Training is the organised procedure through which people gain knowledge and skills for a definite purpose. Truly effective training programs are those which are established only when it is felt that they can aid in solving specific operational problems.

Therefore the rational way of deciding what kind of training activity your organisation needs to undertake is to analyse the entire organisation (people, jobs, technology and so on) and identify trouble spots where training may help.

The following are ways of discovering training needs:

Identify problem areas – low productivity, high cost, poor material control, excessive wastage of materials, regular violation of rules of conduct, high employee turnover and delayed production schedules.

Analyse the employees and their jobs – employee appraisals through testing and assessments can provide a wealth of information on the gaps in employee competence in the jobs that they perform.

Collect employee and managerial opinions - interviews and questionnaires can be used to obtain views regarding perceived problem areas and deficiencies, which would indicate desirable training programs.

Anticipate impending and future problems – business expansion, introduction of new products or services, plants and technology and new employees can all require training


The writer is a TQM Coordinator at Islamic International Medical College-Trust Rawalpindi (Pakistan).