Company training programs have become an essential part of the business strategy for many organizations. It is now widely acknowledged that the competitive advantage of a company is closely associated with the talent of its workforce. This pool of talent needs to be constantly nurtured through different types of company training programs - such as business management courses, project management training, leadership courses or marketing classes, to name just a few examples.

Company training programs allow a company to realign and refresh its workforce skill set and are a useful tool for motivating and re-energizing staff morale. If handled well and planned correctly, company training programs can also act as an effective tool for continual executive development, eventually delivering concrete measurable results to a company's bottom line.

While many organizations have company training programs in place, they need to factor in the fact that corporate training is time-consuming to put together and execute. Also there may be different training requirements depending on the business unit or the functional department. Therefore, support from external experts in establishing company training programs is often necessary in order to ensure that professional and cost-effective training programs are put in place, with the appropriate support of the company's training manager.

When deciding on which company training programs an organization should establish, the following five elements need to be evaluated:

Are the current company training programs aligned with the business priorities and corporate strategy? All management training programs need to be measured against this question and regularly updated.

• Are the company training programs developed and executed for specific functions, or are they applicable across the organization, irrespective of the specific department? For instance, classes for business management may be appropriate for various department heads and managers, whereas a marketing course may be applicable to a more limited number of functions.
• Should the company training programs be focused on specific issues and challenges that the company faces, or should they be directed at the acquisition of life-long skills for employees? Finance courses may indeed be as needed in an organization as leadership classes, so balanced company training programs may include both elements.
• Company training programs also need to provide participants with practical skills leading to effective behavior and knowledge improvements. For example, real-life role-plays such as leadership exercises should be part of company training programs.
• Finally, it is critical that company training programs are fully integrated into the personnel review system to ensure that they are integrated into the company's strategy and not seen as optional, which would be detrimental to the company's success.

Company training programs will continue to be part of companies' strategies to achieve competitive advantage. As there are a myriad of options available in the marketplace to establish company training programs, the training manager should adopt a strategic approach towards executive education with support from professional trainers- as well as good business schools - in order to ensure that any training program adopted is strategically linked to the company's business objectives. Only when this is the case will the company be in a position to deliver effective company training programs.