Want to know what training your people need?
A Training Needs Analysis clearly defines what each person needs to know to be able to do their job well.
How does a Training Needs Analysis help you?
It allows you to put a plan together for training – you know what people need to know. This way you can plan strategically and thoroughly for training and to meet regulatory requirements.
It will tell you the standard operating procedures (SOPs or work instructions) that you need to create in order to train people in each role, and the background knowledge that they need to know. You can use the information to identify training needs and create learning plans for each person.
How do you identify training needs?
We spend time on your site talking to your experts. First we talk to managers to get the big picture of what your business does. At this stage we map out divisions, areas, processes and roles.
Then we zoom in on the identified roles, speaking to individuals to find out the tasks they do, and the background knowledge that they need, to be able to do their job competently and confidently.
We check legal and safety requirements with your legal and safety professionals. (Note that we cannot offer expert advice for your industry – it must be provided by your own experts.)
We use a set of checklists and templates to make sure we don’t miss anything.
Can’t we do that ourselves?
Sure you can, if you ask the right questions, take the time to do it and write it all up. However, many people don’t know the questions to ask to ensure they get the right information. Also, sometimes you are too close to it – you know the business so well yourself – that it is difficult to see what is actually needed.
What does the result look like?
The Training Needs Analysis will list, for each role:
- Responsibilities
- Tasks
- Prerequisites and licences
- Job-specific knowledge
- Knowledge shared with other roles or areas
You can then plan to create procedures for the identified tasks and use them as a basis for skills training. You can also identify ways to impart core knowledge, via inductions and internal or external training. In essence, it gives you a road map for training and a structure to systematically train people. For more information on how to use your training needs analysis, see my articles Fast Training: Here’s How to Do It and How to Create a Structured Progression System.
An added advantage is that the responsibilities and tasks, in effect, provide you with a position description as well.
How long does it take?
Of course, it depends how large your business is, or how much of your business you would like covered. Typically, for a site of around 100 people, with, say, 12 different roles, it would take around 5 days, with a final report provided after one more working week.
Will it disrupt the business?
Provided we have access to people, business can continue as usual. In fact it is better if we can see normal work days to get a good understanding of the practicalities of training your people.
After an initial consultation with managers to understand the structure of the business, we walk around your site and visit the areas where people work. We need to talk to people who know the jobs well – the experts for each role. You will need to make available someone from each role for one to two hours.
How much will it cost?
The daily rate for Training Needs Analyses is AU$1500. After initial discussions, we will provide an estimate of how many days we expect it to take.
Call us to discuss your situation (+61) 0412 302 055 or email your questions to [email protected]