Giving Compass' Take:

• Amy McCaig reports that researchers used existing scientific on learning and organizational training to guide the development of an employee training program checklist. 

• Can funders use this model to improve and evaluate workforce training programs? 

• Learn about an effective workforce training program: Year Up. 

Businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations spend big money on employee training each year, but how can they tell the preparation is actually working? The checklist, which researchers describe in a paper in the International Journal of Training and Development, provides practical guidance for all stages of implementing training programs.

The authors developed the checklist by surveying scientific research on learning and organizational training, then figuring out the best ways to achieve “training transfer”—the translation of knowledge to skills for better performance.

The checklist is divided into three sections of “yes” and “no” questions to be answered before, during, and after employees undergo training.

The “before” section determines if the training program will meet the organization’s needs.

The “during” section addresses the training’s content.

The “after” questions, which organizations can ask themselves repeatedly, check whether workers remember what they learned and determine if they need more help.

Read the full article about a Checklist to develop, implement, and evaluate employee training programs by Amy McCaig at Futurity.