Understanding Training Needs Analysis in Companies

Training Needs Analysis, also known as Training Needs Assessment, is a process to determine training and development needs.

Training includes the knowledge and skills that employees need, while development includes something more long-term in nature related to one's career, for example taking formal education or assignments in certain positions. Through these stages, the company can conduct training and development programs that are right on target and in accordance with the basic needs and potential of employees.

Training Needs Analysis Based on the Approach

Basically, there are three approaches in conducting TNA, namely in terms of organizations, groups and individuals. The following is an explanation of the three approaches.

1. Organization-based approach

Another name for this approach is organizational based needs analysis. The analysis is done by looking at the business strategy in seeing future opportunities. In an organizational-based analysis approach, the focus will be on goals, climate, internal and external environment, to resources within a company. The management will collect data on employee capabilities as a whole. After that, conduct a deeper analysis of employee competencies. Training carried out by employees must be based on the needs of the organization or company to face future business challenges.

For example, a company sees a big opportunity with the presence of Industry 5.0, but there is still an employee gap in terms of digital competence. Most of the employees are still not digitally literate, or technology savvy as it is cool. For this reason, training programs are created to increase the knowledge and skills of employees.

2. Group/team based approach

Another name for this approach is team based needs analysis. So the scope of the analysis is a certain group or unit.

Take for example, when management sees an opportunity to open a market in Eastern Indonesia, the company will evaluate the marketing team. What is the understanding of the marketing team for the market in Eastern Indonesia. If there is still a gap with the needs, then the marketing team will be equipped with understanding and skills related to the market in Eastern Indonesia.

3. Individually based approach

As the name implies, individual based needs analysis is the process of finding out the needs of each individual employee.

How to identify employee training needs? Companies can see from the difference between the level of competence that employees have and the requirements of the company.

Take for example, a company requires a supervisor to be able to use Microsoft Excel well. However, the employee is not very proficient in operating Microsoft Excel. Then the company makes special training for employees to be more proficient in using these tools.

Benefits of Training Needs Analysis in the company

Employees may wonder, what is the function of conducting a series of training analyzes in a company? To answer this, the following is an explanation of the functions and benefits of training need analysis in a company.

1. Knowing the competence of employees

Through training needs analysis, management can find out the competencies that employees have and adjust them to the needs of the company.

Apart from that, you can also find out the abilities and knowledge of employees regarding job descriptions and the company's vision and mission further.

This knowledge and information the company needs so that management has a better understanding of employees and the steps they will take.

2. Fixing competency gaps

The purpose of conducting employee training in a company is to find out the gap between the employee's abilities and the company's requirements.

After knowing that there is a competency or ability gap, the company tries to fix it.

In addition to achieving business targets, training needs assessment is also useful for increasing employee abilities or skills as a provision for their next career.

3. Facilitate a planning

Every company certainly needs to do careful planning to advance its business. To be right on target, the management needs to make plans according to the circumstances and valid data about employees and the company.

Analysis of training needs analysis helps companies in making the right plans. Planning here is still closely related to the results of the training program and the company's vision and mission.

If you don't use training need analysis before planning, the management team just guesses and goes without guidance.

The reason is, training need analysis is very helpful in finding valid data as a guideline that underlies employee competency development activities. Without valid guidelines, companies are just fumbling that even in the worst case, the business can stop halfway.

Searching for valid employee competency data is very important as a basis for conducting training. Therefore, the company must prepare a training need assessment before the program runs. In other words, TNA can be an initial foundation for training and company development.