PLANNING FOR A NEEDS ASSESSMENT

BRIDGING THE GAP

We have designed, developed and implemented a new course for our company. It is an Instructor Training course in which new trainers will begin teaching their units how to conduct casualty care. The new trainers have successfully completed the Provider course and will begin teaching this topic at other locations. The topic came up to develop a Train the Trainer course that will supply the new instructors with a connection to Subject Matter Experts to assist them with any additional information needed for them to be successful when teaching.

What stakeholders would I want to make sure to get buy-in from? Our company’s CEO, Learning Standards Officer, Upper level Management, Program managers, and the targeted audience (instructors who teach this same topic at all of the locations).

What questions would I ask during the organizational, person and task analysis phases?

·         What do we need from managers and peers for this training to succeed?

·         As an instructor, would you be interested in attending a training like this? What type of information would be necessary for you to stay as an active participant in a course of this type?

·         What would keep you from attending this type of training?

·         How would you perceive this type of training? An opportunity or a waste of time?

·         What topics would need to be included in this training?

·         Who is funding the project?

What documents or records would I ask to see?

How many instructors will need the training and their locations? What is their experience as an instructor, minimum or expert? How much longer will they be performing this task? Information on best practices/ lesson learned.

What techniques would I employ?

Observation: Have a qualified Instructor observe new instructors and identify areas that could be improved up on. How often do they teach? What is the minimum/ maximum amount of students taught in a sitting?

Questionnaires: Ask a variety of questions to determine if training is the solution or not. What other solution could solve the problem?

Interviews: Most will go into a little more detail. Ask open ended questions to get a more in-depth feel for what is lacking.

Focus Groups and Collaboration Tools: Observe the group together. Get a feel for the culture of the organization. Hope they provide some useful information.

Technology: What type of technology is needed to complete the task? Video conferencing, Skype, the Web.

In closing, some companies tell you what the need is before conducting a needs assessment. In some cases the need/ problem may not be solved through training. I have to ask myself, are they prepared to hear the solution if it is not training? How would you approach the CEO with a solution that is something other than training?

Reference

Noe, R. A. (2013). Employee training and development (6th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

The Truth About Training

I would like to go over some of the benefits of having well-trained employees to carry out the mission of your organization. There is so much information available via the internet and access to that information is unlimited. Since your workers spend a lot of time traveling they could be more mobile using their laptops and cell phones for training. They will be able to chime in on webinars, video conferencing and web- based training.

New Hire Orientation is a prime example of insuring new hires are trained in the day-to-day operation of your company. Training is particularly important for new employee’s success. This can be conducted by someone within the company and should serve as a platform to get new employees up to speed with the processes of the company and address any skill gaps. (Chopra, B. 2015) Trained employees will be better equipped to handle customer’s needs. Upon completion, your business will run better, like a well-oiled machine.