ALL Training Should be Applicable to the Employees Attending the Training

April 15, 2011

Last year, I attended a meeting where the presenter gave some dismal information about the percentage of training that can be applied to an employee’s daily job activities. It was somewhere between 45% and around 65%. So, what’s the big deal. If the employee attending training makes $20 per hour and 2 hours of the training are not applicable, you are only wasting $40. But, multiply that by 20, 40 or 100 employees attending training and the waste adds up.

From my perspective, anything under 100% applicable is not acceptable. Why spend time and money bringing people into a classroom, out of their revenue generating jobs, to provide information that they may not be able to use when they return to work?

So, now that I have shared my opinions on this…how do you design and deliver training that is 100% applicable and brings desired business results?

Here are some questions we ask when our clients are considering a new training program to ensure that the time their employees spend in the classroom is applicable to their jobs:

“What is the business issue to address?’

“What do you want my employees to be able to do differently when the training is complete?”

“What do your employees need to know to be effective in their jobs?”

“Which employees specifically should be attending this training?”

“How does each group of employees differ in their needs?”

“How does this training align with the employees job description or the company values?”

“How will you know the training is a success and immediately applicable?”

The next post will focus on how to design the training. Definitely let us know your thoughts on this and if you have any questions for your specific business.

Tags: instructional design, Instructional systems design, needs assessment, train trainer

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