Less
that 30 per cent of training course participants have discussed their training requirements and
expectations with their manager before attending, according to research carried
out by consultancy Prosell.
The
research, conducted among 100 UK
independent training professionals, asked the consultants to consider an
average class of 10 delegates and the attitudes that were typically displayed
by delegates at the outset of the course.
The
research found that 65 per cent of course delegates understood why they need
additional training for their job. However, just 44 per cent understood what
they were there to learn or had clear objectives in mind for their training.
And
90 per cent of the trainers admitted that not every delegate would understand
why they were being trained, highlighting a disparate level of knowledge and
expectation among training course attendees across the UK.
Prosell found that most managers
were sending their staff on training courses without ensuring that the member
of staff understood why they were required to attend and what it was they were
supposed to learn. Three-quarters of delegates had not been briefed in terms of
their learning aims, expectations or requirements from the course.
“Training
is so often perceived as ‘just
another business necessity’ by management because of the frequent lack of
visible return on investment,” said Simon Morden, chairman of Prosell.
“Training
is most effective when line managers identify a need for individual employee
improvement in a specific area and openly discuss how the training is going to
address that issue,” he said.
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