Free designing a training program essay example

Introduction

Employee training programs give the employees the necessary information and skills necessary to improve performance on their job (Garavan et al, 2003). The designing of an effective employee training program is essential for the long-term success of any business or company. Training is needed when employees are not performing according to standard or are not performing at an expected level of performance. Training is hence used as a performance improvement tool. Training programs usually have multiple benefits for both the employees and the organization, but that is only if they are carefully planned and properly implemented. The clear understanding of the goals and objectives of the company, the job functions, and policies among other topics may lead to increased morale and motivation to the employees. This would ultimately result in increased productivity and increased profit margins for a business. The keeping in mind of the goals during the development and implementation stages of a training program would come in handy in the designing of a clear and effective training program. In designing a training program, five key phases need to be followed. This phase include training needs assessment, determining the instructional objectives, the design, implementation and finally evaluation (Noe, 2003). This paper would attempt to design a training program for a group of twenty employees selected from the production department of the company.

Training Needs Analysis (TNA)

A training needs analysis involves three levels namely organization analysis, task analysis and individual analysis (Bartram & Gibson, 2000). Organization analysis takes a look at the effectiveness of the organization and identifies the training needs and under what conditions the training would be conducted. Some of the needs to be identified include the organizational goals, the state of the economy and the impacts on operating costs, and the changing technology and automation. Task analysis provides all the necessary data related to a job and the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to achieve optimum job performance. Various resources can be used to determine training needs related to the job including job description and performance standards. Individual analysis on the other hand, analyzes how well an individual employee is performing on the job and determines which employees need which type of training.
After a careful training needs analysis, the following training needs were found out. First, the government increased taxes on most goods. This led to an increase in the prices of raw materials that the company used and ultimately to the increase in the operation costs that the company incurred. The employees selected needed to be trained on how to effectively use the available raw materials and also on how to cut costs used on the acquisition of the raw materials. A second training need was the need to train employees, equipping them with the right knowledge and skills, to be able to operate machinery in accordance to the said standards. This would also help in bringing the operation costs of the company down and increase its profitability. It was also found out that the employees were less motivated to do their work and hence the necessity of training to boost their morale and motivation levels. Increased motivation would ultimately lead to better performance by the employees on their jobs and also leading to the productivity of the company.
All effective and efficient training programs must start with a training needs analysis. The analysis of what the training needs are is a prerequisite for any training program. The randomly carrying out of training to employees may lead to the missing of the priority needs or more so covering non-essential areas. A training needs analysis enables companies and organizations to channel resources into areas that will contribute greatly to employee development, enhance their morale and further lead to better organizational performance.

Training Objective

After the careful and effective training needs an assessment, the results would enable the setting of the training goals and objectives. From the above training needs assessment, it was found out that there are three training needs that had to be tackled by the training. There was the urgent need of reducing the consumption of raw materials, the need of equipping the employees with the adequate knowledge and skills needed to carefully run machinery on accordance with the set standards and to boost the employees morale and motivation levels. The training objectives would be arrived at after answering the questions of who needed the training and what type of training is needed. The training objectives of the whole training would be to reduce the operation cost the effective use of raw materials and the efficient use of machinery, and also to improve the employee morale through the better supervision by the middle level managers of the company.

Program Descriptions and Objectives

Day one: Cutting down the operational costs
Section one: An overview of Government Policy on Taxes and the effect on the cost of production (Time allocated 2 hours)
The selected 20 employees would be made aware on the effect of taxes on the raw materials and the ultimate effect on the company’s cost of production. The increase in taxes would definitely increase the company’s cost of production and hence the team leaders need to be trained on the various ways in which production costs can be put at a minimum. The training would be necessary in that the team leaders would go and implement the strategies in their respective departments. The surging operational costs of the company provided an urgent opportunity for the company to train its staff on the need to effectively use the raw materials to cut down on the costs used to purchase them. The sections specific objectives would be to identify the various ways in which to cut operation costs and to propose solutions the said problem.

Section two: Training on effective use of machinery according to standards to cut water and energy use (Time allocated 3hrs)

A consultant would be brought in to train the employees on the need to cut the energy and water costs used in the production of final products. The consultant must be a trained engineer with a vast experience of how different machinery operates including the boilers and the pasteurizers among many others. The main objective of this section would be to identify the gaps found in machinery that need closure and to encourage the employees to carry out audits to determine the areas where there is wastage of energy and water.

Day two: Boosting employee morale and their motivational levels (Time allocated 4 hrs.)

It was identified that most of the employees lacked the motivation and the morale to carry out their duties. This led to decreased job performance which in turn led to a lower productivity of the company. The team leaders need to be equipped with the necessary skills to better carry out their roles as leaders. They also need to be equipped with team building skills and leadership skills. Team leaders would also be trained on emotional intelligence which is a prerequisite for building effective teams that lead to better performances (Goleman, 1998). The objective of this section would be to boost employee morale through effective team leadership.

Training Cost

The following represents a total budget of the whole training program.
Training Methods
Various training methods would be used for this training program. Theses training methods would include classroom or instructor-led training method, hands-on training, discussion and E-learning. On the first day of the training the classroom method would mainly be employed because it is professionals who would be leading the training. Discussions would also come in handy because the training would be more interactive rather than an instructor-led training alone. The second part of the training program on the first day would also require more hands-on-training because it mainly focuses on how well to operate machinery. The second day of the training would incorporate most of the said training programs in that it is all about training the team leaders to be more effective and also to boost the morale of their team members.

Training Agenda

The following represents how the training agenda would look like.
Training Agenda
Day one (From 9. 00AM to 5. 00PM)

LengthTime Activity

30min9: 00-9: 30Welcome, Introductions, Purpose & Overview
30min9: 30-10: 00Orientation
30min10: 00-10: 30Break (for tea and snacks)
2hrs10: 30-12: 30Cutting operational costs (section one).
30min12: 30-1: 00Brainstorming & discussions
1hr1: 00-2: 00Lunch Break
3hrs2: 00-5: 00Cutting operational costs (section 2)
30min5: 00-5: 30Questions, discussions and evaluations
Day 2 (From 9: 00AM-2: 00PM)
2hrs 9: 00-11: 00Training on effective leadership and motivation
30min11: 00-11: 30Break (for snacks and refreshments)
1hr 30min11: 30-1: 00Practical applications, questions and discussions
30min1: 00-1: 30Evaluation
30min1: 30-2: 00Lunch
Conclusion
Training is always done to improve performance. All effective training programs usually have an evaluation tools to assess whether the training was effective or not (Bee & Bee, 2003). Evaluation would be used to identify the areas that were not understood well by the employees during the training. The carrying out of a needs assessment is the first step in carrying out an effective training program. Training needs analysis identifies all the key areas that employees need training on, in order to improve performance and ultimately improve the business’ productivity.

References

Bartram, S., & Gibson, B. (2000). Training Needs Analysis. Amherst: HRD Press.
Bee, F., & Bee, R. (2003). Learning needs analysis and evaluation. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Garavan, T. N., Hogan, C., & Cahir-O’Donnell, A. (2003). Making training & development work: A ” best practice” guide. Cork: Oak Tree Press.
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.
Noe, R. A. (2008). Employee training and development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.