In order to plan the most effective skills strategies, organisations must understand which approaches have been the most effective; therefore, measuring the effectiveness of training programs provides valuable data.

Our approach

Measuring the effectiveness of training has long been recognised as difficult and time-consuming. In fact, because the benefits of training are so tightly ‘embedded’ into a business and there are many things to measure, a point can be quickly reached at which the benefits of having comprehensive data is outweighed by the cost of acquiring it. Our approach is to determine which data will be genuinely valuable to the business and then provide the most sensible way of acquiring that information.

As with any measuring process, it is impossible to measure without a benchmark reference. Therefore, if the effects of training are to be measured, it is necessary to perform measurements before the training taking place – to act as the reference point.

A practical approach is to measure the skills of employees before training and then again afterwards. This provides a reliable way of plotting progress and also of identifying areas in which training has not been as successful as expected, so that remedial action can be taken.

Knowledge Age starts by agreeing, with the client, on just what the measurement criteria are – what needs to be measured. Then, a mechanism for measurement can be proposed, agreed on and implemented. Reports, in an agreed format, provide valuable client data, but, more importantly, Knowledge Age can add commentary to those reports, with recommendations for adjustments to the training, which will deliver better results.

Too often the approach to the overall training and learning strategy is vague leaving last minute or on-the-job training the only option. In some situations this is adequate, but a cohesive strategy will often be more cost effective in the long term and provide your team with an understanding of how their career development fits with the business strategy.

Knowledge Age can work with HR, Training and IT departments, as appropriate, to develop a Training and Learning Strategy that is pragmatic and in-line with the business strategy.

Our approach

No two training and learning strategies are ever the same - the current “as-is” position and the desired goals are normally different amongst organisations due to their organisational size, budgets, culture and geographical spread. Knowledge Age consultants can work with your team to understand the nature of the training and learning requirements, the business background and the general scope of the strategy.

Our approach would be holistic, with the scope extending beyond training to encompass any relevant skills-acquisition and skills-management process, such as: career-planning for key team members; managing and grooming key team members; recruiting; training and new skills required (technical and business skills); training options (including e-learning, self-paced, intranet reference etc); use of contractors. These recommendations would enable a skills strategy to be devised to fully support the business needs.

Training is most effective when focused on a specific need. Knowledge Age can perform training needs analysis at the corporate, departmental and individual level to uncover the skills needed to meet the strategic business objectives as well as those of the department and individual.

Our approach

Knowledge Age can work with your team and your management to understand what the goals of the business are.

The format of the individual training needs analysis depends on the number involved and the training goals, but will range from one-to-one interviews to using computer-based analysis tools. The depth of detail of the training-needs analysis will have been agreed on in advance and will depend on whether the aim is to provide training to meet a specific need or whether it is taking place as part of an overall skills-development process.

We present the results in an agreed format, ranging from an informal presentation/workshop through to more detailed analysis in a database or spreadsheet. Our findings are presented with recommendations for courses of action to address the identified skills gap.

At Knowledge Age we are rarely impressed by latest buzzwords, "hot new methodologies" or anybody's "wave of the future" marketing spin.

We realize that each company has unique issues and there is no one-size-fits all solution. We believe in a customized approach based on each client's business driven needs, people, current policies, processes and procedures.

Our approach is best described by "we learn". We constantly learn about all the latest technologies, methodologies and buzzwords. On the assignment, we learn about your organization, your business needs, your people and your problems. We harness all that knowledge, take into account the unique challenges of your project and then team up with you to create the best possible solution.

Our approach varies from case to case, but some fairly typical sample steps in our consulting approach are:

• We begin the process by qualifying and quantifying your business goals and your expectations.
• Usually, we perform an introductory meeting with all or selected members of your staff on which we introduce ourselves, present our view of the goals we are trying to achieve and explain how we plan to move forward, what they can expect from us and what we expect from the organization.
• We then interview your staff, investigate your procedures, tools and templates; review your documents and artifacts and learn about your processes. We always try to build on top of the processes actually being used because acceptance and success chances of our changes are greater if there is a commonality with the established processes in your organization.
• By comparing the current situation with the desired goals, we can make specific and detailed Action Plan.
• We publish the Action Plan, gather feedback, develop it further, approve it and start the implementation.
• We determine, develop/acquire and deliver appropriate training and mentoring and evaluate and propose tools to be procured.
• We also implement measurements and processes that will be used to track the success of the Action Plan. We constantly monitor those measurements and track risks and adjust the Action Plan accordingly.