How to know if your employee training is up to scratch

Providing a great training program to your employees not only shows a solid commitment to promoting workplace wellbeing, but it also improves productivity, enhances service delivery and increases employee satisfaction and retention. 

But once you have your learning and development strategy figured out, and the workshops and classes are up and running, how do you know if the training content is hitting the right notes and what do you do about it if it isn’t? 

From identifying the best metrics to asking your team the right questions, read on to discover how to tell if your employee training provision is up to scratch. 

Use The Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model

The Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model is a simple, 4-level approach to evaluate training and is one of the most successful models available to measure the effectiveness of customized corporate training programs. 

Here are the four levels of measurement and the key indicators to look for at each level.

Level 1 - Reaction

Level 1 measures how learners have reacted to the training, and assesses the relevance and usefulness of the training. It’s a good idea to distribute surveys, and questionnaires or talk directly to learners before and after the course to get feedback on what they thought about the training. 

Questions and topics could include: 

• Was the course content relevant and easy to follow?
• Feedback about the learnings and key takeaways.
• What were the strengths and weaknesses of the program?
• Whether the training was at the right pace and in the optimum learning style. 

Level 2 - Learning

Level 2 helps you measure the knowledge and skills gained by learners as a result of the training. To measure this level, you can use a combination of metrics such as:

• Test scores during and after the training
• Evaluation of applied learning projects
• Influence on performance KPIs
• Course completion and certification
• Supervisor report and feedback

Level 3 - Behavior

By the third level you can get a good understanding of how the training has impacted the learner’s performance and their attitude and experience at work. These can be evaluated using a combination of these methods:

• Self-assessment questionnaires
• Informal feedback from peers and managers
• Focus groups
• On-the-job observation
• Actual job performance key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Customer surveys, comments, or complaints

Here are some topics to cover in your assessment:

• How has learning been implemented at work?
• Are the learners confident to share their new skills and knowledge with their peers?

• confident to share their new skills and knowledge with their peers?

Level 4 - Results

At level 4 you can measure the tangible results of the training. This could include (but is not limited to) cost reductions, ROI, improvements in quality, faster project completion or, increased productivity, employee retention, better marketing leads, increased sales, and higher morale. Key metrics to measure are:

• Improved business results
• Increased productivity and quality of work
• Employee retention
• Higher morale
• Customer satisfaction index

Some dos and don'ts

Getting training programs right isn’t easy. Every person has different speeds and preferences and ways of learning they respond to better than others. Plus, it is not always possible to get honest feedback when you need it. Don’t worry if you don’t nail it the first time, or even the tenth or twentieth! The important thing is to keep talking to your team and to keep abreast of new training approaches and technologies that might suit your business and your team. 

Here are a few tips to help you on the path to training success.

DO set clear expectations. 

People need to understand what your goals and expectations are from the training. They need to know what the business objectives are (to a point) when the training will be carried out, how this will affect their usual workload, who will be conducting the training and how or whether they will be evaluated. 

DON’T neglect your own training needs. 

Even management or people who have been in a role for decades benefit from training. It keeps our minds sharp, makes us reevaluate what we know and don’t know and sets a good example for our team. 

DO keep your promises. 

If you have promised ongoing learning and development opportunities at the onboarding stage or at any point in a colleague’s career you must honor it. If your budget is unexpectedly depleted and you just can’t manage it anymore, have an honest discussion with your employee and arrange for in-house training or mentorship instead. 

DON’T compare your team members. 

This can be really tricky - you are tasked with evaluating them after all! Keep in mind that every learner progresses at different speeds and everyone has different approaches. Just because one person races through the training program and gets top masks at the evaluation stage doesn’t mean they will get the most out of the training or that their way or working is one for others to emulate. 

If a colleague doesn’t manage to complete the program in the allotted time then ask why before reprimanding them. If there is a better way for them to take new information on board it is up to you as their manager to find it. 

We hope this guide on how to know if your employee training is up to scratch has given you some useful ideas on how to improve your learning and development program. The fact that you are reading this shows you are a conscientious and caring manager so if things don’t go your way in the first instance, stick at it. Your team and your business will benefit in the long run, you just have to find the approaches that work best. 

If you would like to find out more about finding and retaining the top procurement and supply chain talent throughout the US, contact our team today. We would love to help.