Assessing Training Needs
Based on materials developed by
The Centre for Development and
Population Activities
(www.cedpa.org)
Learning objectives
• By the end of this unit participants will
be able to:
– explain how needs assessment helps in
development of a training event
– list the steps for conducting a needs
assessment
– identify the training needs of a specific
group
Question?
• Have you ever been in a situation where
– the facilitator spent a lot of time covering
material that you already knew?
– the material was far more in-depth or
complicated than you needed?
• How did this make you feel?
• How did this affect the group’s morale?
So, it is important to carry out
a training needs assessment
before undertaking training
Is training the right solution?
Training can help to:
– Increase knowledge
– Improve skills
– Support individuals
to motivate and
develop attitudes
Training can’t:
– Overcome lack of
appropriate
equipment or
facilities
– Improve problems
caused by poor
policies or
procedures
“Solutions to problems are like keys
in locks; they don’t work if they don’t
fit, and if the solutions aren’t the
right ones, the problem doesn’t get
solved”
(Mager and Pipe 1970)
How could you assess needs?
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Questionnaires/surveys
Observation
Interviews
Consult key stakeholders
Look at records and reports
Read job description
Case study
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Split into groups of 5 - 6 people
Read the case study + task description
Task 1: 15 minutes
Task 2: 15 minutes
Report back: 10 minutes
Whole group to identify and agree priority
training areas for the case study trainees
• Whole group to identify the steps taken to
determine training needs in this exercise
Reflection on case study
• Was it easy or difficult to determine
training needs?
• What might have made it easier to
identify needs?
• What needs, if any, cannot be met by
training?
Conclusions
• How do you think this exercise might be
useful to you when you design a training
session?
• Do you feel confident about conducting a
needs assessment for workshops in the
future?
• What part do you think will be most difficult?
• What part do you think will be the most
useful?
Further reading
• Brief overview of training process
– www.lboro.ac.uk/well/resources/technical-briefs/53-training.pdf
• Conducting a training needs
assessment by Jeanette Swist
– http://www.hrarm.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/training.pdf
• A manual for media trainers: a learner
centred approach
– www.unesco.org/webworld/publications/media_trainers/manual.pdf