Tna Training and Development Approach

P rogram Development
Peer-Reviewed

Need
Conducting an Effective Needs Assessment
B y T ra c e y L . C e k a d a

IN BRIEF •The first step in developing a training program is to determine whether training is needed. •A training needs assessment provides some certainty that the time, money and resources used to develop and conduct training will deliver desired performance-based results. •How is a training needs assessment conducted? What model can be followed? Does this model work across different disciplines or industries? Answers to these questions can guide the development of an effective training needs assessment.

n employee trips over an open file cabinet drawer. Another has a near hit while standing beneath an overhead hoist. The typical solution: Training, training and more training. But is this really necessary? While workers without occupational safety and health training likely are at greater risk for workplace injury and illness, the critical question is whether the training is adequate (Cohen & Colligan, 1998). Sometimes, too much training can dampen its effectiveness and decrease its credibility. The difference between

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Tracey L. Cekada, D.Sc., CSP, CHSP, is an assistant professor of safety sciences at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She holds a B.S. in Occupational Health and Safety from Slippery Rock University, an M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from The Johns Hopkins University, and a D.Sc. in Information Systems and Communications from Robert Morris University. Cekada is a professional member of ASSE’s Western Pennsylvania Chapter.

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effective and ineffective training may be death, injury, pain, suffering and lost pro ts (Whiles, 1999). A large amount of time and money is spent on training. In 1992, Broad and Newstrom reported that an estimated $50 billion was spent each year on formal training, with another $90 to $120 billion spent on less-structured, informal training. ASTD (2010) estimates

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