Measuring the Effectiveness of Corporate Training

19th February 2020

As a trainer, when you are facilitating a Learning and Development program it is essential to emphasize not only the designing and delivery of your training but measuring its effectiveness as well.

You need to ask yourself that whether the training will help the participants to gain relevant knowledge and skills which they can apply to improve their performances and how it is going to benefit them in the long run.

The answers will help to determine that whether the training is worth your organization’s investment and furthermore, this can be an important tool to boost employee engagement and retention aiding to plan future such training programs.

You, as a trainer, must be aware of the various ways to measure your training even before you start your training. You can opt for the following ways:-

• Post-training quiz/questionnaires
• One-to-one discussions
• Feedback
• Participant case studies
• Certification exams

However, the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model developed in 1950s by the University of Wisconsin Professor Donald Kirkpatrick, is one of the proven methodologies to measure effectiveness.

We can start with Level 1 i.e. participants’ Reaction to the relevance and usefulness of the training by collecting feedback about the course content, key takeaways and the strengths and weaknesses of the program.

This level measures how participants react to the relevance and usefulness of the training. Use surveys, questionnaires or talk to the participants before and after the course to collect their feedback on the learning experience so that you have an understanding of how well the training is received and to determine any gaps in the training content.

Level 2 is Learning i.e. to measure the knowledge and skills gained by participants and you can use a combination of metrics such as Test scores during and after the training, evaluation of applied learning projects, influence on performance KPIs, course completion and certification and supervisor report and feedback to determine if the training meets its set objectives and the scope for improvements in content and method of delivery.

Level 3 is Behavior which evaluates how the training has influenced the participant’s performance and delivery at work by using a combination of these methods like self-assessment questionnaires, feedback from managers, on-the-job observation, key performance indicators (KPIs) etc.

Level 4 leads to the Results which focus on measuring the tangible results of the training such as reduced cost, improved quality, faster project completion, increased productivity, employee retention, better marketing leads, increased sales, and higher morale.

As a trainer you might find it difficult to go for this detailed measurement process every time and therefore, it is feasible to customize your training measurement process. Not all benefits of training can be measured resorting to the following process as suggested by Leslie Allan adding levels according to the type of training and your goals:

Level 1 - Reaction for any type of training program; Level 2 Learning for mainly “hard-skills” programs; Level 3 - Behavior for strategic programs and Level 4- Results for high-cost programs.

Written By : Dr Sanjib Neil Chakraborty