Training management is one of the most crucial steps in any organisation to ensure maximum efficiency of utilisation of instructor-led programs that provide training. They generally handle tasks relating to the registration for the training sessions, administration of the courses, keeping track of the progress, and also reporting to the appropriate authorities.
One of the essential parts is that management training needs assessment. This is a method or a series of steps that determine if some specific training need exists, and also the type of training that can bridge the requirement. The primary modes of identifying the gaps are through surveys, observation, secondary data, workshops, and interviews. This will ensure that relevant training is provided while trying to utilise resources as efficiently as possible.
Why is TNA required?
- Use the goals and objectives of an organisation to see where the company is headed and what domain it wants to target in the future.
- Obtain the various competencies and skills that are needed to perform specific jobs or tasks.
- Identify the individuals who must be trained, and come up with a practical plan that will ensure that the goals and objectives are met.
Here are some of the critical steps to ensure an effective training needs assessment-
- Know precisely the financial justification for the training
Many times, the cost of the training needs is an afterthought, and it is just brushed under the carpet citing training need or training objective. The primary reason for the existence of any company or organisation is money, and overall profits are what must be targeted. If the business is unable to justify the financial benefits of the training program, then it is pointless. It severely impedes one from building the right program for the job.
Very often, the financial justification is not well laid out, and only a minority seem to give thought to quantify in financial terms. Knowing the potential impact of the training in financial terms is very important and is a must for anyone looks to assess a training program. Planning for the budget is crucial, and the cost of training and its returns must never be overlooked.
- Define POP or the Path to Optimal Performance
Be aware of Learning Kryptonite. It is what will steer your training program to mediocrity and ultimately, doom. Explain, remember, understand and learn are some of the words that are examples of Learning Kryptonite. Instead, the learners must do activities that will put them on the POP. Some of the objectives and words that you must be on the lookout for are Execute, Demonstrate, Perform and Act.
The problem with these Learning Kryptonite words is that they will mostly result in “scrap learning.” This is the learning that is done at the surface level, and as a result, is not applied back on the job. It does not create an environment for engaging learning, which is crucial for effective application of ideas and concepts in real life.
Describe the actions that lead to success and POP.
Demonstrate some of the techniques for effective listening, communication, and observation.
Take part in an activity that requires immediate application of the concepts learned.
- Identify the barriers and hurdles that occur while trying to achieve POP
All obstacles aren’t created equally. Some of them can be easily seen, while others require a great amount of experience to catch. These obstacles can greatly undermine the training provided. For example, a client may inform you that the sales representative did not fully understand the pricing model for particular equipment. Try to dig deeper and find out what exactly caused them not to understand. If there are a lot more don’t know, then you know that Learning Kryptonite is in action.
Employee engagement surveys must be done regularly, and the results must be examined in detail. This will help your business understand how to make the appropriate modifications.
- Create a 70:20:10 Learning Program
The 70:20:10 Blended learning program states that about 70% of the learning as an adult takes place by doing, while 20% occurs by working with others and only 10% of learning occurs as a result of instructor-led training and theory. The formal learning interventions such as online based learning also fall under the 10%. As a result, the traditional form of sitting in a room with a whiteboard is behind us, and we require assessing training programs based on how well they fit into such models.
- Development of Engaging Training Modules
Development ratios are the traditional and time-tested method of estimating the learning development times. Although such ratios aren’t perfect, and might not even be applicable in certain scenarios, they still act as an excellent starting point to understand the cost and effort being sunk into the training project.
It is quite difficult to assess the difficulty of converting content into learning modules objectively. Only on close inspection, it is possible to observe the gaps in the material and the numerous inconsistencies, making it a difficult task. For this reason, a content readiness component must also be added, which provides a matrix of estimates rather than just a set of values. This is more useful and gives a better picture of the overall time and effort. Naturally, highly interactive modules that contain a large number of simulations tend to take far longer to develop, which will be shown appropriately in the matrix.
Following these five steps will ensure that your business or company is able to create a robust and successful assessment of training needs.