How Do We Track and Measure the Impact of Our Skills Development Efforts?

Developing the skills of employees is important for all organizations. It helps employers stay competitive and have a higher chance of being successful. Knowing which skills to develop doesn’t give your organization the full picture, however.

To gain a true understanding of how effective your skills development efforts are, you need to be able to track and measure the impact. In this article, we will walk through how you can do this effectively to determine how successful your efforts are.

Overview of Skills Measurement

Deciding which metrics are best to use for measuring and tracking skills development efforts can be difficult. Here are three types of skills measurement to help you get started:

• Outcomes-driven

This concentrates on the end result of skills development efforts. For example, increased productivity or customer satisfaction.

• Behaviors-focused

This looks at the use of skills in daily operations. For example, customer service or product delivery.

• Competency-based

This assesses how well employees understand and apply specific skills. For example, communication or problem-solving.

You can combine these three types of measurements to build a picture of the impact of your skills development efforts. Understanding this can allow you to track and assess your progress to achieve more productive and competent employees.

Setting Goals for Skills Development Impact

Developing an employee’s skills is important, but how can you track these efforts? The key to doing this is setting clear and measurable goals. There are several indicators you can use to determine which metrics to use:

• Productivity

Productivity measures the time that it takes to complete tasks or projects.

• Quality

You can track error rates or customer feedback scores.

• Employee Engagement

Attendance or participation rates in company activities and initiatives are great ways to monitor employee engagement.

• Financial Returns

You can also track revenue and cost savings related to skills development activities.

It’s not enough to only set goals. You also need to track them. Doing this will help you measure the effectiveness of skills development efforts. As well as this, it enables you to make adjustments in the future.

Tracking Progress with Surveys and Interviews

Two of the primary ways to measure skills development efforts are through surveys and interviews. These can be useful tools to gather feedback and gauge progress.

• Surveys

Surveys are an effective way to monitor employee growth. It enables you to receive direct feedback on their experiences and feelings. When surveying employees who took the same training course, you can easily compare results to see the impact.

• Interviews

One-on-one interviews are also great ways to gauge the success of skills development efforts. Conducting interviews periodically can get you direct feedback on how they feel their skills have progressed. This differs from surveys as it allows for a more personal touch.

Measuring the Long-Term Impact of Training Programs

Measuring the long-term impact of training programs allows you to track progress and spot areas for improvement. It also helps you ensure that you invest in the correct areas and receive a return on investment (ROI).

• ROI

Measuring the ROI of training programs is vital. It gives you the answer to whether your investment in skills development efforts has been worthwhile. You have to track the costs associated with each program and its outcomes, however.

• Gathering Data

Collecting data is critical for effectively measuring the success of skills development efforts. When doing this, gather data before, during, and after any initiatives or programs have been implemented. This helps you fully understand how successful skills development efforts have been.

• Continuous Improvement

By measuring long term-impact, you can gain insights that can drive continuous improvement. Be comprehensive in your data collection and meaningfully address areas that are struggling. It is an ongoing process, but it can help you ensure success in the future when rolling out new initiatives or programs.

Conclusion

Measuring skills development efforts is crucial for your organization’s success. With the right data-driven insights you can confidently make decisions about your organization’s skills development efforts. If successful, it will leave a lasting positive impact on your employees and the organization as a whole.