Identifying and Assessing Training Needs
Any company delving into the training and development of its workforce should first learn how to properly identify and assess training needs. This is the single most important step that helps executives address the gaps between existing training and the training required in the future. Here is a brief overview of three different needs managers should consider and methods for identifying key training needs in any organization.
Industry-Related Needs
These are quite simple, but it can still be challenging to narrow them down when formulating your training program. There are certain pieces of industry knowledge that employees should have. This need essentially derives from how the organization fits into the industry.
Job-Related Needs
Job-related needs are those that relate directly to jobs within the organization. How do you identify job-related needs? By researching whether there’s training available for certain jobs. If not, organizations might create a program for a job. The purpose of job-related needs is to improve the final output of the job itself. It can involve building an error-free part for a technological appliance or completing a call with a customer. The key is to identify which aspects of the job belong to executive positions and which ones are related to on-the-job training.
Task-Related Needs
Task-related needs usually come in the form of a requirement in a particular part or output within a job or job family. Considering our own job, it’s a combination of different tasks and processes that create your job on a daily to yearly basis. This is something that all jobs share. Sometimes, one or more aspects of a job aren’t working and affect the overall productivity of a worker.
All training activities must be related to the specific needs of the organization and the individual employees. A training program should be launched only after the training needs are assessed clearly and specifically. The effectiveness of a training program can be judged only with the help of the training needs identified in advance. To identify training needs, the gap between the existing and required levels of knowledge, skills, performance, and aptitudes should be specified. The problem areas that can be resolved through training should also be identified.
Training efforts must aim at meeting the requirements of the organization (long-term) and the individual employees (short-term). This involves finding answers to questions such as: Is training needed? Once we identify training gaps within the organization, it becomes easy to design an appropriate training program.
Any company delving into the training and development of its workforce should first learn how to properly identify and assess training needs. This is the single most important step that helps executives address the gaps between existing training and the training required in the future. Here is a brief overview of three different needs managers should consider and methods for identifying key training needs in any organization.
Industry-Related Needs
These are quite simple, but it can still be challenging to narrow them down when formulating your training program. There are certain pieces of industry knowledge that employees should have. This need essentially derives from how the organization fits into the industry.
Job-Related Needs
Job-related needs are those that relate directly to jobs within the organization. How do you identify job-related needs? By researching whether there’s training available for certain jobs. If not, organizations might create a program for a job. The purpose of job-related needs is to improve the final output of the job itself. It can involve building an error-free part for a technological appliance or completing a call with a customer. The key is to identify which aspects of the job belong to executive positions and which ones are related to on-the-job training.
Task-Related Needs
Task-related needs usually come in the form of a requirement in a particular part or output within a job or job family. Considering our own job, it’s a combination of different tasks and processes that create your job on a daily to yearly basis. This is something that all jobs share. Sometimes, one or more aspects of a job aren’t working and affect the overall productivity of a worker.
All training activities must be related to the specific needs of the organization and the individual employees. A training program should be launched only after the training needs are assessed clearly and specifically. The effectiveness of a training program can be judged only with the help of the training needs identified in advance. To identify training needs, the gap between the existing and required levels of knowledge, skills, performance, and aptitudes should be specified. The problem areas that can be resolved through training should also be identified.
Training efforts must aim at meeting the requirements of the organization (long-term) and the individual employees (short-term). This involves finding answers to questions such as: Is training needed? Once we identify training gaps within the organization, it becomes easy to design an appropriate training program.
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