What is a training cycle?

The training cycle, that is, the training process, begins with the recognition of training needs, which is sometimes considered the area of ​​strategic training and development. HRD, specialists in human resources development, must know the company's strategic plans and goals so that, based on this information, they can schedule interviews with employees and discover educational goals and needs for each of them.

The same procedure is used for every employee. Through conversations with employees, HRD personnel will discover what knowledge and skills employees possess and what knowledge and skills they currently lack in order to achieve the company's goals, but also their personal desires (eg ambitions for advancement). Based on the plans of the company and the aspirations of the employees, the HRD staff creates training plans for the type of knowledge that would benefit the company at the moment.

The knowledge and skills that the company will need in the future are in the area of ​​business development and career development. For each training, the HRD department must find the best courses - from the appropriate topics to the most effective methods. They also need to know how people and organizations learn.

A gap analysis includes information about the employee's current knowledge and skills, as well as those that are currently lacking in order for the employee to perform their job better or advance in the company. Based on the analysis of the company's needs and gaps, HRD experts will know which employee is the best candidate for a specific position.

After the gap analysis, HRD can define the training plan, the type of employee training that is needed, and determine who can provide the necessary training.

Based on the set goals, the training design process begins. HRD must now decide on the specific content and methods of training. This information will help determine the location of the training and the required budget. If it is decided that e‑learning is the way to go, training costs can be significantly reduced.

If you've never done a training design before, we'll quickly walk you through the process. We will start with the design of the Program. Program design represents the organization's plan for educational activities. Your first step should be a development document to define one or more modules, courses or lessons. It presents a list of lessons, goals and learning outcomes, i.e. skills and knowledge that are achieved through learning, as well as material and technical conditions and methodical and didactic components.

Another component of program design is the course or lesson plan. It contains a more detailed version of a certain part of the development document. It may include title, length, objectives, learning outcomes, target audience and other items such as number of participants, prerequisites, location, room layout, materials and aids, methods, assessment of prior knowledge and assessment of acquired knowledge.

Materials are an important part of the training process. They should be prepared and analyzed in the training planning phase. If materials are inadequate or unavailable, course objectives may be compromised.

The next step in the training cycle is program implementation - the actual training that needs to be done and monitored. There are many training methods that you can use, but we will talk about that in the next article.

The last step in the training cycle is program evaluation. The design of the evaluation should include the evaluation of the entire training process, from the employee's reaction to the program, examination of specific knowledge and skills acquired during the process, to the content of the course and the way of implementing the education.

The most popular training evaluation method is the Kirkpatrick analysis, which contains four aspects:

• Reaction - the degree to which participants respond positively to the training
• Learning - the degree to which participants acquire knowledge and skills
• Behavioral change - the degree to which participants apply what they have learned in work tasks
• Results - the degree to which learning objectives are met

The evaluation of the learning outcomes can be done twice: with a test of acquired knowledge and questionnaires on the satisfaction of the participants with the course.