# How to Write a Training Report

To create a great training report, you will need to know who the training is intended to assist, what their goals are and who will make the decision about whether or not to accept your recommendation. Make sure to establish what the goals of the group are, how they are measured, how strong the current skill-set is, and what the budget is for any training that will be done. It is also a good idea to know the concerns of whoever has requested the report. That will help you to write a report that addresses the right issues.

## Preparing to Write a Training Report

Establish the goals. Determine what goals the training is meant to impact. If you are the training manager this may be obvious. But if you are a consultant or an HR professional asked to do this, you must determine exactly what the goal of the training is. Is it sales increase, efficiency, cost-savings, speed? To find that out ask your supervisor or the person who requested the report. If you are a training manager, make sure you know exactly what the goal is and how its improvement will be measured.

Determine the component skills required to accomplish the goal. There are specific skills needed to do everything. For example, increasing sales closing rates requires skills in lead generation, selling, closing a sale and follow-up. You must know the skills involved in the function to determine what training will effect the goal. This information may be apparent, or you may need to get more information from people familiar with the exact functional area. To do that, interview managers, or others who have experience on the job in whatever area the training addresses.

Evaluate the current skill competency of your training group. You may use measurements that have already been established, like sales closing rations or revenue. You can also measure the skills themselves. For example, you could measure data entry rates, or error rates or the number of customer complaints. With that information you can begin to see what training is needed by noticing where there are areas of weakness in skills.

Find available training. Knowing where the gap is between the current skill level and the desired level to reach the goal, research what training is available to enhance those skills. You will want to find out the availability of the training, its costs, its effectiveness, how long it takes and when and where it is offered. Find options if possible, so that you can determine which method or provider best fits the needs of your group.

Choose the best training option and determine exactly how that training would be delivered. Find out the costs and draw a provisional schedule. You must account for any stoppages in normal operations that will take place, so carefully look at the work schedules of those who will be trained and how their training will impact the organization, and try to minimize the disruption.

## Writing Your Report

Choose a format. A recommended method is to use a format template to produce your final report. With all of the information you have gathered, it should be a simple matter of plugging in your information. One format is available in the Tips section, but others can be found in various software packages such as Microsoft Word or in the templates section at Microsoft.com.

Try this template: Ekta Sharma of CiteHR.com recommends a simple format for such a report. On its own, the format can help you figure out what information you need:

1.Department: 2.Date: 3.Analyst: 4.Department Supervisor: 5.Desired Program:

GOALS 1.What organizational goal is driving this training? 2.What will the benefit or ROI (Return on Investment) be? 3.What is the skill gap? 4.What competencies (knowledge, skills, or attitudes) will this program deliver? 5.What factor or evaluation will be used to measure the level of goal achievement?

TARGET POPULATION 1.Who will be trained? 2.What is the estimated class size? 3.How many classes will there be and how long will this training last? 4.What are the knowledge and skill prerequisites?

TYPE OF TRAINING 1.What type of program is being proposed? 2.What media will be employed?

ALTERNATIVES 1.What will happen if we do not deliver the training? 2.What are the restrictions or limitations for delivering a program? 3.What other methods may be used to reach the goal (include limitations and advantages)?

PROJECT PLANNING 1.Estimated timeline: 2.Estimated budgeting: 3.Personal or resources required:

Copy the text of the template into your own word processing program. Choose the font you are comfortable with and change the format to that font.

Fill in the template. Use the template as a guide to build your report, inserting the information you have gathered into its appropriate section.

Check the report for errors, typos or grammatical mistakes. Print it out and proofread it as we often miss errors when we read on a screen.