The aim of Training Needs Analysis Essay

Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is the first stage of training process. It refers to collecting data about the organization that will supported the decision making particularly related to whether training enhance the performance, who should adopt the training and what was the training content. The aim of TNA was to make sure that training identify the problems that existed, adapted to the objectives of the organization and delivered in an effective and cost-efficient manner.
Before any actual training program be conducted, the training manager must determine who, what, when, where, why and how of training. TNA also involves monitoring the current performance using technique such as observation, interview, and questionnaires, expecting future problem and weakness and identify type and level of training required and analysis will provided the best.
Need assessment was the starting of human resources development and training process which an organization's HRD needs were recognized and stated. Training manager was responsible to ensure the employee in the organization has the skill that they need to achieve the organization's goal.
In this chapter, we focused on the background of the study, problem statement, research objective, and research question, significant of study, limitation of study and definition of terms.
Arthur, Bennett, Edens and Bell (2003) clarify that needs assessment or needs analysis was the process of determine the organization's training needs and aimed to answer the question of whether the organization's needs, objectives and problem could be met or addressed by training. According to Tracey (2004), Training Needs Analysis (TNA) was the first step in the training process. TNA designed to identify performance gaps that could be remedied by training. It consists of surveillance, investigation and data analysis.
Blanchard and Thacker (2004) defined TNA as a systematic method for determining what caused performance to be less than expected or required. That means a needs analysis was conducted when a triggering event occurs. When one or more key decision makers believe that a performance problem exists and it needs to be corrected.
Training needs analysis was one of the important stages of training process. But there were some company or organization that not applied TNA before their send their employee to the training program. Desimone, Werner and Harris (2002) emphasize that incorrect assumptions were usually made about needs analysis being unnecessary because the available information already specifies what an organisation's needs were.
According to Judith (2002), if TNA were not applied to the training of an organization, there will be overtraining, insufficient training and incomplete training in the organization. Judith also state the four reasons for having TNA, first to confirming the real problem in an organization, second, obtaining the support of the management, third, developing evaluation data and fourth deciding training cost and benefit.
They do not realise that from TNA they will find out some information that related to their employees. For instant, employer can identify which employees need training, what types of training that their needs, or whether the training can give benefit to the organization.