How to… Purchase your training more effectively? Find out how to maximise returns from a restricted training budget. A Develop Training Publication - 2013 Contents 1. How will this Ebook benefit me? 2. Top 5 tips for maximising your training budget 3. What to do next… 1. How will this Ebook benefit me? Research undertaken by Develop Training, amongst our clients, confirms that all businesses increasingly look for training providers to offer good value for money. Develop Training understands this requirement and has a clear plan to help you get more from your training budget. We have therefore produced this Ebook to help you plan and manage your budget more effectively by following 5 easy tips. By the end of the Ebook you will be able to; Establish a clear understanding of the return on investment you want to receive from training. Carry out a cost effective training needs analysis (TNA) on your employees. Become fully aware of the available tools to assess the individual’s suitability to a particular role or course. Make informed decisions on delivery options. Encourage better returns from training through post course reinforcement. Purchase training more effectively. 2. Top 5 tips for maximising your training budget. Tip 1: Have a clear view of the return on investment you want to achieve from the beginning. It is best practice to think about the return you want to see from training before the event takes place. Engaging with the business problems at the start of a training requirement can help you to focus your efforts on the options that are of the most value to your business. It is recommended that you consider… What are the main reasons for undertaking this training at this time (both financial and non financial) Is it to… • • • • • • • • Deliver a business objective/need? Improve the skills and knowledge of your teams? Acquire specialist skills and knowledge in a chosen area? Gain specific qualifications/certifications? Help employees during promotion and career advancement? Remain compliant with legislation? Achieve cost savings? Respond to a directive from a statutory body e.g. the HSE? Once you have a clear view of ‘why’ you need the training, you will be better placed to make a decision on the type of training solution that will achieve the right return on investment for you. Develop Training can work with you to understand what you want to get out of the training intervention and advise on the most appropriate training route to meet your own objectives. Our dedicated Training Advisory and Delivery Teams are here to help you at this initial and crucial stage of your training journey. Please call 0800 876 6708 to find out more. Tip 2: Carry out a detailed training needs analysis (TNA) It is important to define what training each of your employee’s needs, by looking at the skills they require in their current and/or future role. Conducting a training needs analysis for each individual or group of employees will highlight where the biggest training requirement lies and help you to tailor your training budget to future needs and wants. Key questions to ask as part of a training needs analysis (TNA) are; 1. 2. 3. 4. What specific competencies are required in the role? What tasks have been identified to achieve those competencies? Does the individual match the knowledge, skills and attitude required to carry out the tasks? Are there any gaps in the individual’s knowledge, skills and attitude required to carry out the tasks and to be deemed competent in the role? 5. How do I fill in the gaps in knowledge, skills and attitude? 6. How does the TNA link with my companies business objectives? At this point, you will have a clear idea of what training interventions are needed, for each individual, to ensure they meet competency requirements across their range of operations. In 2014 we will be launching our online DIY L&D toolkit, where you will be able to access a template for a TNA. Please go to www.developtraining.co.uk and sign up, via ‘Log in +’, to our iDevelop member website, to receive updates on the launch of the tool. Tip 3: Pre-assessment of your employees At the start of any training intervention it is important to pre-assess your learners to make sure they are at the right level for the course in terms of skills and knowledge and they have the degree of experience required to complete the course successfully. This reduces the risk of ‘sheep dipping’ your staff and allows your training budget to go further by focussing training on those employees who really need it! Pre-assessment tools can also be used to; • • Determine if an individual has the right skills and attitudes for the tasks they are required to do. Test the knowledge and suitability of a new recruit in your business. Develop has assembled a number of pre-assessment tools as follows; Develop Trainings bespoke pre-assessment tools This tool allows you to test the individual’s knowledge and skills, before they attend a course, to ensure they have the right level of knowledge and experience to complete it successfully. The Risk Type Compass (RTC) This is a personality based assessment measuring individual risk tolerance. Risk Type assessments identify individual characteristics which have a persistent and pervasive influence on health and safety attitudes and on responses to H&S requirements. The results can be used to identify additional training requirements. Thomas International – Personal Profile Assessment (PPA) This tool provides you with a validated, non-critical behavioural analysis of a person, emphasising his/her strengths and capabilities in the work environment and against their roles and responsibilities. If the individual is being trained for a new appointment in the business, you may want to assess them via the PPA first to confirm if they have the right capabilities. PsyKey The test covers the main areas of ability typically assessed in selection processes, tapping in to the individual’s practical and numerical reasoning skills, and their vocabulary and verbal comprehension. The results can then be used to create training and development plans for your employees. Develop Training provide all of these assessments as part of their training solutions package, visit http://www.developtraining.co.uk/assessments.aspx to find out more about the assessments and the benefits they offer you. Tip 4: Work closely with Develop Training to select and plan your courses Develop Training takes an innovative approach to training by implementing a 3 stage process training model (see below) for all training requests which, when followed, will help you to purchase training more effectively. The approach sets out a route which delegates must move through to achieve 100% of the potential benefit from the training. Traditionally, 20% of the learning takes place at the pre-training stage, with 10% occurring at the time of delivery and 70% resting on the post event reinforcement. Develop Training’s ability to offer hands on/practical experience during the course delivery, reduces the reliance on post course reinforcement, to less than 50%. Here are a few points to consider when planning your training; Stage 1: Pre-course activity Work with Develop Training to understand what you want to achieve from the training and establish what training needs exist at an individual level (see tips 1 and 2 above for more information). Use the pre-assessment tools available at Develop Training to make sure employees are on the right course (see tip 3 for more information). Allow Develop Training to work with you to produce a training schedule that maps out your training requirements for the year ahead. Stage 2: Event Delivery Choose a delivery option that suits your business requirements, from open programme dates to courses delivered onsite at your premises. Don’t ‘sheep dip employees’ and make your budget go further (see above). Allow your employees to gain hands on/practical experience by booking a course with Develop Training. Enhance the benefit from the training by considering Develop Trainings optional attitude based training to ensure knowledge and skills are used correctly. Stage 3: Post- event reinforcement of training to achieve maximum returns on your training investment Develop Training can support you to encourage post course learning when the individual returns to work (see tip 5 for more information). Tip 5: Encourage post course reinforcement Research suggests that up to 70% of the learning takes place post course when the learner returns to the workplace. However, Develop Training’s hands on approach to training reduces this reliance to less than 50%. However, it is advised that the line manager meets with the employee post course to review the training and set actions to make sure new skills are put in to practice. There are other things that can be implemented to help cement and further develop the skills learned. This includes: • • • • • Buddy up learners with experienced members of staff so they can mentor them. Provide practical opportunities to practice and use the new skills in the workplace. For those that do not need to use their skills on a daily basis, look at opportunities where they can shadow other team members. Sign up to resources that aid continued professional development e.g. industry bodies and industry news/magazines. On site assessment from Develop Training (further details are available on request). Develop Trainings ability to offer hands on practical experience to delegates during the training (stage 2 of the process training model) means that the reliance on post course learning is reduced to 50%. This minimises the risk of loosing the benefit of the training when the individual returns to work. Develop Training is here to support you in deciding on the right routes to take. So if you are unsure about the best way to maximise post course learning, please let us know and our experienced trainers will be happy to talk through this with you. Call us on 0800 876 6708 to find out more. 3. What to do next… Contact Develop Training! Our experienced teams are happy to discuss all of the options available to you and provide support on planning and managing your training budget. You can get in touch with the team today by; Tel: 0800 876 6708 Email: [email protected] Website: www.developtraining.co.uk You can also sign up to our mailing list to be kept up to date with the latest news, advice and support from Develop: http://www.developtraining.co.uk/subscription