Training needs can be determined by answering the following questions:

  1. What are organizational goals?
  2. What tasks are must to be completed to achieve these goals?
  3. What behaviors are necessary for each incumbent to complete hi/her assigned tasks?
  4. What deficiencies, if any do incumbents have in the skills, knowledge or attitude required to perform the necessary behaviors?

Job requirements – Employee capabilities = Training Needs.

Training is required only when, three is a deviation or gap between the job requirement and employee capabilities. Usually, due to the following reasons training is required.

  1. Worsening of employees’ performances
  2. Change in current technology and work practices
  3. Employees’ promotion
  4. For increasing productivity and effectiveness of certain units of operation

Training need analysis is a systematic process of understanding training requirements. It is conducted as three stages. They are:

  1. Organizational need analysis: The organizations’ need analysis is aimed at short listing the focus area for training within the organization and the factors that may affect the same .The study of organizational mission, goals, people inventories etc. gives idea about the kind of learning environment required for the training. Besides, the financial ability to conduct training programs can also be ascertained by organizational analysis.
  2. Job need analysis: The job analysis is the need assessment the job to be performed to achieve an organizational goal. It is done to get information on the task to be performed on each job and the skill required to do it.
  3. Individual analysis: Individual performance is a major factor for goal His/her abilities and attitude towards the job is crucial for success of organization. So individual ability is measured and evaluated to find out deficiencies that restrict to meet the standard performance of the job.

Another view of training need is that, it is the deviation between what is and what should be. The assessment gives insight into what kind of intervention is required, knowledge or skill or both. In certain cases when both of these are present and the performance is still missing then the problem may be motivational in nature. It thus, highlights the need and appropriate intervention which is essential to make the training effective.