The question is based on one of my research projects. As I'm trying there to estimate the training needs of students, it is quite interesting to get a thorough idea regarding the importance of training needs assessment from the eminent social science researchers here. I am particularly focusing on the training needs of college & university students for improving their soft skills from the job placement point in contemporary global job market context.
Is it truly important to estimate the training needs there?? if so, then why? How can we truly assess the exact training needs of students in professional communication skills? please suggest me also a few training needs assessment methods.
I do not get the question. What type of training and what kind of student? Please clarify.
Evaluating training needs is essential as it helps to know one's need, and adapt the content of the training.
Training needs of a given community differ and so assessing them ensures that solutions formulated are customized to the need of a community. Additionally, it enhances acceptability of proposed solutions to the target community hence easy implementation.
Training needs analysis (TNA) is done in order tp determine if training needs to be conducted. This is nevessary because if there is no need for training to be conducted, then doing so will be wasting resources and wasting time. A second reason for TNA is to ensire that training can address the problem facing the community/organization. The analysis may find that training is not the solution so training is not necessary, in which case other non-training solutions may need to be applied to overcome the problem.
TNA is a broader term and when we see a little bit back, there are a lot of methods to assess the training needs of employees. Most of the companies assess during the performance appraisal process,. If you are working as a departmental head, on daily basis you can assess the performance of your team members and identify that what skills needed and there are many more. But right now in the current era, TNA is a hectic and complex process. I would like to share a case study that helps you also. Recently, I visited an MNC in Pakistan and examined the TNA process what they have done, they make a list of 50 skills that are needed at a different level and they planned the training of employees as per their level. Moreover, at IKEA in Malaysia, they also make the same mechanisms instead of doing TNA, simply make a list of skills what employees needed at his current job and trained them without identifying he or she needed. What're the outcomes, employees learn new things even if they do not need it. I think these will help you.
Samrat, assessing training needs, usually via a training needs analysis (or TNA) for a group of individuals (in your case students) needs to take into consideration a number of key aspects. These include, but are not limited to, for example what are the causal conditions leading to the TNA (see Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009; 2004), what the objectives are (see Karthik, 2012), what the targeted knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours that need to be changed (see Mullins, 2010). A combined approach will potentially increase the likelihood for the training's effectiveness when evaluated using the widely known four levels of Kirkpatrick's model.
You have some good answers from colleagues above. I think your starting point should an understanding of the skills required by the target industry that will potentially employ these students. Different industries require different skills. Your project seems to be a skills development project, so start with the job market needs, then do the TNA based on those needs.
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