Employee learning (training and development) initiatives are no small piece of the pie when it comes to organization’s budgets. According to ATD’s 2013 States of the Industry report, organizations spent $164.2 billion on employee learning in 2012. Of this, 61% was spent internally. Training and development initiatives differ from company to company, but the reason for them is the same: to help employees grow professionally and excel in their roles. Depending on the size of the organization, there might be learning and development departments that handle and strategize what initiatives they should focus on across the year, or individual departments will handle training for those within the department. One thing in common though, no matter who handles T&D, is that you want to make sure your training programs are effective and that you are yielding return on your investment. But how do you go about doing this? You need to ask the training program participants about their experience after the conclusion of training. Using a survey software is your best bet to collect this kind of feedback. Here are some things you should keep in mind as you create your training program evaluation surveys: Surveying now and later- How valuable was the training? Do employees think it will help them as they set foot into their new role? Also, getting their feedback right after training is just as important as getting feedback a few months down the road. Have they used their training lessons? Or was the material irrelevant? Content – Ask respondents how they feel about the topics covered in the training program. Depending on what they say, this will help you refine the program for the next round. Trainer – How would respondents rate the instructor? You want to make sure the instructor is a good teacher and that they are communicating with the employees, and understanding if their teaching style is effective for those in the program. Time commitment - Find out if the training program could be shortened to reduce expenses or mental drain on employees. After all, you are conducting training programs to ensure your employees are successful at your organization. But in order to know how effective the trainings were and how much they prepared them for their role, you need to ask them for their feedback. Your trainees will be your greatest source of learning!
