11.3 Training Delivery Methods

Step 1: Needs Assessment

The first step in developing a training program is to determine exactly what the organization needs in terms of training. There are three levels of training needs assessment: organizational assessment, occupational (task) assessment, andindividual assessment.

1. Organizational assessment. In this type of needs assessment, we can determine the skills, knowledge, and abilities a company needs to meet its strategic objectives. This type of assessment considers things such as changing demographics and technological trends, and is forward-looking. To perform an organizational assessment, one can look at future trends and the overall company’s strategic plan. HR managers can also see how jobs and industries are changing. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the use of technology much more important than in the past. Some individuals are working from home and some will continue to work from home going forward. Overall, this type of assessment looks at the types of KSA’s that will be needed for the success of the organizations and whether training can help in developing them.
2. Occupational (task) assessment. This type of assessment looks at the specific tasks, skills knowledge, and abilities required to do the different jobs within the organization. Data for this step can come from a review of performance evaluations that can uncover a pattern where employees in specific jobs are not meeting expectations. As a result, this may provide data as to where your training is lacking.
3. Individual assessment. An individual assessment looks at an individual employee’s performance and determines what training should be provided for that individual. If an organization relies on technology, they must assess each employee’s level of comfort with the new technology.

Step 1: Learning Objectives

After you have determined what type of training should occur, learning objectives for the training should be set. A learning objective is what you want the learner to be able to do, explain, or demonstrate at the end of the training period. Good learning objectives are performance-based and clear, and the result of the learning objective can be observable or measured in some way. Examples of learning objectives might include the following:

1. Be able to explain the company policy on sexual harassment and give examples of sexual harassment.
2. Be able to show the proper way to take a customer’s order.
3. Perform a variety of customer needs analyses using company software.
4. Understand and utilize the new expense-tracking software.
5. Explain the safety procedure in handling chemicals.
6. Be able to explain the types of communication styles and strategies to effectively deal with each style.
7. Demonstrate ethics when handling customer complaints.
8. Be able to delegate to employees effectively.

Once we have set our learning objectives, we can utilize information on learning styles then to determine the best delivery mode for our training.

Step 2: Learning Strategies or the Psychology of Learning

Learning styles refer to individual preferences in how people learn new material. The concept of learning styles has gained much popularity in training circles and a whole industry has been built around this concept. Unfortunately, the research evidence supporting the concept is very weak.^[1] However, this is not to say that psychological principles do not play a role in the effectiveness of training. Learning strategies refer to techniques that have been proven to facilitate learning and increase the effectiveness of training programs. These strategies are based on known psychological processes to enhance the retention of learned material.

Step 3: Delivery Mode

Depending on the type of training that needs to be delivered, you will likely choose a different method to deliver the training. An orientation might lend itself best to vestibule training, while sexual harassment training may be better for web-based training. When choosing a delivery mode, it is important to consider learning objectives, the audience, and any budget constraints.

On-the-Job Coaching

On-the-job coaching is one way to facilitate employee skills training. On-the-job coaching refers to an approved person training another employee on the skills necessary to complete tasks. A manager or someone with experience shows the employee how to perform the actual job. The selection of an on-the-job coach can be done in a variety of ways, but usually, the coach is selected based on personality, skills, and knowledge. This type of skill training is normally facilitated in-house. The disadvantage of this training is that success revolves around the person delivering the training. If he or she is not a good communicator, the training may not work.

Mentoring

Web-Based

Web-based training delivery has several labels: e-learning, Internet-based, computer-based, or technology-based learning. Regardless of the terminology used, any web-based training involves the use of technology to facilitate training. There are two types of web-based learning. First, synchronous learning uses instructor-led facilitation. Asynchronous learning is self-directed, and no instructor facilitating the course. There are several advantages to web-based training. First, it is available on-demand, does not require travel, and can be cost-efficient. However, disadvantages might include an impersonal aspect to the training and limited bandwidth or technology capabilities. ^[2]

Web-based training delivery lends itself well to certain training topics. For example, this might be an appropriate delivery method for safety training, technical training, quality training, and professional training. However, for some training, such as soft-skills training, job skills training, managerial training, and team training, more personalized methods may be better for delivery. However, there are many different platforms that lend themselves to an interactive approach to training, such as Sun Microsystems’ Social Learning eXchange (SLX) training system, which has real-time video and recording capabilities. Hundreds of platforms are available to facilitate web-based training. Some companies use SharePoint, an intranet platform, to store training videos and materials.^[3] Moodle, Blackboard and Angel (used primarily by higher education institutions) allows managers to create training modules, which can be moderated by a facilitator or managed in a self-paced format.

In terms of web-based delivery, advances in virtual reality have the potential to transform how training is done. Virtual reality allows the training to take place in a simulated environment, reducing costs, and in some cases, reducing the risks associated with learning on the job.

Job Shadowing

Job shadowing is a training delivery method that places an employee who already has the skills with another employee who wants to develop those skills. Apprenticeships use job shadowing as one type of training method. For example, an apprentice electrician would shadow and watch the journeyman electrician perform the skills and tasks and learn by watching. Eventually, the apprentice would be able to learn the skills to do the job alone. The downside to this type of training is the possibility that the person job shadowing may learn “bad habits” or shortcuts to perform tasks that may not be beneficial to the organization.

Step 4: Budget

Training programs can be very expensive and HR managers are often required to have a detailed budget before implementing them. According to the 2017 State of the Industry report from the Association for Talent Development, organizations spend an average of $1,273 per employee for direct learning expenditures. If we extrapolate this figure for a large company like CAE, which is headquartered in Montreal (10,000 employees), you get an approximate training budget of $13 million!^[4] Thus, tight budgeting is important for organizations to obtain the maximum value from their investment in training. Budgeting for training programs should include direct costs such as travel, trainers’/programmers’ fee, training material, and catering. It should also consider the time of employees. If employees are in training for two hours, the cost to the organization of them not performing their job is an indirect cost of training.

Step 5: Content Development

The content that HR managers want to deliver is perhaps one of the most important parts of training and one of the most time-consuming to develop. Development of learning objectives and content development go hand-in-hand. The things you want your learners to know after the training makes for more focused training. Think of learning objectives as goals—what should someone know after completing this training? Here are some samples of learning objectives:

1. Be able to define and explain the handling of hazardous materials in the workplace.
2. Be able to utilize the team decision process model.
3. Understand the definition of sexual harassment and be able to recognize sexual harassment in the workplace.
4. Understand and be able to explain the company policies and structure.

After the objectives and goals have been developed, HR managers can begin to develop the content of the training. Consideration of the learning methods you will use, such as discussion and role-playing, will be outlined in the content area.

Step 6: Timelines

For some types of training, timelines may be required to ensure the training is completed within a specified period of time. This is often the case for safety training. In other words, in what time frame should an employee complete the training?

Operations Manager Toolkit

• Ontario Health and Safety Training

 

Another consideration regarding timelines is how much time you think you need to complete the training. Perhaps one hour will be enough, but sometimes, training may take a day or even a week – it may also have to be repeated annually with refreshed content (e.g., safety regulations). After you have developed your training content, you will likely have a better idea as to how long it will take to deliver. The time demands of any training must be integrated with the employee(s) work schedule to ensure the least amount of disruption to production and job demands.

From a long-term approach, it may not be cost-effective to offer an orientation each time someone new is hired. One consideration might be to offer orientation training once per month so that all employees hired within that month are trained at the same time. Developing a standard training schedule allows for better better planning and scheduling for employees and managers.

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“Employee Training” in Human Resources Management – 2nd Ontario Edition by Elizabeth Cameron is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.