Why should you evaluate training? The answer really depends on what you’re trying to achieve and who you are. Let’s see how training evaluation can work for different people.
IT Trainer
- Trainers need to see if the training did what is was supposed to do
- Check that the Client was happy with the training
- See how well delegates reacted to the training
- Check that trainers are competent
Team/ Department Manager
- To see if training was worth the disruption to operations
- To see if the quality and/or performance of my team has improved as a result of training
- To see if the team is now better placed to achieve objectives
Delegate
- To see if it was worth it
- To help with career planning and development
- To help colleagues after training
Training evaluation can be conducted in a number of different ways, probably the most common and widely used in the ‘Happy Sheet’. These are popular because they’re completed at the end of the training course and they give an immediate reaction to the training. The questions that you ask can help you to check whether the content of the course was sufficient, whether delegates were happy with what you covered and even whether they were happy with venue itself. Although the happy sheet is a good instant reaction indicator it shouldn’t be used as the only method of evaluation training as delegates may not always be entirely honest when completing the form.
