Definition of 'Training Needs Analysis'

Definition: Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is the process in which the company identifies training and
development needs of its employees so that they can do their job effectively. It involves a complete
analysis of training needs required at various levels of the organization.

Description: Technology is changing at a very fast pace and so are the training and development needs of
employees. It helps in grooming employees for the next level. It helps the manager to identify key
development areas of his/her employees. With proper training and development, the productivity
increases manifold.

Various companies have in-house experts who can train employees on various aspects of the business.
Normally, a calendar is worked out in advance in which various sessions are listed out and which
employees can pick their business requirement to enhance personal development needs.

At times companies also send employees for various training programs outside the organisation to train in
technical know-how or a course which would be relevant to their job profile. TNA is usually part of the
appraisal process and at the end of the year an employee has to complete all the training and development
needs identified by the manager.

Training and development, which was at some point in time was not given much weightage, is now a
crucial part for any company to meet its broad goals and objectives. There are many aspects when
managers are identifying training needs of their team members.

Firstly, the managers need to identify what skill set is required to complete the job or the process. Second,
is to assess existing skill levels of the team members, and lastly, determine the training gap.

Training gap is defined as the difference between the skills required to complete the job and existing skill
set of any particular team member.

1. Principles of Training Needs Analysis

By definition, training activities are focused on achieving change: the universal goal is to make a
transition from a certain specific state of knowledge (or lack thereof) and skills among a specific group of
people to a state which is defined as superior, improved and more useful in the context of achieving some
pre-defined goals. Therefore, a training activity in the life of an organisation means that there is a striving
to achieve a different—and, by definition, better—and desirable state of its operation.
Training needs arise from deficiencies related to constraints or imperfections in human activity, primarily
deficiencies in knowledge or skills. In this sense, they should be distinguished from other factors which
exert influence on the functioning of organisations. Notably, it is rare that actual developmental
constraints would result from insufficient competences of people who are part of the organisation. The
condition of that organisation may deviate from the expectations due to various legal, institutional or
historical considerations. This discrepancy may also be connected with the social or political context or
limited availability of human or financial resources.

The role of training needs analysis

The reasons which constrain effective performance of local administration obviously determine the kinds
of actions which are needed to launch the institutional development process. In order for that process to
be effective and efficient, one need to conduct prior in-depth analysis of contextual background of local
administration. Such analysis should focus on identifying systemic barriers to development and on
assessing competencies of local government personnel and the resultant training needs. The aspects to
consider in such an analysis should include, among others, the following:

 Legal and institutional framework of local governance, in particular the degree of decentralization
of public authorities as well as legal regulations determining the scope of powers in the hands of
local government;
 Consistency of the legal system, possibility for local government bodies to exercise their rights,
consistency of legal supervision over the operations of local administration;
 The economic context of local government operations;
 Organizational practices prevailing at local government offices, collaboration between local
government units, local governance monitoring systems, assessments of performance and the
quality of services provided;
 Status quo and quality of local government personnel, human resources management practices.

Any diagnosis of the operation of local government should also incorporate the social perspective: after
all, local governments perform a specific range of public tasks whereas citizens, members of specific
local communities, are the direct audience of their services. Therefore, when analyzing local government
operations one should also reflect on the local living conditions, the quality of services and the nature of
local social needs.

Therefore, we should stress that the training needs diagnosis with respect to local government personnel
should be one element in an overall analysis of the situation of a specific local government unit or a
specific public administration sector in a particular country. In principle, such a diagnosis should always
be accompanied by an insightful assessment of the legal and institutional framework of local
administration and an explication of the desirable model of this system and its operations.

Therefore, in an analysis of training needs, the issue that comes to the fore is not necessarily the subject-
matter of training (i.e. its content, target recipients, manner of organization) but, rather, the reasonability
of training under the existing circumstances. The analysis should offer an answer to the question on
whether it is indeed the educational effort that will help the organization (or the sector as a whole) to
attain the desirable state of affairs. After all, it might well happen that mayors, executive secretaries or
officials do have the necessary knowledge and skills to act but legal regulations or other systemic
constraints prevent them from performing their tasks efficiently.

In the light of these comments, it needs to be emphasized that a diagnosis of training needs among local
government personnel should always be part of an overall analysis of the situation of a specific LGU or a
particular local sector of public administration. Overall, it should be accompanied by a summary of legal
and institutional considerations in which local administration operates, and a description of the desirable
model of this system. In the European context, the key document which lays down the key principles in
this regard is the European Charter of Local Self Government, adopted in Strasbourg in 1985, and ratified
by Poland in full (among few member states of the Council of Europe) on 26 April 1993.1 One of the key
provisions of the Charter is the principle of subsidiarity (Article 4.3): ‘Public responsibilities shall
generally be exercised, in preference, by those authorities which are closest to the citizen. Allocation of
responsibility to another authority should weigh up the extent and nature of the task and requirements of
efficiency and economy.’). Moreover, in the context of research findings presented in this document, the
following provisions of the Charter are particularly noteworthy:

 Local self-government denotes the right and the ability of local authorities, within the limits of
the law, to regulate and manage a substantial share of public affairs under their own responsibility
and in the interests of the local population.’ (Article 3.1)
