Internal education and training programs are key to implementing a successful company sustainability program. Most people don’t get fired up over employee training programs, but it is an essential aspect of making sure your efforts are aligned, from the bottom up.

We’ve previously discussed the significance of employee engagement in successful sustainability strategy. Employee sustainability training and education programs are the next step in the evolution of developing a new corporate culture and helping you achieve your net zero and sustainability goals faster.

On the topic of employee training and education programs, we see six major steps for your sustainability program:

1. Identify and prioritize your target market

2. Develop the program content

3. Determine the delivery method and set the cadence

4. Set measurable objectives

5. Engage stakeholders by communicating milestones

6. Monitor sustainability results 

Let’s explore the details of each of these six…

1. Identify and prioritize your target market

The initial step is to identify the target audiences who will participate in your sustainability education programs.  This may be broken down by employee function, specific departments, physical plant locations, and any other method relevant to your organization.  After separating employees into distinct groups for training, prioritize the importance of each group needing the training.  This is pretty simple, but very important because not all employees can be trained at the same rate, or even with the same content. Additionally each group’s impact on the overall sustainability efforts will vary and should be taken into consideration during training.  Start by training and educating those groups with the greatest impact on your goals.

2. Develop the program content

As mentioned above, different groups may have different content.  Tailor the learnings to the audience of the targeted group.  However, all content, for all employees, should cover the company’s overall sustainability goals, and universal ways all employees can promote a clean and green workplace.  Content development can be done in-house, or there are third-party resources available to help with this aspect of the training.

3. Determine the delivery method and set the cadence

In tandem with developing the content, determine the proper delivery method of the content.  This could include several forms like classroom-style training, virtual seminars, an online library of recorded content, workshops, or third-party seminars. You should also determine the frequency or cadence of the training.  Is it a one-and-done session?  Is it weekly sessions?  Again, the answer will be determined by the needs of your target audience.

Whatever content and delivery schedule you ultimately develop, there is one thing to keep in mind – keep the learning fun, engaging, and rewarding.  For example, introducing a competitive gaming dimension, where employees earn points for course completion, and the points can be used to purchase rewards.  Adding this aspect to your educational and training programs can increase employee interest tenfold.

4. Set measurable objectives

How do you know if the program is working?  The fourth key step is to set measurable goals for the training.  The goals must be quantifiable.  Examples of some measurable goals would be: The number of people within a target audience group who have successfully completed the training program or how many of new hires have completed sustainability training within three months of their start date.  There are many others, but the key is: the result of the measurement must be quantifiable.  The ultimate measurement will be how many of the company’s overall sustainability goals are being attained, and how fast.

5. Engage stakeholders by communicating milestones

In order to keep momentum going, it’s important to keep all stakeholders informed of the progress of the educational programs.  Communicating with, and keeping all levels of the organization involved, including senior management and department heads, will help create buy-in and ongoing support for the long-range purpose of promoting sustainability company-wide.

6. Monitor the results 

The final step to implement is the monitor and evaluation stage.  Often overlooked, this is many times the most critical step in any successful program.  Analyze the successes and shortcomings of the program’s execution every six months or so.  An honest self-examination can help identify areas for improvement and ensure that the program will meet its objectives in the long-term.

By following these steps, companies can develop a comprehensive sustainability training program which promotes a culture of sustainability within the organization, and increases its overall sustainability practices. 

Okapi Environmental Services Provides Tailored Solutions

If you’d like a complementary initial meeting consultation to discuss your employee training and education program, or want more information on how to get a program started, please reach out to Okapi’s seasoned sustainability consultants. We work with organizations across industries to efficiently implement sustainability strategies. Email us to schedule a call and get a head start on the path to sustainability progress.