Training Needs Analysis
Do you know exactly where the skills gaps are in your team/department? What about in your whole organisation?
If you could accurately assess the development needs of your staff before you embark on costly training interventions, wouldn't it make proving training Return on Investment that much easier?
A training or learning needs analysis is the assessment of gaps in skills, knowledge and attitudes in the workplace. Organisations carry this out in a variety of ways and it can often be conducted in a very informal or ad-hoc manner. Although there are obvious gains to any form of needs identification, a clear and structured process can deliver the most successful results.
Through years of experience, we have developed some clear guidelines for best practice methodology which can be adapted to any level as appropriate.
Phase 1: Definition and Buy-In
• Define the scope of the LNA (roles, expectations, timescales, etc.)
• Define objectives (linked to organisational objectives)
• Communicate the objectives/process to the whole organisation
• Gain buy-in and support through the management chain
• Specification of clear performance standards
Phase 2: Design and Methods
• Identify involvement of key people
• Identify the analysis methods
e.g. data collection; face-to-face interviews; questionnaires/surveys; group meetings; skills/knowledge/behaviour audits
Phase 3: Analysis and Presentation of Results
• Content Analysis
• Statistical Analysis
• Development of strategy and development plan
• Setting measures of evaluation
• Presentation of results to stakeholders
The benefits of a structured learning needs analysis are numerous:
* clearly outlines staff development
* provides a strategy to improve organisational performance
* aids employee retention
* provides a cost effective approach to staff development
* provides a clear structure to evaluate performance and results
Training Surgeries
During training surgeries, trainers spend time at your premises to provide expertise in a specific area. They can be accessed at any time during the day by individuals with specific needs. Spending a day guaging development requirements makes it possible for us to see overall trends in learning requirements, and tailor a training session to cater to individual needs despite being delivered on a collective basis.
The advantage to this approach are that it reduces the high per person cost of one-to-one coaching that may be reserved for executive level staff. However, it still allows some of the benefits of dealing with individual's specific issues and in that way often results in improved performance and effectiveness.
Observation Sessions
Engage participants in active learning and build rapport with pre-course observation sessions
Our approach to customising a course normally includes a pre workshop questionnaire emailed to participants. However, a further way to engage participants is to spend time with them during a normal working day. These observation sessions provide an opportunity for the trainer or coach to engage face to face with delegates and build rapport prior to the workshop. Sessions also provide us with a deeper understanding of your current working practices and your business, allowing us to make the training completely relevant to your situation.
Session Structure
0.5 - 1 day; structure is flexible. Sessions can be anything from an informal meeting with some participants on a 1-2-1 basis, at their workstation, to discuss different aspects of the programme through to attending meetings or presentations with them.