Preparing Effective Workplace Training Sessions

Training should be competency-based - it should focus on what is expected of an employee in the workplace and emphasise what the person does. To do this effectively you need to develop objectives which focus on outcomes. These outcomes should reflect a demonstration of specific knowledge, skills and behaviour.

Competency-based training encompasses the following requirements:

• performing individual tasks within the job (task skills)
  
• managing a number of different tasks within the job (task management skills)
  
• responding to irregularities and breakdowns in routine (contingency management skills)
  
• dealing with the responsibilities and expectations of the work environment (job/role environment skills), including working with others

Competencies can be in physical skills. Examples of this could include:

• operating a band saw
  
• using a computer

Other competencies can be underlying information that staff need to know to perform the task competently. Examples of this could include:

• understanding different types of grains
  
• understanding special order codes

How to determine what training is required

You need to:

1. Identify the required workplace/job needs
   
2. Identify each individual staff member’s current competencies - that is their existing relevant skills and knowledge

The training required is indicated by the gap between the two.

How to determine the current skills of your staff

It is important to appreciate that your staff may be competent or have skills or relevant knowledge in some areas and not in others.

You can find out your individual staff’s current skills and knowledge relevant to the workplace needs by:

• checking the details of a staff member’s employment records
  
• observing the staff member performing the skills either in the workplace, in a simulated situation or in a test assessment activity within the training program
  
• asking the staff member to complete a skills audit, or answer a questionnaire
  
• interviewing the staff member
  
• seeking feedback from the staff member’s manager, supervisor and/or co-workers

How to develop the training sessions

Thorough preparation is the key to delivering effective training. This includes writing lesson plans. Each session you deliver will have objectives with one or several outcomes that the trainees are expected to achieve. The outcomes you strive for when developing the training need to be:

• observable
  
• measurable
  
• expressed clearly
  
• expressed precisely

It is important not to use jargon or words and phrases that may be ambiguous.

Why have lesson plans?

No matter whether the outcomes for your training are skills or information based it is essential that the sessions are well planned.

Lesson plans:

• give clear direction to anyone in the business responsible for training
  
• achieve outcomes via a logical and sequenced manner
  
• record the objectives, method, resources and outcomes of the training session
  
• enable the session to be modified to suit the individual need
  
• ensure that no information, knowledge or skills are missed from the session and training doesn't have to be revisited - thus training is cost-effective and a productive use of time
  
• lessen the chance of accidents occurring in the workplace due to specific tasks not being demonstrated correctly and/or not being assessed
  
• ensure all resources are present and working
  
• assist in developing associated activities that will assess the outcome

What should you include in your lesson plan's outline?

Criteria you should take into consideration include:

• general aim or purpose
  
• program or training name
  
• outcomes
  
• workplace competencies
  
• methods of delivery
  
• target group identification
  
• location of training
  
• training times
  
• assessment in general terms
  
• resources required
  
• participant support
  
• available personnel

Most sessions generally have a combination of theory and practical skills that participants are required to develop.

Developing lesson plans

Use your outlines to develop clear and concise lesson plans. Ensure they:

• give clear instructions to the trainer
  
• include learning outcomes
  
• have a title or training name
  
• have a clear introduction, body & conclusion
  
• include assessment exercises
  
• include activities relating to outcomes
  
• include trainer and participant activities
  
• are logical, sequential and timed
  
• include resources to be used
  
• have a breakdown of tasks where required
  
• incorporate opportunities for participants to practise new knowledge and skills

Important considerations

• most sessions generally have a combination of theory and practical skills that participants are required to develop
  
• you need to determine how the training can be broken down into digestible and manageable stages
  
• you need to determine what activities will best assess your participants’ uptake of the training

Identifying topics and sub topics

As your plan is linked closely to your outcomes, you need to decide:

• what knowledge and skills are required
  
• what “background” information is required

Your topics and sub-topics could include:

• major practical skills that need to be performed
  
• key issues of information
  
• important criteria that need to be met

Content decisions

Your primary objective is to decide which topics will give you the information that is essential to meet the learning outcomes.

To do this you must determine:

• must know information – skills or qualities that participants must have acquired during the program to achieve learning outcomes
  
• should know information – relates to a topic that is important but of a less critical nature
  
• could know information – relates to a topic that could be of use but is not essential

Selecting and sequencing

Select your content from the must know category. This content should directly link to what your participants must be able to do at the end of the session.

Determine the sequences and the timing.

Ensure that the information is in a logical order. How? Write out the different sequences, starting with information that is most familiar to your participants or concepts that are easily grasped. Then lead into the less familiar type of information, or the more difficult concepts.

Time

The amount of time allocated to each topic can make a difference to the success of maintaining variety throughout the lesson and ensuring that the activities are developed in such a way that assessment can take place.

Some topics will need less time than others. If you have correctly assessed your participants' existing knowledge prior to training you should be better able to allocate appropriate time to each area of the training session.

Always give time to the important aspect(s) of the topic and give participants direction on how much time and effort they need to spend on the topic in relation to other topics.

When you are allocating time for a topic, consider the following:

• participants’ previous experience or existing knowledge
  
• amount of difficulty of the content in each topic and sub topic
  
• total time available for individual training session and /or the series of sessions
  
• time restraints due to individual participant's work responsibilities

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