Evaluation involves the assessment of the effectiveness of the training program. Evaluating training effectiveness is one of the major functions of training and development program. It acts as a check to ensure that the training is able to fill the competency gaps within the organization in a cost effective way. The reasons behind evaluation of training program effectiveness are:

  1. It ensures the fulfillment of the job requirement
  2. Its feedback mechanism helps to take quick corrective actions, whenever and wherever required.
  3. Cost-benefit trade-off can be ascertained.

Criteria for measuring training effectiveness (Kirkpatrick Model)

Training effectiveness can be measured under four basic criteria. They are:

  1. Reaction (Thoughts and feelings of the participants about the training): Reaction implies how favorably the participants have responded to the training. This evaluation is primarily quantitative in nature and is a feedback to the training and the trainer. The most common collection tools is the questionnaire that analysis the content, methodology, facilities and the course content.
  2. Learning (The increase in knowledge or understanding as the result to the training): At the level of learning the evaluation is done on the basis of change in the attitudes, skills and knowledge of the The evaluation involves observation and analysis of the voice, behavior, text. Other tools used besides observation are interviews, surveys, pre and post tests etc.
  3. Behavior (extent of change in behavior, attitude or capability): Behavior evaluation analysis helps to know about the transfer of learning from the training session to the Under this level, how an individual execute his/her activities after training is evaluated.
  4. Result (the effect on the bottom line of the company as a result of training): The result stage makes evaluation towards the objective of an organization (such as: higher productivity, better quality etc) .Here, the definition of the result depends upon the goal of the training The evaluation is done by using a control group allowing certain time for the result to be achieved.

Methods (Approaches) of evaluation training effectiveness:

Following are the method for evaluating the training effectiveness:

  1. Test –retest method: Under this approach, participants are given a test before they being the program. After the program is completed, the participants retake the test. The change in the test score indicates the change in the level of knowledge. This method is easy and simple to conduct however, it is not a valid methods.
  2. Pre-post performance method: In this method, each participant is evaluated prior to training and rated on actual job After instruction is completed the participants are reevaluated. This method is very useful to examine the effects of training on changing the participants knowledge and skills and their attitudes in the real job situations.
  3. Experimental-Control group method: This method is used to evaluate the difference in the knowledge, skills and intelligence of the control and experimental group. Members of the control group work on the job but do not undergo instruction. The experimental group is given the At the end of the training program, the two groups and reevaluated and if the performance of the experimental group improves, training is regarded as on effective one.

Process of evaluating training program:

  1. Developing evaluation criteria
  2. Pre-testing the trainees
  3. Providing monitoring the training.
  4. Comparing pre and post ability of the trainees.
  5. Evaluation of fulfillment of competency group and take corrective action.