BTSR guidebook ~ Training & skills self-evaluation

What provision at this level looks like and feels like

For the organisation

In 2008, 53% of broadcasters evaluated at this level, 25% were lower and 22% were higher.

The organisation should feel in control of its training. Management can specify needs, confident that trainers will be able to understand and meet them.

The organisation probably manages its trainers with similar disciplines and procedures to those it uses with external suppliers.

For the training function

The trainer’s key focus is to meet management’s expectations, and success ought to earn respect.

Because expectations are clearly articulated, the trainer avoids wasting energy trying to second-guess priorities and/or responding to training ideas that float into managers’ minds from journals, conferences and that bloke at the party.

Benefits & risks of provision at this level

Benefits

At this level the organisation should be able to get a good return on its training investment:

• With clearly framed training requirements that reflect the needs of the business, training effort is focused where it is most likely to be effective
• The messages communicated by the training schedule are consistent with those communicated by senior management
• Trainers know what is expected of them and – because training needs are reassessed regularly – whether they are succeeding.

Risks

The main risk is that the organisation will be out-performed by a rival that is better able to use training strategically (to do different things), not just tactically (to do the same things better).

Processes & benchmarks for evaluating provision at this level

Distinguishing from «base« provision

The distinguishing features between base and medium levels are mainly to do with the degree of linkage between training & development planning and business planning. At this level:

• The organisation plans training & development in a way that is designed to support the organisation’s goals and objectives
• Managers and other employees perceive that training planning is linked to organisational objectives.

Distinguishing from »high» provision

The key differences from high provision are to do with the tightness of integration between training and business planning. At this level:

• The organisation treats organisational goals and objectives as though they are relevant mainly to management
• Both organisational objectives and employee needs are identified, but can be analysed and planned separately
• The organisation rarely or never undertakes a training needs analysis (or similar review) that formally links training planning with business objectives, or undertakes training needs analyses that don’t link to business objectives.

Processes

Here are some diagnostic questions:

• Is training planned as part of the business planning and budgeting cycle?
• Does the top management team take an interest in planning training?
• Do HR or training staff set time aside to identify individual needs, and prioritise them in the context of organisational needs?
• Once training plans are established, do they tend to remain static for a year or more?
• Do internal trainers specify the design of training, even when delivery is bought in from external providers?
• Can the top priorities for training be appreciably different from the top priorities for the organisation?
• Can rank-and-file employees influence training plans?
• Are records kept of training undertaken by employees?

If the answers are mostly Yes, that’s a fairly strong indication that the organisation is providing at this level (or above).

Reference material relevant to this strand and level

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Examples of provision at this level

Here are some examples of evidence used by broadcasters, in previous years, to demonstrate provision at this level:

• Training needs survey
• Personal Development Record forms for employees
• Formal training needs analysis
• Six-monthly training calendar
• Individual training request form
• Planning and training records and summaries
• Diary of training events for those who carry out performance appraisals.

The wording is broadcasters’ own, and does not necessarily follow our usage preferences

What it takes to get to the next level

Once you are successfully established at this level, moving up to the next level can happen almost naturally, when the time is right. It’s a logical progression (in contrast to the big step-change needed to get here from Level B).

A good vehicle for kicking off the move is a training needs analysis (TNA Some organisations have alternative names for an exercise of this type and/or taboos about using the word Training. Use whatever term your organisation is comfortable with) that:

• identifies the goals and priorities of the business and of the main units within it
• analyses the current skills and capabilities of the workforce against those goals and priorities
• surveys users of training – senior management, middle management, team members and maybe clients and other third parties – to identify what’s working and what isn’t.

The point of the exercise is to get agreement on the strategic training priorities, and on the steps and resources needed to deliver them.

A management that is receptive to this and a training function that can deliver it are together ready to do the other things needed for Level D. (On the other hand, a training function that can’t deliver it needs to up-skill before any move is contemplated.)