Training Needs Assessment

Components of the Training Needs Assessment

Question 1

Training needs assessment (TNA) is a special process, which is made of a series of actions and changes. It is also widely accepted as an umbrella term, applied to understand the performance problems and introduce new systems and technologies. It is used to conduct the analysis of how the training can assist the organization procedure to achieve its target objectives.

The training needs assessment represents a vast field, which has its particular purposes and components. Deborah Tobey (2005) tried to identify the major goal of this term and stated that it is “the art and science of finding the right problems and understanding them fully” (p. 2). It is intriguing that she did not mention a single word about the notions of training, skills, or learning abilities. The reason for it is the fact that despite the provision of certain skills, the training needs assessment tries to ensure that the training is established based on the demands of a certain organization. Without estimating the actual needs of organizations, trainers risk designing redundant training, which has nothing to do with the burning issues of the organization. Moreover, there exists a possibility that the target audience will simply be unable to perceive it. Introducing the proper needs assessment assists the organization in grasping the real value of a training function and establish the right collaborative relationship with the client. The effective implementation of the training needs assessment consists of several consecutive steps, which include (Tobey, 2005, p. 3):

a) Providing a training program in the context of the organization’s aims and demands.

b) Finding out the specific needs of the organization, which assist to solve particular problematic issues.

c) Identification and capturing the skills, which are necessary for the learners’ jobs.

d) Provision of recommendations regarding the non-training issues, which have a substantial effect on the organization’s goals.

The objectives of the training need assessment underscore its significance. In order to understand this issue better, one has to analyze its components: The Focus Group and the Survey.

The Focus Group: it is one of the components of the training needs assessment, which gives people the opportunities to brainstorm their ideas and realize the potential of team involvement (Kamin, 2006, p. 17). It presupposes conducting interviews with the employees in order to gather the necessary data for the assessment. The American Society for Training and Development (2006) emphasizes that the major benefit of the focus groups is their assistance in the identification of the types of training, necessary for the employees and the conditions, which allow providing efficient training (p. 75). It helped find out the real and perceived training deficiencies. Deborah Tobey accentuates that it is important to choose the focus group on neutral turf in order to get sincere responses, which might bring more accurate data. Another advantage of the focus group to be discussed is the possibility of hypotheses development, which could be tested with a larger population. The disadvantages include time and resource consumption, difficulties in conducting the interviews with one facilitator only. Moreover, there exists a risk that a focus group may fall under the influence of certain members, and provide untruthful responses during the interviewing process. In such a case, the training needs assessment is conducted using false data and it affects the training, its impact on the audience, and its effect on the problem-solving process.

Surveys: these are structured interviews, applied to understand what trends emerge in the discussions. It assists in quantifying data with a broader population. The major advantages of the surveys are their inexpensiveness, easiness of the respondents’ participation, quick results, and an easy of their conduction process. The disadvantages of surveys lie in the difficulty of constructing the right questions. Moreover, the wording of the question should constitute the same meaning for all the individuals, who take part in a survey. There is a risk that the respondents may simply choose certain answers without reading the survey, and it may cause irrational outcomes. The most essential thing concerning the surveys is the right formulation of the question, as it leads to the right interpretation.

Justification of the Necessity to Conduct the Training Needs Assessment

There is a burning necessity to conduct the training needs assessment, as it provides an opportunity to resolve the existing problems (Ross and Nilsen, 2013, p. 398) The training needs assessment is useful, because it serves to tie the performance deficiency to the needs of the organization and to ensure that the training will produce the beneficial effects on all of the parties involved. It is helpful to understand what spheres need extra attention and why they are essential for the people. It aids in investigating weak and problematic issues and finding solutions to them. Training needs assessment enhances the aspects of the training methods and expedites the delivery of cost-effective opportunities. The TNA provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for successful performance within the organization (Harris, 2008, p. 191). As a mean of justification of training needs assessment, the method of comparison could be applied. It is worth analyzing the data of different companies before and after the training needs assessment is conducted. This method is efficient because it provides proof of the needs assessment’s effectiveness. Moreover, it could reveal the alterations in the performance of a certain group of people before the revelation of the problematic issues. The solutions in these cases are the training, which observes the difficulties, discuss them, and provide the ground for their elucidation.

Steps Taken for the Performance of the Training Needs Assessment

Deborah Tobey (2005) indicates that there are seven important steps for training needs assessment, which include 1) external and internal organization scan; 2) data collection and business needs identification; 3) potential training intervention identification; 4) collecting data to find out the performance level, learning, and learner needs; 5) data analysis; 6) data analysis feedback delivery; 7) training design process (p. 6). In order to understand all the peculiarities of the training needs assessment preparation process, one should discuss each of the steps, mentioned above, in detail.

Step 1. External and internal organization scan: this step presupposes conducting an accurate data gathering through the investigation of newspapers, annual reports, customer service data, strategic plans, and benchmarking. Researchers Snell and Bohlander (2006) state that it is significant to look into the upcoming training needs and understand the strategic goals, as well as their influence on the organization (p. 296). This stage might be called the analysis conduction stage.

Step 2. Data collection and business need identification: This stage involves obtaining the data after the internal and external scanning. In other words, it presupposes the validation of the existing needs and their linkage to the client’s final goal (Tobey, 2005, p. 3). The data obtained is necessary to identify the hurdles, which organization experiences on its ways to the desired goals. Understanding the needs help work out the ways for their achievement.

Step 3. Potential training intervention identification: This stage considers the training interventions, which might turn out beneficial for the existing demands. Deborah Tobey (2008) states that the primary objective of this phase is sharing “the discoveries that have been made during the organizational scanning” (p. 8).

Step 4. Collecting data to identify the performance, learning, and learner needs: This stage presupposes the analysis of the existing data in order to understand the level of job performance, the skills, and knowledge of the focus group, and the desired changes, which might be helpful for the achievement of the objectives. The assessment of performance and learner’s actual need is significant for working out the right training patterns, which will be interesting and simultaneously useful for the audience.

Step 5. Data analysis: this step is crucial, as it helps identify the existing gaps between the desired and current job performance, as well as demanded and current skills, along with the knowledge level (Tobey, 2005, p. 8). The estimation of these gaps allows the assessor to choose the right method to address them.

Step 6. Data analysis feedback delivery: during this phase, the assessor compiles a report, which manifests the needs and knowledge gaps of the focus group together with recommendations for the situation improvement. The evaluator should then explain to the client the existing problems, their possible consequences, and measures, which could be taken for their prevention.

Step 7. Training design process: this is the final stage and it requires working on the design of the training. The assessor should take into account the data, which he/she had obtained as a result of training needs assessment and apply it in the training process, to produce the targeted learning objectives.

In conclusion, it should be assumed that training needs assessment is a necessary and useful process, which assists to understand the problems, difficulties, and hurdles, as well as working out the methods of their overcoming. The training assessment could be manifested through surveys or interviews within the focus groups. The most essential thing is finding the knowledge and skills gaps, along with considering the ways of their elimination.

Question 2

Program Title: Information Security training

Program objectives:

• Raising the employees’ awareness with respect to the information security best practices;
• Pointing out the significance of corporate data and consideration of the possibility of insider threats;
• Explanation of the media and materials, which can lead to the information security violation;
• Description of all the forms of security threats and their adverse effect on the organization’s performance;
• Listing of all the responsibilities, which the employees carry with regards to the corporate information;
• Practical testing of the most common errors, which can be the cause of the information security violation
• Discussion of the possible punishments for the corporate information security violation.

Who Should Attend:

This program is created in order to raise the awareness of all the employees of the organization, as each of them may deliberately or accidentally cause the violation of corporate information safety. For that reason, all the employees of a particular organization have to be present during this training program.

Program content:

The program consists of seven discussion topics. They include:

Outcome

The major benefits which the individuals will acquire after attending the program will primarily include the raised awareness in the field of corporate information security. People will realize what actions may lead to information security violations, how programs could be used for such violations prevention, and what consequences might follow the common mistakes. It will help them be more attentive at work and treat corporate information more seriously. This program will be the first step towards the employees’ understanding of their responsibilities and the roles which they play in the company. Moreover, it could reveal their significance with respect to the organization and its performance.

Continuous Improvement

In order to continue improving the program, it is worth organizing certain pieces of training, where employees could be divided into teams and will have to find out the source of information security violation, the violator, and steps, aimed at avoiding negative consequences. It will provide them with practical knowledge in this field. Moreover, further program development could include the historical investigation, which will reveal the effects that famous companies have experienced after unauthorized access, as well as inside and outside threats. In the future, more emphasis on practice should be made. It could assist the employees not only in grasping the importance of corporate information security but also in realizing the extent of their consequences. The theoretical explanation does not allow them to realize the true power of information, and historical insight, linked to practical experience, will definitely raise the employees’ awareness.