What Is a Needs Assessment Survey for Staff Development Needs?

Gather data with a needs assessment survey.

Companies provide training to help employees learn necessary skills, become more efficient and experience professional growth. To determine what type of training is best for your company, conduct a needs assessment survey.

Identification

A needs assessment survey is a written or online tool used by human resource departments or consulting firms.

Purpose

Needs assessment surveys determine if training is necessary and if so, what type of training should be designed.

Method

According to Kavita Gupta, author of "A Practical Guide to Needs Assessment", start by gathering preliminary data. Then, plan what type of data to collect and how to do so. Next, perform a training requirements analysis, which "helps to define the gap of 'what is' and 'what should be,' by identifying where performance deficiencies exist." Finally, analyze the data and prepare the report.

Findings

The needs assessment survey gathers a variety of information. For example, the Virginia Department of Health conducted a needs assessment and discovered the preferred methods of training, the amount of time employees could commit to training, and specific skill gaps that needed to be addressed.

Warning

If you survey a large number of employees, create a quantitative survey that asks people to choose multiple choice answers or rank selected items. The data from a quantitative survey is easier to compile than the data from a qualitative survey, which allows people to write short answers.

References

• Human Resources: Basic Guidelines for Training Needs Assessment
• Virginia Department of Health: Trainings Needs Assessment Survey Results