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Five Stages of the Training Process

Training and development is one of the important facets of HR. It is the acquisition of knowledge, competencies and skills after attending a training program that is related to one’s job fulfilment of tasks. The training is either before starting your new job in a company or for improvement in order for you to function well in your position.
Now, how does training takes place? You have come to the right page. This article will let you understand the five stages of the training process.
Stage One: You will identify the training needs.
The first stage of the training process is knowing, identifying or finding out the training needs. You may want to consider answering the following questions to help you identify the training needs:

1. What training is needed?
2. Who are the participants?
3. What are the profiles of the participants?
4. What are the reasons for conducting the training?
5. How will the training be conducted?
6. Is training the answer if there are any gaps in the performance of the target participants?
7. What is the expected outcome of the training?
8. How will it be measured if the training was successful or reached the requirements?

What you can consider as well is conducting a thorough training needs assessment to the intended participants. It is very crucial that you conduct a diagnosis and assessment for you to be able to come up with a program that will answer your needs and that will be truly beneficial to the intended participants.
Training needs assessment or TNA is very important because it requires time and resources. It will prevent you as well in committing errors such as giving the wrong programs to the participants.
Stage Two: You will design the solutions.
At this stage, you are now going to plan, design and develop the training. After assessing the needs of the target participants, you have to list first the training objectives, goals and rationale of the program. Based from the assessment you have done, identify what should be the result of the program or what are your expected results from the training.
The most important part in planning and designing the solutions is preparing the content of the program through initially preparing the course outline. This is your working blue print or your road map for your program.
You must answer the following questions when designing and planning your training program by considering the results of the assessment you have conducted:

1. Who are your participants? Will you be segregating your audience? For instance, you are to conduct business communication training courses. Will you be having basic and advanced sessions? According to the results of your TNA there are employees who know how to write professional email communication and just need to learn some techniques and strategies. On the other hand, there are employees who cannot write a simple email confirming a participation in a program. With these results, you have to prepare two separate programs.
2. Who are the best trainers to conduct the program? Trainers and facilitators have expertise and forte as well that’s why you have to think carefully who can conduct the program that will have the greatest impact to your participants.
3. What would be the techniques and methods that would be used for the program? Will there be simulation, hands-on, role play, group activities, case discussions, games and other activities. For example, the training will be on management and leadership. One technique to conduct the program is case discussions. There will situations and cases on management and leadership. Each participant will answer on their own first the guide questions then later on there will be with a group. Afterwards, there will be a class discussion on the results of each group.
4. What should be the level of the training program? Will it be basic, intermediate or advanced? For instance, you would want to train your employees how to speak Spanish for the upcoming visit of your major investors. Most of your employees do not have any background on the language. The appropriate level for them is basic or level 1.
5. Where and when the program will be conducted? Will it be allowed to conduct the training during operation hours or after? Will the training hamper the daily operations of the company? Will it be out of town or within the premises of the company?
6. What are the things needed in the program? Does it require machineries, equipment, software or a simulator room? For instance, the training will be on a new software that the company will be installing for the delivery of HR services like application of leaves, monitoring of attendance, salary statement and personal profile. You would need enough computers and licensed software to conduct the program.

Stage Three: You are now ready to deliver the training solutions.
At this stage, you have to make sure that the delivery of the training will provide the learners to learn and the program is effective. You have to choose and decide which technique and strategy that is appropriate in meeting the gaps and needs of the learners.
Stage Four: Application and monitoring of the training program in the work environment.
This stage of the training process is about making sure what the learners have learned from attending the program is applied and reinforced. At this stage, management plays an important role. They have to monitor the improvement and development of the learners. At this stage as well, the immediate supervisors must be reviewing the individual progress of the learners.
Stage Five: Evaluation of the training program solutions.

This is the final stage. You have to collect, analyse and present the information to prove that there have been changes and improvements to the learners’ performance upon attending the training program. You can either conduct tests, cost benefit analysis, comprehensive studies, interviews and questionnaires. For instance, the program that was conducted is about new software that was installed in each computer of the employees. The software will help employees upload, access and transfer files easily with the use of internet connections only. A questionnaire can be distributed to the employees on how the training helped them used the new software.