Executive Summary on Prerequisites of Training Need Analyses/ Assessment

Definition of TNA

A training needs assessment is the process by which we can determine what sort of

knowledge, skills, and/or abilities someone (maybe a worker) has that can be accomplished

via some sort of learning means. It’s a way of figuring out what needs the worker has that

can be fulfilled with training.

Training Need Assessment depends heavily on job performance or rather performance

problem. The needs analysis often reveals the need for well-targeted training areas. However,

training is not always the best way to try to close a particular gap between an organization’s

goals and its actual performance. Those conducting the needs analysis must get a clear idea of

the problem, look at all possible remedies and report on their findings to management before

deciding on the best solution. Very often there are non-training issues that are root causes for

perceived problems for example in case newly recruited sales representatives’ performance

gapes, which may occur due to improper selection methods and/or inadequate education or

nonexistence of sales aptitude at entry level.

Before training need assessment, a clear and well defined statement of performance

problems must be prepared. Indeed out of ten performance problems only one would be

training related: the performance problem could be solved by suitable training.

For establishing valid training need analyses, it is proposed to get independent/outsourced

biased free job evaluations and task analyses of agency system/ marketing executives for

diagnosing performance problems and then to sort training and non-training issues.

Levels of TNA

Training needs will differ with the backgrounds of the field workers to be trained, and their present status in the organization. Basically, a candidate for training may come from any one of three groups:

1. New Sales Representatives/ Freshly Promoted SO/SM (Focus on Orientation)

2. Old Sales Representatives/ SO/SM (Focus on Retention)

3. Trainees currently in the training pipeline (currently in the training program)

(Multiple focuses: at least a trainer may ask participants’ learning expectations)

Startup Questions for TNA/DNA

1. Do we train in compliance of some requirement or for identified performance gapes?

2. Do we have effective systems to record performance problems? Do we diagnose well?

3. Have we ensured timely recording of performance gapes in all those targeted field

workers? Do supervisory field officers have reporting systems to record and report

deficiency of transferable skills found in people working with them?

4. Have we benchmarked job specifications (education, aptitude, test and interview) with

our competitors and/ or rest of life insurance sector?

5. Have we analyzed our selection process to ensure we may select only suitable

candidates before we carry out TNA for freshly recruited SR’s?

6. Have we explored other management options for retention of experienced field

workers?

7. Have analyzed our performance problems and concluded validly that major reason of

performance is training related: lack of skills transferable through training?

Techniques for Determining Specific Training Needs

There are a number of practical methods we can use to gather data about workers’

performance. Each works well in given circumstances; therefore, we must determine which

one be the best for us. None of these methods can stand alone. So we have to use at least two,

if for no other reason to validate our findings. (Combination of methods is being proposed to

avoid perceptual errors.)

1. Job description (SR/SO/SM contracts are obligations not JD’s)

2. Observation

3. Interview

4. Surveys/ Questionnaires (Quantitative/Qualitative Feedback from Supervisors)

5. Task Analyses (Sales Cycle, Recruitment Stages)

6. The Difficulty Analysis (Which part of job, SR/SO find most difficult)

7. Drive Pattern Identity (What would bring quick results)

8. Analyze of Organizational Policies

9. Market Intelligence Reports/ Analyses of Competitors