How to identify training needs in a small company?
Training is often associated with lectures and presentations that are boring and not very interesting. One plus point is that they take place during business hours. In order to break with this image of training, many organizations simply give up on them. People are required to improve their qualifications - they must do so at their own expense and in their spare time. This is also not the best solution - some employees cannot afford to finance expensive courses and obtain further certifications. It is worth including training in the incentive system - the possibility of receiving a prestigious diploma will be a reward. It is also important to recognize training needs. How should you approach it so that organizing courses and certification bring tangible benefits to both the company and employees?
Training needs - why identify them?
Organizing training that does not provide new knowledge and will not increase the skills of employees does not make much sense. Each meeting involves costs for the employer. On the one hand, you have to pay the company, experts or advisers who will conduct the training. If the course takes place during working hours, the employees will also have to be paid. Therefore, it is not worth allocating funds to something that will not contribute to the benefit of the entrepreneur.
Recognition of training needs allows you to select courses that will really contribute to the increase in qualifications, knowledge and skills of the employed people. The employer may obtain additional benefits, such as:
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increase in work efficiency - employed people will learn more effective methods of work,
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improving the market position - employing specialists with more qualifications will affect the formation of the company's reputation as a professional,
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customer satisfaction with the quality of services provided,
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motivated employees,
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introducing innovative solutions,
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improving teamwork,
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increasing revenues in the long run.
Training needs - how can you recognize them?
The employer can use several methods to identify training needs. These can include:
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Document analysis - the employer should create job descriptions. They will include the duties, powers, qualifications and skills that employees should have. If the job description shows that the leader of a team of IT specialists should have competences related to managing a team of several people, you cannot be promoted to such a position as an IT specialist who has never led people or has not completed studies in this field.
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Observation - the employer can observe the employees during their work. Thanks to this, it can notice whether the employed people perform specific tasks in an appropriate manner. If a lady from the accounting department is still asking her friends about the spreadsheet service, it is worth sending her to a training that will allow her to acquire new knowledge and skills. A good knowledge of the possibilities of the program that she uses on a daily basis will increase her effectiveness and allow her to perform her duties faster.
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Surveys - you can learn about training needs from the employees themselves. Properly prepared questionnaires will make it possible to test what skills the employed people would like to develop. Research may be anonymous. Thanks to this, employees will openly express their needs.
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Conducting individual and group interviews - as part of motivational or, on the contrary - disciplinary interviews, you can talk to employees about their skills and qualifications. If the hired person is concerned that he will not be able to improve the way they perform a specific task within a month, it may be worth considering an additional course.
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Customer opinion research - it is also worth asking customers if they are satisfied with the level of service or the quality of services provided. Perhaps buyers have objections about the people they meet in the company. Not all employees are communicative and have well-developed interpersonal skills. Training in soft skills will allow them to acquire new competences.
Training needs - do not put the list of courses in a drawer!
If you have already decided to carry out the identification of training needs, try to complete at least some of the courses. Your employees will expect this from you. Combine the incentive system with the training system. Offer participation in prestigious courses for the best. Do not identify training needs just to get a list of activities for the future.
