Are you charged with the task of having your employees trained but do not know where to start? Is productivity and morale in your place of work low, and management doesn’t understand why? Consider performing a training needs assessment first. You’ll optimize the benefit to your employees while saving on the bottom line.
A training needs assessment is a tool utilized to identify what educational courses or activities should be provided to management and employees to improve their management skills and work productivity. Focus should be placed on needs as opposed to desires.
For example, a new manager that is having trouble relating to his employees would be better served by improving various management skills as opposed to learning further tasks about technical side of his job, which might be more interesting, but less effective in improving morale and productivity.
A training needs assessment?
· Determine if training will make a difference in productivity and the bottom line.
· Define what specific training each employee needs and what will improve their job performance.
· Determine the difference between the need for training and other related or non-related organizational issues.
How is a training needs assessment performed?
There are several techniques that can be utilized individually or in combination with each other.
1. Meet with management.
Since most supervisors are involved with the planning of projects and the future of the company, they know what will be needed. They should be able to communicate where their employee’s current abilities lie and what is needed to get them to the next level for new projects on the horizon.
2. Meet with employees.
Discuss what struggles they may be facing from day-to-day and what would make their job easier and more efficient. Remember to keep them focused on what they need rather than what they want.
3. Conduct surveys.
Surveys are beneficial because many people can be polled in a short period of time. Additionally, surveys provide employees with the opportunity to confess a need on paper that they may be too embarrassed to admit needing in a face-to-face meeting.
Most frequently Employee Opinion Surveys and 360 degree Peer Review Surveys are conducted to provide to most valid and useful information.
4. Conduct focus groups.
Focus groups allow for small group interaction, allowing the assessor to uncover details about their target audience. Brainstorming is encouraged allowing for an exchange of new ideas and a revelation of what training may be needed.
5. Review company Strategies and Objectives.
A brief review of the company’s past and where they are headed for the future may reveal valuable information for training. A comparison should be made of what employees are currently doing and what will be expected of them as the company continues to grow and change.
