Auditing competence and training
As more and more organizations seek to replace a reliance on documented procedures with a focus on staff competence, where, asks Stephen Russell of the Training Foundation, is the auditor to look to gain confidence that the training delivered is effective?
Establishing needs
ISO 9001 requires organizations to identify the competence requirements of any role or function affecting quality, and the auditor should seek answers to the following questions:
- what process, method or framework has been applied?
- are there national or international occupational or other competence frameworks that apply?
- how is competence to be demonstrated and how will an acceptable level of competence be identified?
With no definition or measure of competence, an organization cannot identify where gaps may exist that directly impact upon the product or service delivery.
A competence gap equals a training need. A Learning and Skills Council report in the UK recently revealed that over four million workers lack the skills needed to do their job and that one third of employers had no training plan to address this problem. This is clearly an issue for the auditor, who should ascertain what review processes exist within the organization to check skill levels and how shortfalls would be addressed.
Effective training
For the majority of organizations who have a process for identifying training needs and a training plan, the question is different: how do you know the training you deliver is effective?
Because competence must be a measurable outcome from any training, the training event itself should be measurable and should provide an assessment of the learning that has taken place and the new level of competence reached by each participant.
Many training objectives are poorly written and do not clearly set out all three elements necessary for an effective objective. To write a good learning objective, the author should clarify:
- behaviour: what the person being trained will be able to do at the end of the course or session
- standard: the standard or level to which they will be able to do it
- condition: the situation or circumstances under which performance will be assessed
For example:
- deal with a customer complaint in accordance with the company policy, in a telephone role play
- create a flowchart to match the specified format, without using the manual
Clear, well written objectives will drive both the content of the training and the process and methodologies to be used. Outputs and outcomes can be measured. The same rules should apply when assessing the training process as to any other process within the management system.
Proficient trainers
When auditing the training process, what consideration is given to the competence of the person doing the training? They must possess the necessary knowledge and skill not only in the subject they train in, but in adult learning approaches and how to effectively transfer learning. Because only 24 per cent of full time trainers in the UK have a certificate in training skills, how else are they to demonstrate competence? Furthermore, have they received training in - and/or recently updated - their generic training skills?
Research by the American Society for Training and Development concluded that less than 10 per cent of classroom-based learning results from subject matter content, and around 90 per cent from the trainer's generic skills. Effective initial training and regular updating of trainer skills would thus seem an essential prerequisite for anyone regularly involved in training others.
Despite this, a research study in June 2000 revealed that, out of the 600 training managers questioned, less than one trainer in ten had any personal development on generic training skills in the previous year. If this is true for those for who train full time, what of those who deliver training far less often? Skills degrade without maintenance.
Poor trainers equal poor training. Poor training means deficient skills transfer. And the result is a disappointing return on training investment with levels of competence below those needed to consistently deliver satisfaction to the customer. Undoubtedly there is a need for corrective and/or preventative action. But so often organizations fail to get to the root cause of the problem and tend to blame other factors, including the learner.
Investing in the future
Better trainers deliver better training. A more competently trained workforce delivers increased productivity. Training becomes an investment, not an overhead. Where competence is at the heart of the QMS, the competence of those delivering training will be the key to sustaining organizational effectiveness.
About the author
Stephen Russell is regional manager for the Training Foundation, which
runs the trainer assessment programme (TAP). This programme provides
a best practice methodology for the performance and objective assessment
of six training and learner support roles against best practice models.
For more information go to: www.trainingfoundation.com
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