Introduction
Employees are the most significant asset of a business since they are the determining force of the overall business success. Considering the significance of the workforce in a business, it is important for organizations to invest heavily in their workers through consistent employee development. This significant intervention will not only make workers more competent in their work but will also ensure that they are able to fit in today’s changing workplace environment. One effective way of conducting employee development is through workplace training, whereby workers are taken through individual-centered training programs that are aimed at equipping them with incremental knowledge (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). In order for the company to achieve its target in business, it will have to invest heavily in employees through effective training based on identified skill gaps. The training plan would feature a needs assessment that comprises of several determinant factors.
Determining Training Needs
In order to ensure that employees get the most appropriate training programs, the company will, first of all, determine the training needs of each individual using appropriate skill assessment methods. These training needs will be identified based on a needs assessment that includes organizational analysis, environmental analysis, demographical analysis, operational analysis, and individual analysis.
Organizational analysis
The organizational analysis will entail things such as the nature of the company so far and the stated goals, among other factors that are directly aligned to the business strategy.
Environmental analysis
This will feature aspects such as the workplace or business environment, among other factors.
Demographical analysis
As the name suggests, the demographical analysis will consist of things such as the ratio of male and female employees in the workplace who are targeted for the program, their respective ages, and number or count. This section will also feature the company plans as far as the above factors are concerned.
Operational analysis
This will feature aspects of performance and what needs to be done in order for the business to achieve its goals.
Individual analysis
Here, employee capability and skills will be analyzed, among other things that are directly aligned to the workforce roles and performance in the workplace.
Determining Affected Employees
After determining what needs to be covered in training, it is now time to identify those workers who need to be trained. This, however, is done based on the job analysis or employee analysis, which has been carried out to determine employee weaknesses and strengths in various areas of accountability. Some of the methods used to assess employees’ skills include direct observations, skill test or evaluation, interviews, questionnaires, and review of performance data (Saari, & Judge, 2004). Other useful resources that can be applied in determining workers who are legible for the training will include a review of workers’ performance records, use of informal discussions to seek other people’s perceptions about the targeted employees, and application of existing company policy on training programs.
Preparation of Training Materials
Once the training needs and the target have been identified, it is now time to prepare the training materials. This is done with the targeted audience in mind to ensure that the chosen materials suit the objective of the program. Training materials are chosen depending on the nature of the people being trained and their level of understanding. In this regard, the company ensures that the training materials are tailored to fit the needs of adult learners, whereby the laws for training adults have been applied. These laws are essential for effective employee training and would include the law of relevance, the law of previous experience, the law of self-image, the law of multiple criteria, the law of expectation, and the law of alignment.
Getting to know the audience
There is no way employee training can be effectively administered without understanding the targeted audience better (Lim & Morris, 2006). In this regard, the company will analyze the participants based on some key factors such as their backgrounds, demographics, educational levels, the overall attitude of the exercise being conducted, and training expectations, among other things. It is important to understand these aspects better so as to make the training plan as effective as possible, thus achieving the targeted objectives.
Selecting the program and fixing the schedule
The company settles for the most suitable training program that will play an effective role in the employee development plan. The program can either be designed from within the company, or it can be acquired from outside. Once the training program has been acquired, there now comes the most important part of fixing the training schedule and informing the targeted participants about it. Several considerations will be applied in this stage, and these would include things such as the duration needed for the exercise and the best time it should be conducted to ensure that it does not interfere with the normal operations of the organization.
I am setting the plan into action
Now that everything that is needed for the training is ready and the participants are well informed, it is time to launch the exercise. It is the responsibility of the company to ensure that the program leads to meaningful employee participation in the workplace and improved performance. The training is administered to the employees using suitable approaches that will present the best training outcomes, thus meeting the training needs.
References
Aguinis, H., & Kraiger, K. (2009). Benefits of training and development for individuals and teams, organizations, and society. Annual Review of Psychology, 60(5), 451-474.
Lim, D. H., & Morris, M. L. (2006). Influence of trainee characteristics, instructional satisfaction, and organizational climate on perceived learning and training transfer. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 17(1), 85-115.
Saari, L. M., & Judge, T. A. (2004). Employee attitudes and job satisfaction. Human Resource Management, 43(4), 395-407.