Training Evaluation - Why Do It?
Learn why Training Evaluation is so important to you, your staff and your business and why, if done correctly, it can be a powerful tool
How do you know your staff training is having a positive impact on your business? How do you know if it’s working? Can you prove or measure it? Why should you want to evaluate your training and how do you go about it?
6 Excellent Reasons For Evaluating Training
•Checking impact on job and business performance
•Maintaining staff motivation
•Tracking development of staff knowledge and skills
•Informing future training investment decisions
•Justifying/expanding training budgets
•Identifying high/low-performing courses
Although courses are generally evaluated on how well the trainer performed and how much the learner felt they had learned from the training undertaken, rarely is the impact on the learner or their organisation ever followed-up or quantified. If your business had its own process in place to evaluate how effectively this learning impacted on your business as a whole, you would have a very powerful tool for informing your training strategy and ultimately your business plan.
Training And Evaluation Should Be A Continuous Cycle
Similarly, if the outcomes of a learning programme are not as expected, the model provides the evaluator with a diagnostic framework. By checking back through responses to the evaluation at each of the levels the evaluator should be able to identify any key barriers to training effectiveness and impact.
The Kirkpatrick ROE Model
In recent years the model has evolved to become both more sophisticated and more powerful.
The focus of the updated ‘Return on Expectations’ or ‘ROE’ model, focuses on ensuring that training objectives are strategically relevant to the organisation in the first place, clearly defining the expectations of the outcomes of the training, and then evaluating against both the training objectives and the agreed expectations.
The main principles of the ROE model can be summarized as follows:
• Business/organisational objectives are seen as a starting point - To ensure training processes deliver real value to the organisation it is critical to establish what the organisation’s strategic objectives are and precisely how the training should contribute to their achievement.
• ‘Return on Expectations’ (ROE) is key – Clarify with stakeholders what the expectations are regarding training outcomes. Clear and precise success indicators should be developed in line with these expectations. The training evaluation should then assess and report on both the actual changes that have come about as a result of the training and the extent to which these changes have met the organisation’s expectations.
• Collective efforts are needed throughout an organisation to achieve success For training to achieve a positive ROE, team leaders, managers and others in an organisation all need to be involved in supporting the training process before, during and after training begins. They can do this by, for example, helping prepare participants for training; providing support/coaching and, crucially, providing the opportunities to apply, consolidate and reinforce what has been learnt in the workplace after the formal training has ended.
Training Evaluation Software Packages
There are many software packages out there to help you on your way, but the two I use for my business are TrainingCheck.com and ClarityCX. TrainingCheck.com have embedded the Kirkpatrick ROE model into their software package, providing a powerful framework for evaluating training impact. What I like about it is that it allows the follow-up evaluation to be carried out back at the office after the training, allowing time for reflection and honest feedback. It also allows that three-way process of effective communication and continuous improvement between training provider, trainee and the organisation. It's very easy to compile and the software will collate all sorts of information and evidence for you and the business. It is also a powerful tool for demonstrating value for money of the training provided. If you wish to use it yourself for in-house training then the basic free package is more than adequate.
For more information see the TrainingCheck website. They provide a full tour of the software and explanation of how much extensive research has gone into this product http://www.trainingcheck.com/training-evaluation/
ClarityCX (https://ClarityCX.co.uk) provide a bespoke outsourced service for training evaluations. Through consultation and guidance, an electronic feedback form is built that is specific to your training and the outcomes you wish to measure. They will then host your form for free, to be used on a ‘pay as you go’ basis at each event. The service enables you to fully outsource the feedback distribution (and follow up reminders to non-responders!) as well as receiving a suite of reports for each workshop.
Repeat evaluations can be sent to measure the training benefits over a longer period and a dashboard of all your previous events is also maintained. This ensures you can call upon a variety of individual or consolidated analytics, trends and statistics, to reaffirm the value of the training delivered, at any time.
Prices for this fully outsourced training evaluation capture and reporting service are typically around £75/event. To find out more, contact Teresa@ClarityCX.co.uk.
And one final thought - Remember… Training is only worth the money if your staff retain and use the learning. For more on this subject see my upcoming article on Learning Retention.
And Finally, Why not connect with me on LinkedIn?
About the Author: Gabby Prowse Training & Consultancy helps and supports Practice Managers and their teams with challenges such as communication, team building and performance, assertiveness, dealing with challenging people, enhanced collaboration and conflict resolution She is also a certified TetraMap facilitator, a powerful profiling tool that enables individuals and teams to assess their behaviours and motivators, build trust, lessen conflict and help with motivation and assertiveness.