How Does Your Training Measure Up?

Shannon Kluczny, Business Training Library
May 13, 2005

Organizations worldwide strive to develop training curriculums and encourage employees to complete hours of learning each year. That’s only the first part of the battle. The true test of any program’s effectiveness is to know what knowledge has been gained. The only way to determine what is gained or lost from a training initiative is to measure it. What is not measured cannot be improved upon.

There are many variations of surveys and assessments that can lead to a better understanding of the success or failure of a program and its impact on an organization.

Prior to any development, vendor decisions, or even topics to be determined, it's wise to use an assessment to evaluate the initial needs of the organization. This assessment could be distributed among a specific group of employees, or to an entire organization. Questions should prompt feedback about items that affect the assessor personally and, more importantly, what the assessor views as affecting the entire organization.

After compiling results, first measure what types of training your employees think are important or necessary. This could also help determine which methods of training delivery will work the best, as well as what training would be the most valuable.

Once a training plan is in place, it’s crucial to track and measure all aspects of execution. Tracking who attends training could be valuable for required and voluntary training. A brief survey should be conducted prior to any training session to determine the level of education about a specific topic. At the end of the training session, administer another survey to measure what was learned.

The overall objective of the training session must be communicated to everyone in attendance. Explain why the training is important, how the information can help each individual, and what skills should be applied in a real life circumstance. When the objective is made clear, a plan should be created that will hold individuals accountable for using the material learned.

Here’s an example. ABC Credit Union handed out a survey at a monthly staff meeting. It was determined that time management was a common concern throughout the organization. A training plan was developed around different aspects of time management. Employees were given the option of attending a seminar, doing a self-study, or taking an online course. Seventy-five percent of employees attended some form of training. An assessment was given to each employee before and after each session. Sixty-four percent of employees learned something from the training to use in their roles within the credit union. The objective that was expressed at these sessions was that, by applying these habits and behaviors of effective time management, productivity would increase. A measurement of productivity was made before and after training was done. At the conclusion of the time management training, productivity had increased by 12 percent.

In this example, training was effective because there was an increase in productivity, which accomplished the overall objective of providing time management training.

Developing surveys and creating assessments will help an organization measure the effectiveness of training. Once positive changes occur due to training, the entire organization will benefit.

For more information, contact Business Training Library at 888-432-3077 ext. 102 or www.bizlibrary.com.