Life Cycle of Employee (Phyllis Young)

Page 1 of 3 Applications in Training and Development

©2013 Argosy University

The Training Cycle Training can best be described as a process and can be simply illustrated in the following diagram. Review each phase of the training cycle.

Business Plan A business plan provides training and development (T&D) professionals with the overall goals of the organization. Without the knowledge of the business plan, T&D professionals cannot effectively develop programs to support organizational objectives. Training Strategy and Policy

This is the T&D professionals’ statement of their role in the organization. In essence, this is what they will do for the organization and includes:

The T&D’s mission

The T&D’s objectives and goals

The T&D’s policy procedures

Training Needs Analysis

The fundamental principles governing every training needs analysis are:

Evaluating what the organization is doing now

Page 2 of 3 Applications in Training and Development

©2013 Argosy University

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The Training Cycle

Comparing this to what the organization aims to do in the future

Analyzing the reasons for the performance gap (what is expected versus what is actually happening)

Identifying the types of training interventions that might bridge the gap between the current and expected performance

The training needs analysis is fundamental in ensuring that the identified training is meeting the business needs. Training Plan

For a T&D plan to be effective, there must be:

Allocation of specific responsibilities for drawing up and implementing plans

A clear link to the business plan and the identified training needs

A process to ensure operational managers and T&D personnel work together to agree upon the training outcomes and the manner in which these will be evaluated

Integration of the plan with the training policies and procedures

For every planned training intervention, the following should be outlined:

The reason for the training intervention, and the intended outcomes for both the participants and the organization

The staff for which the training is intended

The learning objectives, content, and method of delivery and the people responsible for designing, organizing, and delivering

The cost of training and the implications of required resources

The time and venue of the training

The manner in which the intervention will be evaluated

Implementation of Training

Some issues for consideration here are:

How are company policies, procedures, and standards documented? How does training content reflect these?

Who carries out training operations? How are trainer skills developed in these people, and how are these skills supported?

Where external trainers are used, and how are their training abilities assessed?

Where is training carried out?

How are trainees briefed before and after training interventions?

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©2013 Argosy University

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The Training Cycle

How is the work of the trainees covered during the training?

How are expenses dealt with for off-site training?

Who is responsible for setting up training facilities and equipment?

How is training recorded—manually or via a software package?

Evaluation of Training

Evaluation of the training takes place after the training session is over. To be effective, you should consider the following:

Administer the evaluation at the end of the training session to ensure that you capture the experience of the attendees.

Consider a six-month postevaluation to measure whether or not the training retained its impact from the initial experience.

Compare your first evaluation to your postevaluation to see whether your training had a long-term impact.