at work, whether they are new recruits or long-serving employees.

Difference: training plan and skills development plan

There is no difference, the training plan has been renamed the skills development plan since 1 January 2019 and now includes all training actions, including:

• skills assessment,
• validation of acquired experience(VAE),
• compulsory training (in application of an agreement or collective agreement),
• in-house training
• training provided by external service providers.

The French Employment Code defines training as an educational programme designed to achieve a professional objective.

☝️ Since the law of 5 September 2018: distance learning courses can form part of the training plan.

Why draw up a training plan?

Although it is not compulsory, it is recommended.

As we discussed in the introduction, it enables the company to:

• take stock of its human resources requirements and the talent it needs to develop or recruit;
• plan the training required, tailored to the company's needs
• acquire or develop the skills needed to keep pace with changes in the sector and remain competitive;
• retain, attract and motivate talent.

What's more, while the law is not strict when it comes to drawing up the training plan itself, it is when it comes to the company's fundamental obligations to provide a minimum level of support for its employees:

Employers must ensure that their employees can adapt to their jobs and maintain their ability to do so, particularly in the light of technological developments.

Service Public (article L 6321-1 du Code du Travail)

Setting up a training plan therefore concerns all organisations, whatever their sector of activity or size.

How do you set up a training plan?

Who initiates the training plan?

It is the employer who programmes the training, after consulting the staff representatives, and who is free to choose the employees who will benefit, without discrimination.

Example: The employer may decide to train only its developers in a new technology, but without excluding any of them (unless they are about to leave the company, etc.).

☝️ The social and economic committee (CSE ) is consulted on the strategic direction of the company, provided it has 50 employees. The annual consultation focuses in particular on vocational training guidelines and the skills development plan (article L 2312-24 of the Labour Code).

Source: Travail-emploi.gouv

Employees can also take the initiative and ask to take part in a training course included in the skills development plan, provided management agrees.

On the other hand, refusal to take part in a training course that is necessary for the proper performance of the employee's current role or for the employee's future career development, other than skills assessment or VAE, may constitute grounds for dismissal.

☝️ The employer and employee can discuss training needs during the professional interview.

Different procedures

Where compulsory training is concerned, the employer does not need to obtain the employee's agreement.

However, it is the employer's duty to maintain the employee's salary and social security cover throughout the training period, and to schedule it during working hours.

Non-compulsory training may take place during or outside working hours, and the employer must obtain the employee's agreement in writing.

They must also define together, in advance, what this entails when the employee returns, particularly in the case of certification or a diploma: change of qualification and/or pay.

During this type of training, the employee's salary and entitlements are also maintained.

⚠️ Employees are free to resign at the end of their training, but if their contract of employment includes a training waiver clause, they must reimburse the costs.

Who is eligible?

All company employees, whether on fixed-term or permanent contracts, can benefit from the skills development plan.

Employees on

• on an apprenticeship contract,
• on professionalisation contracts
• on a PEC (Parcours Emploi Compétences) type back-to-work support contract,

are also eligible, provided that the training objective is different from that set out in the contract.

Content of the training plan

As an employer-initiated scheme, the plan may include all kinds of training activities:

• face-to-face training courses
• online training provided by external providers (MOOC),
• in-house online training (COOC),
• tutoring (SPOC),
• work placements with partners, etc.

Timetable and funding for the training plan

The skills development plan and its budget are drawn up over a period of one year, sometimes three if there is a company agreement.

The employer is responsible for funding the training courses selected.

Funding cannot therefore come under the Personal Training Account (CPF), which only covers training initiated by the employee.

Catering and accommodation costs incurred in connection with the training are reimbursed or paid directly by the employer in accordance with the rules usually applied in the company for professional assignments.

Travail-emploi.gouv

The 4 stages of the training plan

Step 1: Analyse your needs and define your training priorities

One of the tasks of your human resources manager is to keep a regular watch on technical, technological and organisational developments in your sector and in the market in general, which have an impact on your company.

The person in charge obviously works with the heads of the various departments to gather their recommendations on the equipment and knowledge needed to work in the best possible conditions and keep up with the competition.

They also take stock of past actions and their results, to define the objectives and the employees to be trained as a priority.

This leads to training objectives and actions to be implemented, from which a choice may have to be made depending on the urgency of the situation and the budget available to the company.

At the same time, the HR department consults all the company's employees on an annual basis to ascertain not only their training needs, but also their desire to develop and upgrade their skills.

The professional interview is a good way of uncovering unsuspected in-house skills, as well as employees' willingness to undergo training.

ServicesRHOnline, for example, is an online HR management software package with a tool for analysing skills and managing annual, professional and 6-year interviews. It makes it easy to identify your employees' training needs, and supports you throughout the management of your training plans, from creation to follow-up. Deployed in less than an hour, the tool is quick to learn and offers a host of relevant functions:

• needs assessment
• simulation of plans
• managing sessions, costs and reimbursements,
• sending training agreements directly from the platform.

Step 2: Choose the training courses

The HR job description is full. In addition to the tasks mentioned above, you'll have to do the following:

• researching the various training courses available, the approved providers and the formats (face-to-face or distance learning) ;
• consulting catalogues to find out dates, duration, costs, procedures (registration, certification, etc.),
• planning and budgeting the training activities envisaged.

☝️ Of course, compulsory safety training must be included in the programme.

Before all this work is validated and communicated to the company's employees, the HR manager and management submit the training plan to the staff representatives, who ensure that it corresponds to the company's strategic orientations and that there is no discrimination.

Stage 3: Implement the training measures

Now that the training plan has been validated, it needs to be implemented through :

• planning training activities, i.e. drawing up the training plan calendar;
• setting up in-house training projects, where appropriate (this involves pedagogical engineering, including the selection of lecturers, the design of teaching aids and logistical preparation);
• registering participants for the various sessions;
• signing training agreements with service providers,
• applying for funding from the OPCA (organisme paritaire collecteur agréé) to which the company pays contributions;
• Sending out invitations to employees;
• paying for training sessions.

All these tasks can be made much easier with skills management software or training management software. Using a comprehensive HRIS (Human Resources Management Information System) software package is also a good way of optimising your training plan. These tools are equipped with advanced training management functions, giving companies a number of advantages:

• the creation and monitoring of your training plans are considerably simplified,
• all your employee data is centralised, making it easier to access,
• your contracts, professional documents and training agreements are dematerialised,
• management of your modules and budgets, and performance analysis are simplified.

🛠 Nicoka SIRH, for example, offers you advanced training management functionalities. Simple and customisable, it allows you not only to manage your training catalogue, but also to build your training plan and manage your budget effectively (training costs, travel expenses, etc.). All information relating to employee training is centralised and directly accessible in their digital CV.

The tool also offers :

• internal and external trainingplanning and monitoring,
• actions to be completed in real time directly on the timesheet (validation of attendance, reporting of time spent, etc.),
• automatic reminders for training renewal dates,
• hot and/or cold surveys on the training carried out.

Step 4: Track your training activities

The training plan is used to formalise the actions planned, but also to monitor them:

This includes

• the status of the training (planned, in progress or completed),
• the type of training (introductory, advanced),
• course title
• location (face-to-face, distance learning),
• the training organisation
• the duration of the course,
• the date of the course,
• training costs (including ancillary costs such as catering, accommodation, etc.),
• OPCA funding,
• the employees concerned.

You can create your document using Excel, as you would for the standard training plan shown above, to take advantage of the drop-down menus and information filtering options.

But there are many HR tools, whether comprehensive (HRIS) or specialised in skills and training management, to help you optimise your human capital and monitor your various actions.

Automate, simplify and streamline your administrative processes so you can focus on your employees. Improve management quality by reducing your costs, thanks to an HRIS tool. Factorial HR specialises in SMEs: you can use the tool to take care of your talent management, identify your candidates and high-potential employees , and classify and identify each employee's skills, whether soft skills or practical skills. Factorial HR helps you save time, money and make better decisions by managing all your HR processes in one place.

1. Some software packages, for example, also offer GPEC (forward-looking employment and skills management) modules that enable you to :

• map the skills available within the company,
• manage professional training,
• draw up a profile of each employee and his or her skills, comparing them with those needed for the job,
• link the results of professional interviews to listed training catalogues,
• highlight opportunities for internal mobility, etc.

Don't hesitate to consult our directory to find the tool that will save you time and increase your visibility:

See all software HR Management System (HRMS)

A lever for developing skills and the employer brand

▷ If your employees are comfortable in their jobs, they are performing well.
▷ If they are performing well, they are happy in their working lives.
▷ If they are happy, they become the best ambassadors for your employer brand and attract future talent.
▷ The latter will quickly feel at ease, perform well and in turn help to develop your business.
▷ One of the employees you need to support is your HR department. Give it the means and the best tools to accomplish its mission: to take care of your human resources.

CQFD.