6 Benefits of Conducting a Training Needs Analysis
Identifying the need to implement an eLearning programme for employees is the first step toward eliminating skills gaps and building an effective team. You may assume that the next step would be development but there is, in fact, a crucial step before this that should not be missed.
In order to introduce a training programme that is both successful and cost effective, you must first determine the exact training needs of your organisation and your employees.
What is a Training Needs Analysis?
One of the most important tasks undertaken as a Learning and Development professional, a training needs analysis is the process of identifying the training needs of a company. It is an in-depth review that enables you to evaluate current training programmes and identify the L&D requirements of the business, teams and each individual employee.
The Benefits of Implementing a Training Needs Analysis
Formulating an L&D plan and designing an eLearning programme before gaining an insight into the specific needs of your company and its employees could be a costly mistake. As eager as you may be to get the ball rolling and start delivering learning content, you may be making a rod for your own back.
A training needs analysis should be conducted every couple of years and the benefits of doing so are as follows:
01 – Identify skills gaps before problems arise
One of the top benefits of a training needs analysis is it will highlight any skill gaps within your organisation. By identifying these at an early stage, you can design your learning and development programme in accordance and deliver the correct training before any problems arise. You will be able to evaluate the skills of your staff and see who is meeting company standards and expectations and who isn’t.
By taking this proactive approach, any potential errors, misjudgements and oversights which result from lack of training and can be detrimental to company operations, may be avoided.
02 – Guarantee Compliance
In order to ensure that all employees are complying with company policies and industry regulations, you must first identify whether or not said employees have been sufficiently trained in all applicable areas of compliance. A training needs analysis can help you to see which teams and departments need training or retraining in these fields, by identifying current levels of competency, skill and knowledge.
03 – Ensure all training areas are covered
You may think you have all the required areas covered when it comes to L&D topics; compliance essentials like Health & Safety for all employees, communication skills for customer-facing staff and CRM for the sales team. However, by conducting a training needs analysis you will be able to see if there are any additional areas which may need to be covered or would benefit your business should you include them in your L&D programme.
04 – Get your training focuses right
It’s just as important to identify areas which don’t need covering as it is to identify those which do. You could be wasting valuable time and resources delivering training to employees who are already knowledgeable and fully competent in those areas.
Going over old ground and taking time out from duties to undertake unnecessary training will impact an employee’s overall engagement with your L&D programme. Learning and development programmes should be targeted. It is pointless inviting employees to participate in online learning or training activities if they don’t really need to. A training needs analysis will not only help you decide what training to offer, but also who to offer it to.
05 – Prioritise and Schedule
Once you have identified your training gaps, decided on topics and ascertained who is required to undertake training for each, you will need to know when to deliver them. By conducting a training needs analysis, you will learn which skills gaps need to be addressed immediately and which don’t need to be prioritised.
Additional training which is beneficial rather than essential can be scheduled further down the line than perhaps compliance training for new starters can. Those which cover key aspects for job roles should be addressed sooner as it is these skills gaps which can affect the day-to-day running of your company. Once you have gained an understanding of the order in which modules should be delivered, it should be relatively easy to formulate a 12-month training plan.
06 – Determine how training should be delivered
If you already have an eLearning programme in place but it isn’t delivering results, a training needs analysis could potentially highlight areas of it which need redesigning. There may be some employees who only need to cover certain aspects of a module so changes to structure and navigation may be required. It could be that some of the content is being delivered in a way which isn’t engaging enough so additional interactive elements need to be introduced.
Get in touch
Overall, Moodle Workplace offers a comprehensive and fully featured e-learning solution that addresses the specific needs of government and other public sector organisations. It combines flexibility with security to deliver an engaging and effective platform for all types of training and development.
For further information on how Titus supports public sector bodies in delivering effective, engaging and secure e-learning, speak to one of our team.
Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Data Protection Policy | Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
© 2023 Titus Learning LTD | Company Number 08799881 | VAT Number 1813 09027
