Businesses across many industries must adapt quickly to change. To keep up, training programs have to change, too. Having clear and actionable training goals helps you pivot your business when unexpected circumstances arise. Follow these steps:
Identify Training Needs
A training need exists when employees lack the knowledge or skill set to perform their job duties. Effective training goals must meet the needs of your operation on multiple levels. Conduct a gap analysis to identify your highest training priorities.
Focus on Actions
Once you identify specific training needs, think about the actions that will fulfill those needs. It’s not about what employees know, it’s about what they can do. Whether it’s a quick online learning course or larger scale program, write down what you want to happen after the training. For example, when training employees on problem-solving with customers, your training goal might say something like, “Employees will address and solve customer issues using the LEAST problem-solving technique.”
Be Specific
For more broad training programs, break your training goals down into specific segments of bite-sized learning objectives. A learning objective for foodservice training, for example, might be “employees will be able to complete the steps for prepping and cleaning the roller grill.” Having smaller goals that contribute to your overall goal will help you track your progress.
Measure and Reinforce
Each training goal should be easy to evaluate. As employees accomplish specific learning objectives, evaluate them with quizzes, role-plays, and “what if?” scenarios to make sure they understood and retained what they learned.
Training Goals and Your LMS
The right learning management system (LMS) can help you manage your training by streamlining training and administrative tasks and identifying employees who need one-on-one coaching.
