Welcome to the last module of People Analytics. You will learn about selecting and structuring training and development programs, as well evaluating their effectiveness. Training and development is one of the key components of human capital management and an important part of human resources expenses. Huge companies spend some 200 billion dollars annually on education programs. General Electric alone, for example, spends approximately $1 billion annually. How can we understand what, when, and how to teach our employees? What would be the best time and budget allocation? Corporate education learning needs come from organizational performance indicators. Depending on performance [INAUDIBLE] requirements, there can always be some space for improvements. In this module, you will learn how you should approach designing training and development programs, and evaluate their outcomes. Generally, every training program consists of several components. First, assessing learning needs. For example, one may need to improve project management skills to improve performance. Two, clearly defining learning objectives. For example, the program participants are expected to learn and master certain specific new skills. Three, organizing and running the training program itself. Four, evaluating program outcomes in terms of learning the results and business performance changes. And finally five, making adjustment to the program to improve learning outcomes and return on investment and perhaps further learning improvements. Assessing the learning needs, based on business objectives, is the first step in putting together a development program. There are three steps in this process. Step one is organizational assessment. This type of assessment analyzes the effectiveness of the organization as a whole and identifies any discrepancies. It is used to uncover competencies, knowledges, and skills that are needed by the company to bridge the gaps. Organizational assessment should also take into account external factors, such as economy, environmental policies, technological advancement, changing workforce demographics, et cetera. These assessments determine whether training is needed, how it will be conducted and when. Organizational assessments answer two critical development planning questions. First, where in the organization is training most required? Two, will the training be effective if implemented, meaning, will it actually fill the gaps? After all, if your company purchased an airplane and there are no pilots in your organization, it is probably reasonable to hire one, not to train one of your staff members to get a license. Step two is task assessment. The task assessment gathers information about a particular job function or occupational group in your company. This analysis focuses on the key tasks, competencies, and skills required to perform the job at the most efficient level. Using job descriptions, skill analysis and job inventory questionnaires, these assessments are used to discover specific training needs. This type of analysis is particularly useful if an organization is moving in a new direction or undergoing restructuring. Again, the assessment is used to determine if there are any gaps between existing competencies, and those needed to improve performance. Task assessments answer the following planning question. What skills and/or behaviors must be acquired in this job function? Step three, individual assessment. The individual assessment focuses on particular employee to discover how well they are performing. This type of assessment determines the individual's existing skills and competencies that are in style and capacity for new work. The individual analysis identifies who within the organization requires training and what kind of training is needed. 360 degree evaluations are useful as individual assessments since they identify the employee's strengths and areas for improvement with regards to competencies, skills and behaviors. The individual assessment forms the basis for creating a customized training and development plan for the employee. These assessments answer the following key development questions. First, does the employee have the necessary skills? Second, what training will be helpful for the employee to acquire the necessary skills? Observation of the behavior demonstrated at the workplace is an important instrument of assessing improvement needs. It is also important to relate knowledge levels.
