Training Evaluation

_{“Disclaimer: Curated Content! This video is available for free here.”}

Imagine a world without exams. Sigh. But c'est la vie.

There is no use of training if we don’t measure the impact it has had. This impact can be measured on multiple levels -
Level One: Reaction of the participants (did they like the training?)
Level Two: Did they learn anything in the training (that they could remember even after the training had ended?)
Level three: Could they transfer the learning from the training to the real world?
Level four: Was there an impact on the business because of this?
Sounds logical, right?

This is exactly what the Kirkpatrick Model says. It comprises of four levels of evaluation.

Reaction: How favourably did the participants view the training?

This aims to get feedback about content, facilities, trainer, assignments, delivery methods, etc. These should be done immediately after training through surveys, questionnaires, etc.

Learning: Have the participants learnt through the training?

It can be done through interviews, surveys, tests, simulations, demo performance, observations.  To test KSA (Knowledge skills and attitude), achievement tests, performance tests and questionnaires can be used respectively. It is advised that these should also be done immediately after the training.

Behaviour: Has there been a change in the behaviour of the participant?

This should be tested after some time of training having been conducted. Usually, there is a pretest-posttest design for evaluation. It is also a good idea to conduct a retrospective survey - asking the training participants, and their supervisors and managers about the changes.

Results: Has the training accomplished it’s goals, leading to an impact on the business?

This should be done after some time has passed after the training. At times, it is hard to determine the exact effect of the training because there are multiple variables which play a role.

Recently, a new level has been added to this evaluation - Return on Investment of Training.
In order to calculate the Return on Investment of Training, it is important to determine what metrics will be used to track it. Say you run a customer service program for front line executives in a firm. How will you determine if the program has been worthwhile from a financial standpoint? You will fix different measures - say, increase in the service time of a customer. In this case, you will calculate the cost of the program against the benefit - the additional revenue gained through the improved service time.

The formula for ROI calculation is extremely simple -
Return on Investment = Change in Cost of Activity/Total Cost of Training x 100%

So dependent on this number, you will be able to say if the program is worthwhile for the company or not!

Key Takeaways:

1. Training is futile if we don’t measure its results.
2. Analysing reaction of employees to the training, measuring what they learnt, how they can apply the training to real life and the impact of training them on the business are the four levels of measuring the training effect.
3. In the recent times, HR also try to measure the actual monetary result by calculating the Return Of Investment on the training.

Commonly Asked Interview Question:

1. What are the different levels of training evaluation?

2. How can you determine if a training programme should be conducted or not?

Module Summary:

1. All our actions are determined by the environment, and the environments in which we have been in the past cause us to learn and respond to stimuli in a certain manner.

2. The objective of Training Needs Analysis is to traverse the distance between current capability and desired capability.

3. Analysing reaction of employees to the training, measuring what they learnt, how they can apply the training to real life and the impact of training them on the business are the four levels of measuring the training effect.

Up Next:

At the end of the day, even the most motivated employee is in the job for the money. Compensation is the most important step to retain the employees. In the next module, we will deal with the compensation aspect of HR.