Gather data to show how investing in training can help meet company goals
Read Part I of this post, where we introduced a company that wanted to find a way to prove to leadership that the training budget should be expanded upon to provide training necessary so employees can help the company meets its goals.
In this part, we’ll focus on the initial steps taken to gather data and an overview of the results of that data. The following steps were taken (as mentioned in Part I) with a specific goal in mind. The information below describes briefly what was done for each step and the results of the analysis.
Step 1: Complete review of all current programs in place
Goals of step 1:
- Determine relevancy
- Review objectives of programs compared to needs
What was done:
- Review of learning objectives for eight programs that have been available to employees for the last four years and were focused on critical skills such as presentation, time management, communications, etc.
- Review of evaluations from participants from the eight programs from the past four years, including comparing evaluations from year to year.
- Conversations with vendors to understand the goals, from their perspective, of the courses they offered and how they ensured application of new skills learned.
Results:
The review of the evaluations shows that each of the programs got high marks the first two years, lower marks for relevancy (basically mapping to needs) the third year, and even lower the fourth year. Unfortunately – after the first two years, program evaluations were not analyzed. The reason why? They were so good the first two years it was assumed the courses were doing well for the organization and further review was not needed (HR blamed themselves for this as reviewing evaluations was their responsibility).
The review of the learning objectives mapped to current needs (done after step 2 below was completed) showed that while the courses were not entirely irrelevant, much of the information presented in the content was no longer valid or achieved goals.
Vendors provided some ways in which they could help to ensure application of skills learned once back on the job, but few of the vendors actually helped in this effort. Those that did provide some options in the classroom did not have any follow up plan.
Step 2: Survey all employees
Goals of step 2:
- Determine current training needs
- Challenges in roles and responsibilities
What was done:
- An eight question survey was sent to all employees – both individual contributors and managers – to determine:
- Thoughts on past training initiatives (the value of the classes already offered)
- Opinion on what is needed today (contributor question)
- Option on what is needed today and in the future (manager question)
- What challenges the face in their roles today
Results:
The courses being provided to employees were not meeting the needs as they once were. The managers were hesitant to send their staff to training classes since it appeared that no new skills or knowledge was gained from the programs. Additionally, the courses were more focused on technical skills and there was an increasing need for “softer” skills such as communication, customer service, and working well with others. Increased challenges in roles included working with others from diverse backgrounds and increasing demands from customers. Additionally, the managers felt that employees needed to be better prepared to get products and services out to market faster due to increased competition.
Step 3: Focus group meetings
Goals of step 3:
- Follow up on survey to further refine needs of employee as it relates to training
What was done:
- Focus group meetings of 5 – 8 employees were held to get more specific information on:
- Challenges in their roles
- What they needed to do their job well
- A focus group meeting of the managers was held to get more specific information on:
- Skills they see lacking in employees
- The knowledge they need their employees to have in order to better perform the roles.
Results:
In addition to what was determined via the survey, the following was also a necessity for employees to better perform their role:
- Time management skills
- Presentation skills (especially for those employees who had to report on project status)
- Basic project management skills for all employees
Additionally, from the managers’ points of view, there wasn’t any plan for how employees can utilize skills they learn once they are back on the job.
Step 4: Meet with leadership team
Goals of step 4:
- Understand strategic long term goals and direction of company
What was done:
- Attendance at a monthly leadership team meeting to discuss long term goals and strategy for the company in order to determine how training can support company initiatives.
Results:
The company had the following plans:
- Expand product and service lines over the next year
- Open up new offices both nationally and internationally within the next 5 – 10 years
- Expand customer service staff
Next steps? The human resource manager told her boss, the SVP of Human Resources, that she would be using this data to develop a plan for how to utilize training to help the company meet its goals.
Stay tuned for Part III – where we’ll talk about the plan to move forward.
