Needs assessments put training department budget on course

How to get the most from a training assessment

Many training practitioners are probably looking at budgets for 2004 at the moment or have just been given a budget and told to meet it for the coming year. That means they’re looking for ways to match training needs with affordable, quality development options that will meet those needs, all amidst a backdrop of ensuring money is invested strategically to meet business goals, changes in structure or technology and gaps in employee skills and knowledge.

It’s also important for the dollars to be distributed effectively and equitably across the business so all employees have an opportunity to grow and develop — rather than just pouring all the resources into the technology team or a particular unit.

But what are employees’ needs? Does HR know where all of the gaps are? To answer these questions, training practitioners need to conduct a training needs assessment — preferably prior to the budgeting process — to help plan the funding needed to support business needs and individual development plans across the organization.

The main use for a training needs assessment is to help identify the specific training and development needs for employees and then to prioritize the training investment based on those needs. An assessment can be done at various times throughout the year — to respond to a specific request from a manager or team, evaluate an existing training program or allocate budget dollars. Once the gaps are known an organization can determine the balance of classroom-based courses, online learning, on-the-job opportunities and external programs or conferences it can offer to employees that will meet their needs and the organization’s budget constraints.

Recognizing that an assessment would produce useful information is great. But if it’s never been done before, where does an organization start? How does it know who needs the training and when or how to offer it?

Getting employee input

The first step in the assessment process is to gather information, which can be done in a variety of ways including:

•interviews;

•focus groups;

•questionnaires;

•observation; and

•existing data from performance reviews.

Once the decision is made on how to gather the information, training practitioners need to develop a survey, a set of focus group questions or an observation tool that will produce the necessary information. Done properly, the information-gathering will help identify key skills required in each position (either as a one-off or a generic team job) and then assess the competence of each person carrying out that role.

What you want to compile

Once the assessment has been completed and the results analyzed, an organization should end up with a summary that outlines:

•the key skills or tasks (both the technical and operational skills as well as the personal and interpersonal);

•the importance of that skill to the job;

•the level of usage or application of the skill;

•the planned changes being made to the job as a result of technology changes or changes in processes; and

•areas of difficulty or gaps in skills and knowledge.

If you’re thinking, “But I have 1,000 employees in my organization,” and are feeling overwhelmed by this information-gathering stage, think creatively about whom to speak to. Why not try creating an online survey, that tabulates itself to get information from a wider audience? Or sit down with just managers to discuss employees within their departments. Perhaps cross-functional focus-groups are the ideal solution. Whatever the route, remember that the more information gathered, the better the training plan will be.

Don’t set false expectations

Communication is a key step throughout the needs assessment process. Before sending out a survey or inviting employees to a focus group, it’s important to set expectations. If employees are asked what training they’d like to attend in the coming year, they may ask for unrealistic programs or topics unrelated to business needs. If employees are asked what gaps exist in their skill and knowledge, they may deny there are gaps. That’s why it’s important to develop a survey tool or a set of focus group questions to ensure the best quality and quantity of responses.

It’s important to maintain open communication. Let employees know what the information will be used for. Explain that this may — or may not — mean more courses, more training dollars or more conferences. Let them know that it will mean that the courses, dollars and conferences will be focused on meeting business and individual needs, and that these needs will be prioritized.

Once the data has been gathered and reviewed, an organization will be able to identify the gaps between the needs employees and managers have expressed and the current training that’s available. With that information training practitioners can decide what new courses, books, conferences or on-the-job development opportunities should be made available to bridge the gaps. Depending on how the new content and information will be offered to employees, decisions are made about whether the solutions will be developed internally or if outside vendors or consultants should be brought in.

Armed with all of this information, the plan can now be presented to the key stakeholders in the organization — the executive committee. They’ll want to know where the biggest gaps exist, how changes in the business or technology will have an impact on employees in the coming year and what the training costs are projected to be. They’ll then want to know what the training department plans to do with the budget that’s available to meet the most crucial needs.

Finally, the training department can develop a plan to implement the training, prepare the budget and training schedule and share the results with management and employees. It can rest assured that the work done on a training needs assessment will ensure the training options will be cost-effective and acceptable to the organization because employees were active participants in determining their own needs.

Jayne Jackson is the manager, training and development/human resources with the publishing firm Carswell. She may be contacted at [email protected].

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