IDENTIFICATION OF TRAINING NEEDS/TNAThe first step in training is to determine that a need for training actually exists. An organization should commit its resources to a training activity only if the training can be expected to achieve some organizational goal. Identifying training needs is then, a process that involves establishing areas where individuals (employees) lack skill, knowledge, and ability in effectively performing the job and also identifying organizational constraints that are creating roadblocks in the performance. The analysis of training needs aims to define the gap between what is happening and what should happen. This is what has to be filled by training.

What is Training Gap What should be

a) Corporate and functional resultsb) Knowledge and Skills possessedc) Actual performance of individual

a) Corporate and functional standardsb) Knowledge and Skills requiredc) Targets or standards of performance

The gap may consist of the difference between: How the company or department within it is performing and how it should perform. What people know and what they should know. What people actually do and what they should do.

MeGhee and Thayer (1961) have proposed a model of training needs identification. It consists of three components: Organizational Analysis

An organizational analysis tries to answer the question of where the training emphasis should be placed in the company and what factors may affect training. It involves a comprehensive analysis of organizational structure, objectives, culture, processes of decision-making, future objectives, and so on. The analysis begins with an understanding of short-term and long-term goals of the organizations, as a whole, and for each department specifically. These would help to identify what capacities are needed to fulfill these goals. Generally three requirements have to be considered.

Do we have adequate number of people to fulfill organizational objectives?

Do these people possess required skills and knowledge? Is the organizational environment conducive to facilitate activities

that would help achieve its goals?

To do this, the HR professional should examine organizational goals and objectives, personnel inventories, skills inventories, organizational climate and efficiency indices, turnover and absenteeism, rates of accidents, changes in systems or subsystems (e.g., equipment), MBO or work planning systems, etc.

Task Analysis A task analysis tries to answer the question of what should be taught so the trainee can perform the job satisfactorily. It is a systematic and detailed analysis of jobs to identify the type of behaviour required of the jobholder and the standards of performance that must be met to achieve the desired results. While task analysis is similar to job analysis, it is employee

centered, not job-centered, and is concerned with behavior needed on the job and expected level of performance. Questionnaire, interviews, personnel records, reports, tests, observation and other methods can be used to collect information about jobs in the organization.

Person Analysis

Man analysis attempts to answer the question of who needs training in the firm and the specific type of training these people need. To do this, the performance of individuals, groups, or units on major job duties (taken from the performance appraisal data) is compared to expected performance standards (as identified in the task analysis). Given these data, one should be able to determine which job incumbents (or groups of incumbents) are successful at completing the task required.

Many companies use self-assessments in this process. For example, Ford determined the training needs based on a self-assessment questionnaire distributed to the staff. At the managerial level, many organizations (e.g., IBM, Federal Express, and the World Bank) use peers and subordinates to provide performance information about their managers. Knight-Ridder uses 360-degree appraisal to determine training needs. Managers receive “competency” ratings from customers, subordinates, peers, and their managers. At Ford, each supervisor is responsible for completing an individual training plan for each subordinate. The plan is developed jointly by the supervisor and the subordinate. The two decide on the courses that should be taken and the time frame for completion. The goal is for each employee to reach a certain level of proficiency considered necessary for current and future tasks.

Techniques For Determining Training Needs

The American Society of Training Directors lists eleven techniques for determining training needs. They are:

a) Observations;b) Management requests;c) Interviews;d) Group conferences;e) Job or activity analysis;f) Questionnaire surveys;g) Tests or examinations;h) Merit or performance ratings;i) Personnel records;j) Business and production reports;k) Long-range organisational planning.

Benefits of Needs Assessment

Needs assessment helps diagnose the causes of performance deficiency in employees. Causes require remedial actions. This being a generalized statement, there are certain specific benefits of needs assessment. They are:

1) Trainers may be informed about the broader needs of the training group and their sponsoring organizations.

2) The sponsoring organizations are able to reduce the perception gap between the participants and his or her boss about their needs and expectations from the training program.

3) Trainers are able to pitch their course inputs closer to the specific needs of the participants.

Course & Curriculum Design

Course design can be addressed as:

* Curriculum development or design* Program design* Course design* Instructional system design

Each of them assumess specific meanings in specific circumstances

Course design refers to a series of action:

* Establishing training objective* Developing and sequencing course materials* Selecting method of media* Reviewing the actions against the present objective

Romizowski (1981) calls it a three phase process

* Establishing procise and useful objectives* Planning viable routes* Testing them out in other words analysis, systhesis and evaluation

Lynton-Pareek says five steps in course design

* Choice of strategy

* Breaking the training objective into content and then matchng them with appropriate methods and events* Specification of training methods* Deciding on different packages* Sequencing

Eleven stages of instructional system/ course design

Stage – 1: Job/task analysis which involves* Job description* Task analysis

Stage – 2: Analysis of the required competencies

Stage – 3: Analysis of the target population

Stage – 4: Analysis of training needs

Stage – 5: Development of training objectives

Objective should evolves three elements:

* Description of specific terminal behavior* Performing standard to describe how the learner most performance be occure* Important condition under which performance will be occure

Stage – 6: Development of criteria testPost training test to assertain how the performance of the training

coincides with the present training objectives

Stage – 7: Selection of course content* Emaneting from training objective, performance deficiency and needs* Must knlw* Should know* Nice to know

Stage – 8: Selection of methods and techniques. Factor should be considered* Training objectives* Learning process

* Resource constraint

Stage – 9: Selection media and materials. Factors to be considered* Survey of all the available media and materials* Training objectives* Resource constraints* Skill of the facilitator

Stage – 10: Sequence and lesson plan. Guide lines may be followed:* From general to specific* Interest sequencing* Skill sequencing* Frequency sequencing

A. Course plan

* Name of the course* Need assessment process* Course duration* Suitable for/participants background* Objectives* Contents* Methods* Materials

B. Module Plan

C. Lesson Plan/Session Plan* Lesson title/Topics* Objectives* Time* Methods* Materials/Aids* Group size* Physical setting* Process/Session guide

Stage – 11: Evaluation and course improvement* Reactions* Learning* Performance* Organizational reunite* Formative Vs summative* Eternel Vs infernal