If you are new to training program design, completing the following processes in your initial planning phase will help you build a strategic business case for the training program’s framework and design.
Competency Profiling
Competency profiling or model provides the list of skills, behaviours and knowledge that employees require to succeed in their role. In addition, a competency profile includes definitions of high competence (or a matrix describing a range of competence e.g. expert, intermediate, beginner) for each competency as a tool to evaluate performance against. Note that depending on the role, a different level of competency may be required.
The competencies can reflect:
- hard skills or technical competencies – the technical expertise that is required to perform the work within the specific role
- soft skills or behavioural competencies – the people skills required to perform work within the specific role.
With luck, the human resources department has taken the time to complete a competency profile for each role and has integrated an evaluation of each competency in the performance management system. If so, then ask for the data from the performance reviews (or ideally from employee training plans) to determine topic areas for training development.
Training Needs Assessment
Performing a training needs assessment can be as simple as arranging meetings with managers to ask them a set of questions around training needs of their staff, to a set of focus groups, or survey of individual workers from management to front line. A confidential survey that gathers information from the entire workforce is ideal as often managers are not as in touch with training needs of the front line as the front line workers. Whatever tool you decide to use, use it consistently with different employee populations so you can compare results. If budget allows, hire an outsourced survey company, as they have the expertise to ensure that questions are unbiased, that respondents answers are kept confidential and that the data collected in analyzed statistically.
Training Audit
Before you begin developing new curriculum, ensure that you are aware of existing curriculum that may be able to be used off the shelf or adapted. A training audit is a research project where information is collected on training options. If a simple database is designed to store the information collected then it can be used as a searchable tool for managers. Collect information such as:
- Name of training
- Type of training – curriculum, training event (conference, workshop, course), training tool (manuals, workbooks, software etc.) or training resource (books, content expert etc.)
- Brief Description
- Target Audience
- Developer – who developed the training
- Date Developed
- Distributor – who distributes the training (if applicable)
- Deliverer – who delivers the training (if applicable)
- Cost
- Supplies or equipment required
- Duration – applies to curriculum and training events only
- Location – applies to training events only
- Rating – if possible, include a rating determined by participants/users using a standard evaluation form
- Additional info – this could include the next few dates an event is happening, parking information or directions, notes about the content
The findings from the completed competency profiles, needs assessment and training audit will inform the design and development of the training program. The competency profiles will identify key subject areas and/or common areas of weakness (if performance has been measured on competencies). The needs assessment will help flush out priorities of training needs as well as training barriers. The training audit will uncover potential curriculum, events, tools and resources that can be used (or adapted for use) in the training program design.
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