Training requests determining needs

In a perfect world of Learning and Development, there wouldn’t be a need for an adhoc training request (template or form.) A training request process wouldn’t be needed, because a detailed training needs analysis would have occurred, genuine consulting with stakeholders would have occurred, and a training plan for the year aligned to business needs and strategy would be in place, and signed off.  Ahem..

For most of us, the reality is that business needs can be reactive. The need for a training or development request form (and process) is needed in most organisations. Which brings us to the question. Is there a genuine need for training or is a gut feeling?

When a training request, isn’t really a training request.

Being an effective leader isn’t an easy job. It requires commitment. Effective communication, coaching and having hard conversations. More than one manager in my experience has tried to skirt coaching or having a hard conversation with one team member by trying to organise training for all of their team.  Another familiar scenario is “We need training on…” (Narrator voice: There was usually no evidence of need. Just a vague gut feeling)

Does this sound familiar? Whether the request is submitted via email, in a telephone conversation or even in passing, training requests come in all shapes and forms and often without any evidence of the rationale behind them.

Diagnosing what the actual development need is.

Without a questionnaire or funnel of questions to diagnose what the genuine need is (which may not end up being training), can lead the training department down a rabbit hole of unprioritized work, unhappy stakeholders, confusion, and misalignment. Remember that the purpose of training is to drive a behavioral change that supports the company’s objectives, and effective training programs are aligned to business strategy.

Using a training request form template dispels the misconception that the training department is like a restaurant, where the servers (the training consultants) are order-takers.  Adapting language of the form can also be useful. Call it a Professional Development enquiry form. To genuinely partner with the business, consultation with customers need to occur.  Part of this consultation process is to educate your stakeholders regarding processes, priorities, return on investment, and when training is the solution. Being strategically aligned to the business enables training consultants to partner with their clients (internal or external) to clarify the need for training and to emphasize that the outcome of the professional development should contribute to the prioritized company goals.

Creating your own Professional Development (training) request form.

Create your own version of this form, and save it in a shared folder, accessible by the business unit leaders you work with. Set up automated notifications of completed training request forms so you can review them. Be sure to create a master copy, and a a version that is completed for your customers to reference. After all, they are not the learning experts, they just want  training… yesterday. Centralize the training requests in a single location. This way, you can track the information and provide visibility in order to prioritize training projects. Adhoc requests, time, resources and budget should also be included into your regular reporting. Identify trends, and you will be a better place to harness resources, development needs and spend.

Professional Development  (Training) Request Form: What to Include:

1. Stakeholder name
2. Requesting department/organization
3. Requestor name
4. Contact details
5. Date of request
6. Identification of need (what prompted the need)
7. Training topic/name
8. Business goal and benefit
9. Strategic alignment: How does the training align with company objectives?
10. Desired behavioral/skills change
11. Brief training description
12. Audience
13. Number of employees
14. What data/metric do you wish to improve?
15. Desired launch date
16. Is the due date driven by a larger project or initiative?
17. Is there current training materials and references on the topic?
18. Is the skill gap the same for all participants?
19. Subject matter expert names
20. Translations required (if the company is global)
21. Budget
22. Location of proposed training
23. Follow up and embedding of learning post event
24. Communication plan
25. Additional notes

Notes can include:

• Verify if there is existing training in your learning management system.
• Training modality suggestion.
• Other training solutions and why they did not accomplish your goal(s).
• Date the training should be completed by learners.
• What completion reporting is required and to whom it should be sent.
• What support documents and references can be used as training support documents

We at Facilitated Training have built the Learning funnel (it looks a lot like a training request form) as a simple way to have different, better, and data-driven, consultations with stakeholders. It is nothing fancy. Just a series of questions and outcomes, beginning with the most important:  What is the evidence of need? We do not have all of the answers but we know it starts with changing the conversation.

Professional Development Training request template  <——-Click here to download. 

What processes do you use to manage training requests? Let us know in the comments below.

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Facilitated Training is your one-stop-shop for world-class, customisable training and professional development resources. Facilitated Training offers training and organisational development resources to facilitators, trainers, coaches, HR managers and individuals. Specialising in customisable leadership and management skills, Facilitated Training features a wide variety of products, including Training resources, Professional development courses, assessments, ebooks, videos and more.

Click here for customisable training materials that will assist your workplace in managing resources and output.

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If you are in HR or operations and need learning and development assistance, get in touch today and let’s chat.

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