The benefits of creating a functional and efficient training space is multifaceted; it presents attractive advantages for both employer and their workforce. For the employee, it shows that the company is invested in their personal development and position with the business and in turn fosters job satisfaction, increased motivation and a willingness to work to the best of their ability. This type of proactive environment is an effective way to attract and retain staff – especially young talent and millennials.
For the employer, a cleverly-designed training space can go a long way towards streamlining existing processes, ensure staff are evolving with times, technology and demands, generate new services to offer to clients and nurture a more skilled workforce. Investing in a well-designed training space where current staff can go to grow, develop and expand their skills will also often work out to be less time-consuming and more cost-effective than re-recruiting.
So, what should the ideal training space include?
The features of a successful training space:
It encourages collaboration – learning is no longer about lecture-style seating and just listening, it’s about collaboration and idea generation, both of which are massively impacted by interior design, technology and furniture choices.
It facilitates participation – Similarly, a successful modern-day training space needs to encourage participation, two-way conversations and group discussion. People need to be able to interact and get ‘hands on’ with what they’re learning.
It makes information-sharing simple – Catering for collaboration and participation through workspace design means the process of information-sharing is being made more streamline and succinct.
It supports a diversity of learning styles – People learn in different ways whether it’s visually, aurally, verbally or physically. Incorporating acoustic products, furniture which supports agile working, visual display solutions and the encouragement of collaborative conversation will make sure each base is covered.
It caters for flexibility – Installing modular furniture will ensure your training area is flexible its own right but in order to make the most of your workspace, it helps to design the training space as a versatile and adaptable setting. Reconfigurable furniture and portable technology means when training isn’t happening, the space can be used for things like staff forums, meetings, presentations and informal interviews.
The products and furniture we recommend for your training space:
The Steelcase Education team say that: “Technology is a tool that is significantly changing the relationship between instructors and students – and improving it in many ways when aligned with teaching strategies and goals”. With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of the workspace technology products we would advise using in your training space…
Reserva – Research carried out by digital learning toolbox, Qnnect has shown that top performers tend to work for 52 minutes at a time with a 17 minutes break in between. When it comes to training, it can be tempting to cram as many hours of learning in as quickly as possible but the process will be far more effective with regular breaks. Reserva enables you to limit the time you spend in the training space so as not to overwhelm the brain with too much at once.
Clickshare – Clickshare technology enables users to plug-in and share control of a master screen from their own device, fostering improved collaboration and efficient flexibility.
Media:scape – Media:scape has been designed to combine office furniture with integrated technology to provide a solution that caters to the requirements of modern workspace learning.
Google Jamboard – With its 16-point touch response technology and ability to record and save sessions to the Google Drive, the Jamboard is revolutionising the way workers are trained. If you’d like to see the interactive whiteboard in action, give us a call to arrange a demo at our Manchester showroom.
In terms of furniture…
BuzziMilk or BuzziCube – As well as providing a great soft seating solution for breakout areas, collaboration and impromptu discussions, these two BuzziSpace products also boast strong acoustic credentials to support those who prefer to work with reduced background noise.
Moment Table – The USP of the Moment Table is its innovative angled legs which enable more people to sit around it more comfortably. Moment is an outstanding example of how modern office furniture boosts collaboration and productivity, which includes training sessions and group learning.