Identification of Training Needs

Skill Gap Analysis: Identifying training needs begins with a skill gap analysis. This involves comparing an employee’s current skills and knowledge to the skills and knowledge required to perform their role effectively.
Performance Appraisals: Regular performance appraisals can highlight areas where an employee may be underachieving due to a lack of training.
Change in Role or Responsibilities: When an employee’s role or responsibilities change, they will often require additional training to perform effectively.
Technological Advances: As new technologies are introduced, employees may require training to understand and effectively utilise these technologies within their roles.
Legislation Changes: Whenever there’s a change in legislation, specific training may need to be provided to bring all staff up to standards of compliance.

Techniques for Identifying Training Needs

Employee Surveys: Employees can be directly surveyed to identify areas where they feel they would benefit from further training.
Management Observations: By observing their teams, managers can identify areas where training might be needed.
Customer Feedback: Negative customer feedback can be an indicator that some aspect of an employee’s performance needs improvement through training.
Task Analysis: This involves breaking down an employee’s role into its core tasks and assessing whether the employee has all required skills.
Competency Modeling: This approach maps the key competencies required in an individual’s role and assesses each role-holder against these.

Business Expansion or Contraction: When a business expands or contracts significantly, it will often lead to employees taking on new roles or responsibilities, necessitating new training.
New Products or Services: Rolling out a new product or service can require specific training to support its successful introduction.
Changes in Market Conditions: A change in market conditions can also necessitate different skill sets, dictating a change in training needs.
Technological Progression: The advancement in technology often requires ongoing training as new software and hardware is introduced into the workplace.
Regulatory Changes: Changes in the legal and regulatory environment can mean that different training needs to be given to employees to ensure compliance.