Look for skills that need improvement

Before you implement a training program, you must first decide what skills your company needs, and what skills your staff currently has. Areas where there are gaps between need and performance are ideal points for training.

I recommend: Free training needs analysis tools from Businessballs.com can help you precisely identify what skill sets you need to develop among your employees.

Invest in educational resources

The most basic tools for training are educational texts; stock your office with job manuals and business references to encourage everyday learning at work.

I recommend: HRD Press offers human resources training products and references on everything from sales and mentoring to workplace diversity and conflict management.

Hire a training consultant

Whether you opt to hire a personnel expert full-time, or book a motivational speaker for just a day, hiring someone who specializes in teaching employees new skills can be expensive but very worthwhile.

I recommend: Locate companies, trainers, coaches and workshops in your area that specialize in employee training using The Training Registry, an electronic directory of training consultants and materials nationwide.

Experiment with media

Take advantage of all the Information Age has to offer by investing in video and audio training for your employees. Multimedia training is an inexpensive way to offer flexible ongoing training for your entire staff.

I recommend: Browse Business Training Media's online catalog of more than 2,000 videos, workshops, articles and more to build a training library that is stocked with diverse and interactive materials for your employees.

Encourage online education

You don't have to send your employees to school in order to educate them. Instead, set up a virtual classroom in the office so that employees can learn at the very same desktop from which they work.

I recommend: Learn.com's LearnCenter SMBS is a fully integrated, on-demand e-learning environment designed especially for small and mid-sized businesses.

Measure results

Justify the money you spend on employee training by tracking the return on your investment.

I recommend: The Conference Board's ScorecardforSkills.com is supported by the U.S. Department of Education and helps companies measure and demonstrate the relationship between their workforce education investments and organizational performance.