We all remember the iconic image of 11 workers sitting on a beam, 69 floors high of an under-construction Empire State Building in 1931. We remember that image for many different reasons, mostly positive, but from a safety perspective, we remember it for one thing and one thing only – how unsafe the work practices used to be. Not just that, but safety experts have been using that image as what ‘NOT TO DO’ at work in their safety seminars and training.
We have to agree that we once lived in a dangerous and risk-prone era, where the word safety was replaced with, ‘Ahh… you can do it, you’ll be just fine!’ The truth is, we have come a long way, and if we were to repeat the history of that iconic image, we would only allow those workers to be up there if they all had double fall protection at the very least.
How did we cover such a gap in behavior and culture? How did we manage to embed this mindset in employees? I believe training has been a crucial link in that chain. For years, training has been the key tool utilized by employers to revolutionize work culture. The time has finally come where the script has already been written, but the need now is to cross the ‘t’s’ and dot the ‘i’s’. Providing training is no longer the challenge for employers – conducting effective and successful training is. And the mantra to achieve that is Training Need Identification (TNI).
TNI is a systematic approach for determining what training is required to bridge the gap between what employees know and what they need to know. Most employers conduct training programs with the expectation that their effectiveness will come from the trainer, but the reality is that the success of the training program begins with the employer assessing the Training Needs Identification before the training and clearly communicating it with the trainer to ensure efficiency.
Employer Training Needs Identification can be conducted in 6 steps, which include:
- Organization Need Gap Analysis – Where does the organization stand and what goals or targets do they expect to achieve from this training program specifically?
- Competency/Skill Analysis – Assess the skill and competency levels of employees and select the training group accordingly.
- Performance Gap – Identify any lack of performance among employees and the root cause of it. Based on performance evaluation, categorize who requires refresher training and who will need full exposure.
- Training Methods – Identify which training methods would be most efficient for the selected group based on the skill analysis. For example, should the focus be on theoretical knowledge, hands-on practical demonstrations, visual effects/animations, or group behavior activities, etc.?
- Cost-Benefit Analysis – Evaluate the cost of the training and compare it with the potential returns the company can gain from the program. For example, an in-house Forklift training program can reduce the number of incidents, along with direct and indirect costs.
- Training Evaluation – What monitoring tools are available to measure the effective performance of the training as part of continuous improvement?
In conclusion, by performing Training Needs Identification prior to every training, the employer can not only increase the effectiveness of the program but can also transform the behavior of employees. Isn’t that what we are aiming for – a change in employees' behavior? What do you think?
For more details on effective training programs, visit Core EHS Training Services.
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