Learning Plans in Accounting: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Have you ever heard the feedback following a training session, “I had no idea what they are talking about.” or “I learned this last year. This was a waste of my time.”? Or maybe you have said this before. Learning is not one-size-fits-all, but in an industry where time is money, we need to do better about getting the right level of learners in the room. The solution: learning plans.

In my role at Spiirall, I have assisted nearly a dozen firms in crafting over a hundred customized learning plans for their teams. While each plan is unique, consistent themes have emerged, spanning from the rationale behind their development to the specific courses chosen and learning budget allocations. These learning plans have been a game-changer, helping firms quickly upskill their staff to keep up with the changing demands of our industry.

You might be wondering, what is a learning plan? In simple terms, it is a personalized curriculum that outlines an individual’s learning and development goals for a year. The curriculum should include technical and success skills content in a variety of learning modalities. The combination of content variety and learning modalities allows learners to match their learning preference with the skills to be developed, which increases the learner’s motivation to learn as outlined by my colleague, Gary Allison last month.

Read: Are You Overcomplicating Learning Styles? By Gary Allison.

Creating effective learning plans can be challenging, yet their benefits outweigh the effort required to craft them. Let’s break down the good, the bad, the ugly of this tool as it relates to upskilling staff.

THE GOOD

1. Learning plans align training with organizational goals, fostering a clear connection between the learning team and technical departments. This clarity helps learners understand their career paths more effectively.
2. Learning plans direct team members to the appropriate training based on their level, increasing the speed in which learners gain and retain knowledge.
3. Learning plans simplify resource allocation. Putting together training budgets becomes simpler. Time wasted on ineffective training becomes a thing of the past. Identifying resources to assist with training becomes easier.

Read: Learn From Our Mistakes – Build a Better Training Budget, By Kevin Estep.

THE BAD

1. Learning plans require dedicated time for development: conducting needs assessments, mapping courses to skill gaps, setting up learning plans in a learning management system, and assigning staff members at various levels. All these steps require careful planning and sufficient time!
2. Tracking learning plan progress is cumbersome if not built within a learning management system.
3. Learning is not one-size-fits-all, thus additional learning may take place outside of learning plans.

THE UGLY

1. Learning plans require maintenance. Consider how technology is changing your staff’s work and client interactions. Identify new laws introduced in the past year that require training. Check for expired courses. All these factors should be part of the ongoing maintenance of your learning plans.
2. Without holding staff accountable, learning plans can fall by the wayside leading to stagnation in skill development.
3. Poor implementation of learning plans can waste resources and demotivate employees.

When managed with care, learning plans are a powerful tool for upskilling staff and aligning training with organizational goals. By mitigating potential pitfalls and ensuring accountability, firms can use learning plans as a dynamic, motivating force that drives both individual and organizational growth.

We understand what it’s like to be overwhelmed by the task of building learning plans. This is why we have provided guidance and education to hundreds of accounting firms to help them design better learning & development strategies. If you’d like to learn more about how Spiirall can help you capitalize on your training and development investment, contact us at info@spiirall.com.

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