Assignment guide: Training needs analysis

Portfolio Activity 3.41
The following activities will provide you with the draft content of the Training Needs Analysis section of your second assignment. As you work through each step of the activity, save your work. I would highly recommend that you keep a copy of your Training Needs Analysis in your Professional Practice Portfolio as an example of an actual Training Needs Analysis that you have conducted.
Training
Job analysis matrix
You need to start drafting your training needs analysis. You may need to take another look at the examples provided in section 3.

The first step is to prepare a job analysis matrix as recommended in earlier sections. Do this for each of the appointments/positions (the Who) that you identified in your SOP.
Job analysis data
From your SOP extract, for each appointment (the Who), make a list of the tasks that have been allocated to them (the What). Enter these in your job analysis matrix.

That was the easy part; now we have to consider the performance levels required, the current competencies of the task performer and, finally, the resultant training need.
Performance standard required
To a large extent you should be able to ascertain this information from your own experience of the organisation and the task/s concerned. If you have any doubts about whether the performance of the task requires supervision or not you should consult the managers and supervisors who have responsibilities in relation to the hazard.

One other possible source of this information may be the appointee’s/task performer’s job description which should show to whom, if anyone, he/she is responsible.
Current competency
As discussed in Section 3 you can use questionnaires to ascertain the current competency of the task performers. Remember to score the responses you receive from 1 to 3.
Identification of training need
Now by comparing the scores for standards required against current competencies you will be able to determine where a deficiency exists. Remember that there may be a more appropriate solution to the deficiency than training.
Develop training objectives
Refer back to your SOP and training needs analysis and prepare a training objective hierarchy to meet your training requirements. Don’t forget the relationship between job, duties, tasks and the three levels of training objective (terminal enabling and instructional).

Now, using your training objective hierarchy, develop at least one terminal objective and two enabling and two instructional objectives. Use the training objective format we considered in the Study Guide. Don’t forget to include knowledge, skills and attitudes in the remarks column of the format.

You may need to refer to section 4.
Write tests
Now take your terminal objective and one of your enabling or instructional objectives and write a written objective test for each. Your tests must include all types of written objective tests, i.e. true/false, multiple choice and missing word/s. Prepare a minimum of ten questions for each of your two objectives.

You may need to refer back to the section on preparing training syllabus.
Prepare a training block syllabus
Take the training objective hierarchy and training objectives you have developed and prepare a training block syllabus in the format discussed in the Study Guide. Remember to provide references where possible (you may have to refer to your SOP). The duration of the sessions is not critical but see if you can provide realistic estimates.

Where you decide to leave out any training objective from your syllabus, explain why you have done this and what, if any, other strategy you would recommend to cover the training need, i.e. aide mémoire, or example format etc.
Conduct training
Describe in your own words (no more than 300) the planning steps involved in preparing a training program.

Evaluate and validate training
Referring to the training objectives you wrote earlier prepare an internal validation questionnaire containing no less that eight questions. Remember that this questionnaire needs to cover all of the training objectives.

Now select one of your terminal objectives and develop an external validation questionnaire in relation to it.

Finally describe in your own words (no more than 300):

•	what you will do with the validation data you receive as a result of your validation program in relation to the training cycle.