Why should a training needs assessment(TNA)t be done before implementing any employee training exercise ?

Come on !!!! would you put gas into your car before checking it is full or not???

TNA is the starting standards that reveals missing abilities and knowledge in an emplyee and define the suitable traning that should be supplied.

Successful training programs are only as successful as the skill gap that they are filling. Training programs should provide the catalysts to propel the change-energy to developing entrepreneurial leaders well equipped to spearhead enterprise transformation and meaningful job creation.  Successful training programs w will provide on demand delivery of regionally relevant and impactful programs transferring immediately usable tools and universally recognizable skill acquisition and verification.  Adapting and marrying global best practices with regional cultural context will lead to the creation of a knowledge-based community motivated to elevate corporate culture and propel organizational success. 

Too often it is assumed that people know what you think they should know but I can tell you that more often than not there is a lack of knowledge among human resources that requires training. Rather than simply give you my version, I hope this resource will help:

The purpose of a training needs assessment is to identify performance requirements and the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed by an agency's workforce to achieve the requirements. An effective training needs assessment will help direct resources to areas of greatest demand. The assessment should address resources needed to fulfill organizational mission, improve productivity, and provide quality products and services. A needs assessment is the process of identifying the "gap" between performance required and current performance. When a difference exists, it explores the causes and reasons for the gap and methods for closing or eliminating the gap. A complete needs assessment also considers the consequences for ignoring the gaps.

• Organizational assessment evaluates the level of organizational performance. An assessment of this type will determine what skills, knowledge, and abilities an agency needs. It determines what is required to alleviate the problems and weaknesses of the agency as well as to enhance strengths and competencies, especially for Mission Critical Occupation's (MCO). Organizational assessment takes into consideration various additional factors, including changing demographics, political trends, technology, and the economy.
• Occupational assessment examines the skills, knowledge, and abilities required for affected occupational groups. Occupational assessment identifies how and which occupational discrepancies or gaps exist, potentially introduced by the new direction of an agency. It also examines new ways to do work that can eliminate the discrepancies or gaps.
• Individual assessment analyzes how well an individual employee is doing a job and determines the individual's capacity to do new or different work. Individual assessment provides information on which employees need training and what kind.

1. Determine Agency Benefits of Needs Assessment- this part of the process will sell and help the decision makers and stakeholders understand the concept of the needs assessment. Needs assessment based on the alignment of critical behaviors with a clear agency mission will account for critical occupational and performance requirements to help your agency: a) eliminate redundant training efforts, b) substantially reduce the unnecessary expenditure of training dollars, and c) assist managers in identifying performance requirements that can best be satisfied by training and other developmental strategies. To go beyond learning and actually achieve critical behaviors the agency will also need to consider how required drivers will sustain desired outcomes.

   Key steps include:

   • Identify key stakeholders
   • Solicit support
   • Describe desired outcomes that will contribute to mission objectives
   • Clarify critical behaviors needed to achieve desired outcomes
   • Define required drivers essential to sustain the critical behaviors
2. Plan- The needs assessment is likely to be only as successful as the planning.
   • Set goals/objectives for the needs assessment
   • Evaluate organizational (agency) readiness and identify key roles
   • Evaluate prior/other needs assessments
   • Prepare project plan
   • Inventory the capacity of staff and technology to conduct a meaningful training skills assessment and analysis
   • Clarify success measures and program milestones
3. Conduct Needs Assessment
   • Obtain needs assessment data (e.g., review strategic plans, assess HR metrics, review job descriptions, conduct surveys, review performance appraisals)
   • Analyze data
   • Define performance problems/issues: occupational group/individuals
   • Describe critical behaviors needed to affect problems/issues
   • Determine and clarify why critical behaviors do not currently exist
   • Research integrated performance solutions
   • If training is the best solution, determine best training and development approach(es)
   • Assess cost/benefit of training and development approach(es); build a "business case"
   • Include organizational drivers needed to reinforce the critical behaviors that will affect problems/issues
   • Describe how the critical behaviors will be monitored and assessed after implementation of the improvement plan

The results of the needs assessment allows the training manager to set the training objectives by answering two very basic questions: what needs to be done, and why is it not being done now? Then, it is more likely that an accurate identification of whom, if anyone, needs training and what training is needed. Sometimes training is not the best solution, and it is virtually never the only solution. Some performance gaps can be reduced or eliminated through other management solutions, such as communicating expectations, providing a supportive work environment, and checking job fit. These interventions also are needed if training is to result in sustained new behaviors needed to achieve new performance levels, for an individual, an occupation, or an entire organization.

You need to assess the needs of your employees in order to understand what type of training is required for them or else you might end up paying for the wrong type of training and increase your company's costs without benefit.

Also, when this assessment is done you might reduce the cost of training because you could discover that not all your employees need training!

Training should be focused on improving the worker hence there is need to assess what the worker should be trained in

Let me connect with the analogy when we have a fever and we visit the doctor for medication. Before prescribing the medicine dr. will first check our temperature and then decide what to prescribe so TNA helps us to identify the gaps in performance and then based on the gap we'll prescribe a solution. So, TNA help HR to suggest the best possible solution for filling the gap in performance.

Hope this help and do ask, if clarification required!

Base on my previous trainings that I have been attended,  we have given a particular topic to answer before the training sessions started, although it is already part of the proram however the Trainor will be able to do assessment of how far the knowledge of the trainee base on their answers. I assumed the attendees would have a general knowledge of the particular sessions.  In beginning of the training all the trainees are become active and alert. 

Traning of employees always been conducted according to the requirement of the institution which will be very helpful for enhancing the entire attitudes of the company and more fresh and trained employees are the strength of any institution. 

TNA is the starting standards that reveals missing abilities and knowledge in an emplyee and define the suitable traning that should be supplied.

To know What training and the level of person.

It opens innitials routes for the new staff to under go a process of understanding the company details policies, rules and regulations, main objectives.