How to 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 commensurate with your ambitions and thus develop your structure.

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

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

On the program:

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What is a training plan?

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

Difference: training plan and skills development plan

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

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

The French Labor Code defines a training course as an educational program designed to achieve a professional objective.

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

Why draw up a training plan?

Although it is not compulsory, it is recommended.

As mentioned in the introduction, it enables the company to:

• take stock of its needs in terms of human resources, talent to be developed or recruited;
• 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 isn't strict about drawing up the training plan itself, it is when it comes to the company's fundamental duties to provide a minimum level of support for its employees:

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

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

This means that setting up a training plan concerns all organizations, 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 programs the training courses, after consultation with staff representatives, and who freely chooses the employees who will benefit from them, without discrimination.

Example: He may decide to train only his 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 company's strategic orientations, as soon as it has 50 employees. The annual consultation covers, in particular, vocational training guidelines and the skills development plan (article L 2312-24 of the French Labor Code).

Source : Travail-emploi.gouv

The employee can also take the initiative and ask to take part in a training course provided for in the skills development plan, subject to acceptance by management.

On the other hand, refusal to take part in a training course necessary for the proper performance of the employee's current function or future career development (excluding skills assessment and VAE) may constitute grounds for dismissal.

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

Different procedures

In the case of compulsory training, 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 for the duration of the training, and to schedule it during working hours.

Non-mandatory training can take place during or outside working hours, and the employer must obtain the employee's written agreement.

They must also define together, in advance, what this entails on the employee's return, particularly in the case of certification or diploma: change of qualification and/or remuneration.

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 course, but if their employment contract includes a training waiver clause, they must reimburse the costs incurred.

Who is eligible?

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

Employees on

• on apprenticeship contracts,
• on a professionalization contract,
• under a PEC (Parcours Emploi Compétences) back-to-work support contract,

are also eligible, provided that the training objective is distinct from that stipulated in the contract.

Content of the training plan

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

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

Timetable and financing of the training plan

The skills development plan and its budget are drawn up over a period of one year, sometimes three in the case of company agreements.

The selected training courses are at the employer's expense.

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

Catering and accommodation expenses incurred during training are reimbursed or paid directly by the employer according to the rules usually applied in the company for professional missions.

Travail-emploi.gouv

The 4 stages of a training plan

Step 1: Analyze 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 organizational developments in your sector, and in the market in general, which have an impact on your company.

Of course, the person in charge 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.

She also takes stock of past actions and their results, in order to define the objectives and employees to be trained as a priority.

The result is a list of 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 company's available budget.

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 enhance their skills.

The professional interview is a good way of detecting unsuspected in-house skills, as well as willingness to train.

🛠 ServicesRHOnline, for example, is an online HR management software package featuring a skills analysis tool and management of annual, professional and 6-year interviews. Collecting your employees' training needs is simplified: it 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 wide range of relevant functions:

• needs analysis,
• plan simulation,
• management of sessions, costs and reimbursements,
• sending of training agreements directly from the platform.

Step 2: Select training courses

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

• researching the various training courses available, approved providers and formats (face-to-face or distance learning) ;
• consulting catalogs for dates, durations, costs, terms and conditions (registration, certification, etc.),
• forecast planning and budgeting of training initiatives.

☝️ Of course, mandatory safety training must be included in the program.

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

Step 3: Implement training initiatives

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

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

All these actions can be considerably facilitated by the use of skills management software or training management software. The use of a comprehensive HRIS (Human Resources Management Information System) software package is also a good way of optimizing your training plan. These tools are equipped with advanced training management functionalities, giving companies numerous advantages:

• the creation and follow-up of your training plans are considerably simplified,
• all your employee data is centralized, making it easier to access,
• your contracts, professional documents and training agreements are dematerialized,
• management of your modules and budgets, and performance analysis are simplified.

🛠 Nicoka SIRH, for example, offers you advanced training management functionalities. Simple and customizable, it enables you not only to manage your training catalog, but also to build your training plan and effectively manage your budget (training costs, travel expenses, etc.). In this way, all information relating to employee training is centralized and directly accessible in their digital CV.

The tool also offers :

• internal and external trainingplanning and tracking,
• 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 training completed.

Step 4: Track your training activities

The training plan serves not only to formalize the actions planned, but also to monitor them:

This includes :

• training status (planned, in progress or completed),
• type of training (introductory, advanced),
• training title,
• location (face-to-face, distance learning),
• training organization,
• training duration,
• training date,
• training costs (including catering, accommodation, etc.),
• OPCA coverage,
• employees concerned.

You can create your document in Excel, as with the typical training plan suggested above, to take advantage of the drop-down menus and information filtering options.

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

Automate, simplify and streamline your administrative processes, so you can focus on your employees. Improve management quality by reducing costs, thanks to an HRIS tool. Factorial HR specializes in small and medium-sized businesses: you can use the tool to take care of your talent management, identify your candidates and high-potential employees , and classify and identify the skills of each employee, 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. For example, some software packages also offer GPEC (Gestion Prévisionnelle de l'Emploi et des Compétences) modules, enabling you to :

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

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

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A lever for skills development and employer branding

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

CQFD.