Abstract
Small businesses often do not have the luxury of possessing a separate Human Resources department, and it often falls to the business owner or manager to interview, hire, train, and support employees. Many resources are available to assist with starting and running a small business, but very little in those resources reflect the need for employee training. Businesses can face personnel issues such as difficulty in hiring experienced staff, low quality job performance, and employees who do not understand the importance of certain tasks; however, these problems can be easily addressed with a well-planned training program. This study allows for a review and content analysis of selected literature related to creating employee training programs with the goal of understanding the features that pertain to employee training content design and producing a comprehensive employee training program model. A total of 27 reference texts on employee training were selected for content analysis; to be included, the text needed to investigate an aspect of creation or design within the training process, and the sources needed to pertain to a variety of organizational types; overly specialized training texts were dismissed. Based on the content analysis, it was determined that the elements to be included in a training session were session goals and a schedule of the training session; learning content targeted to the specific training session, including any references, handouts and visual aids; a session review plan; and program evaluation tools. Additionally, it was noted that the skills necessary to successfully implement a training program included ease in speaking to the intended audience with a clarity and pace that can be understood; creativity, innovation, preparedness, and organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills; and a level of enthusiasm and empowerment. Finally, a comprehensive employee training program must have an evaluation process in place.