(1888PressRelease)
May 29, 2008 - Melbourne, Australia - Even though U.S. companies spend over one billion dollars annually on employee training, impact on company performance is largely unknown. ASTD studies continually report that less than ten percent of companies attempt to measure the effect of their training programs on organizational results.
Releasing the new training measurement toolkit this week, the Director of Business Performance P/L, Vicki Heath, said, “As training budgets become more constrained, training managers need to think more strategically about how they spend their training dollars. With this guide and toolset, it is now possible to measure the impact of each of their high-value programs without causing a lot of anxiety and breaking the budget.”
The Training Evaluation Toolkit walks training professionals through a simple yet highly effective evaluation model that allows evaluation at a number of levels; from program participant responses to the extent of participant learning to behavior change back on the job to bottom-line organizational impact. An abundance of forms and worksheets are provided in the toolkit for evaluation at all of these levels. In addition, the forms and worksheets are populated with working examples that customers can follow before they enter their own data.
The toolkit’s author, Leslie Allan, explained, “There are many excellent books available on training evaluation. However, they are either too complex for the average practitioner or are long on theory and short on practice. This toolkit is a breath of fresh air in that it presents evaluation methods in language that a novice can follow. Most importantly, it provides all of the tools and templates needed to implement the measurement and reporting methods ready to go, straight out of the pack. No longer will practitioners need to read a book on evaluation and then go off hunting for the evaluation tools or design them from scratch. It’s now all there in one comprehensive toolkit.”
A full set of tools and calculators is provided in the kit for converting any kind of performance benefit to monetary values. Trainers are often reluctant to measure the impact of training because of the difficulty in teasing out the effects of training from other factors, such the installation of a new, more efficient machine. This guide provides trainers with clear and concise tools and techniques for isolating and quantifying the benefits from the training program. As an added benefit, the toolkit also includes methods and templates for quantifying what has come to be known as the “intangible” benefits of training.
At the launch, Heath remarked, “Of course, the most important outcome of an evaluation exercise is the thinking it prompts about how the program can be made more effective in the future. This is the greatest benefit arising from using this toolkit that all organizations can enjoy.”
The reusable and customizable forms and worksheets are supplied as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel files. The toolkit can be used on any Microsoft Windows-based PC with Word and Excel installed. The guide is supplied as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. Adobe Acrobat PDF files are readable on almost any computer. The Adobe Acrobat Reader is available as a free download from the Adobe website.
Business Performance P/L has made available the introductory chapter of the guide and the resource list as a free download. The complimentary download and the full toolkit are available from the Business Performance P/L website at www.businessperform.com/html/training_evaluation_toolkit.html
ABOUT LESLIE ALLAN:
Leslie Allan has been assisting organizations improve their capability for over 20 years. He has contributed in various roles as manager, consultant and trainer within the manufacturing and service industries, both for public and private sector organizations. Mr. Allan’s external and internal consulting roles have seen him lead successful projects in strategic planning, workplace communications, and quality and HR information systems. He is also a seasoned instructional designer and trainer, having taught programs in both vocational colleges and industry. Mr. Allan is a prolific writer on business issues, with many journal and web articles to his credit. He is also the author of five books on employee capability, training and change management.
ABOUT BUSINESS PERFORMANCE PTY LTD:
Established in 2003, Business Performance Pty Ltd provides business and management consulting services globally in a range of business areas. From its website, the company also proudly supplies a wide selection of business and management software products designed to make managing organizations easier and more effective. Products featured include tools, templates and guides in the areas of training and employee development, project management, organizational change and career planning. All products can be purchased and downloaded easily from anywhere in the world from the Business Performance Pty Ltd website at www.businessperform.com
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