DON’T PUT THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE

Those organizations that desire to get the most out of their training initiatives will routinely begin with an appropriate Skills Assessment!

Unfortunately, few organizations commit to that practice — and, that is to their detriment.

If you don’t start every training initiative with a valid skills assessment, you are seriously wasting your organization’s money.  Some of the trainees you are forcing into a “one size fits all” training approach, already possess many of those skills and are, therefore, more valuable to your company out on the shop floor.

Other individuals, whom you believe already possess the necessary skills, actually do not and are, therefore, either performing some of their tasks incorrectly and/or are wasting time through a “trial and error” approach.

So, how do you approach skills assessment with your workforce?

Christoforos Pappas in an article for eLearning Industry champions a valid approach:

Focus on job-specific skills.
 “Rather than testing generic skills that every employee should know, try to focus on job-specific skills assessments that are based on work responsibilities and everyday tasks. Essentially, you want to concentrate on skills that actually matter and directly relate to their on-the-job performance. You can discover which skills are truly important by observing them in the workplace, speaking with their supervisors, and conducting surveys.”  

There are three major reasons to begin every training initiative with a thorough Skills Assessment:

  • The need to keep up with rapid change and the global marketplace, both of which place premiums on efficient and effective task performance.
  • The need for a proven approach to upgrade skills within budget and just in time is necessary in order to positively impact business performance.
  • The need to use a targeted approach in order to provide the right training, to the right learner, at the right time.

The attributes you should require when selecting an on-line Skills Assessment Test are:

  • That it is an integrated system designed to analyze, develop and assess facility training needs and one that will assign the right type of instruction to a specific task.
  • That it provides the means to determine the right training for the right worker at the right time, using the right method.
  • That it is scalable and customizable in order to address specific needs.
  • Tat it is designed to enable organized learning within a specified period of time in order to enhance the development of all workers.

An excellent on-line Skills Assessment can optimize human performance while, simultaneously, achieving your desired business goals and priorities.  The more knowledgeable trainers will routinely commence their training initiatives with a thorough Skills Assessment. 

That should always be your starting point.  It will save your organization significant time and money.  It’s where the wise trainers begin their development process.

More on Monday  –  –  –

   — Bill Walton, co-Founder, ITC Learning

October 4, 2017

      www.itclearning.com/blog/  (Mondays & Wednesdays)

 “THE WORLD RELIES ON THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”

 

(This is a personal blog.  Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the blog owner, jhbillwalton@gmail.com, an independent consultant.  They do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in a professional or personal capacity.)