Training Needs and Evaluation

 

What is a Training Need

 

Training is a crucial management function as it aims at manpower development. Training programmes are necessary to improve the quality of work of all employees at all levels.

A training need has two parts:

• It is a shortcoming that obstructs the achievement of the objective of the organization or an individual.
• Training and development can help reduce or master these shortcomings.

 

The increasing pace of changes in organizational dynamics has given impetus to the need for training. The need can arise at any of the following three levels:

• The organization
• The activity
• The individual.

 

A training need at the organizational level is any behavior or lack of abilities that hampers the achievement of the corporate objectives – For example, a lack of skill in customer care can have a negative impact on the business or a lack of interpersonal skill poses difficulty in retention of staff and increases labor turnover.

 

At the activity level a training need may imply that all the employees doing the same work need coaching. So it could be that all software professionals in a company need to learn a new package while other members of the organization do not.

 

A training need at the individual level occurs with an individual's lack of skills, knowledge or understanding. Or it could be the practice of certain behavior that becomes an obstruction in the path of success of an individual. For example, of the two front office personnels, one has an extremely welcoming and courteous conduct with people, while the other is curt and abrupt. The latter then, surely has a personal training need.