Training and education, as it relates to retaining a diverse workforce, has two paths. One the one hand, it is important to provide opportunities for career development. This helps organizations to retain valuable employees  and focus on their successes and ultimately company reaps the benefits.

For example, companies that offer language learning programs, seminars on marketing and understanding new technology to stay ahead of the game competitively. They also have a higher retention rate because employees recognize the value of learning opportunities.

  • Customer awareness has changed based on globalization and the expectations are very high. Employers must beware of these attitudes. Serve customers in other languages – many companies offer services in languages other than English: Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish and Punjab.
  • Technology is always evolving and customers and staff must stay current.
  • Knowledge of competitors and their products is essential at home and in emerging markets.
  • Organizations must adapt to the changes in order to be successful.

The second path that training and education must follow in order to retain a diverse workforce is to provide a continual dialogue and education on diversity. This includes:

  • Honest personal assessments of biases, attitudes and beliefs.
  • Honest dialogue.
  • Establish goals to achieve as they relate to diversity harmony and understanding as well as embracing and working with differences.
  • Teaching listening, communication, and appreciation skills that make everyone feel respected.

Training and education is an ongoing and continuous process that must be embraced as part of the company’s philosophy. That means it must be provided to all levels of employees, from the top senior executives to the lower-tier employees.