Training objective – is a measurable final outcome of a training program. It is usually expressed in terms of desired skill level, conditions under which skill level can be demonstrated and measuring benchmark (Business Dictionary). The purposes of having training objectives are: help in the training design stage, ‘road map’ provision for trainees, assistance in training programme marketing. Without training objectives training is aimless and ineffective. Once training objectives are prepared, they can be used in order to outline to the trainees what they are going to learn out while visiting the course (News Days Zimbabwe).
Some people have opinion that training objective is unneeded waste of time. The counter argument is resource limits and having training objectives will help to allocate these resources in the most efficient way. Training objectives provide unambiguous guideline and help to develop the training program in less time. With them it is easier to adhere to a plan.
Training objectives are useful for a number of stakeholders: trainer, trainee and designer. For trainer having training objectives is beneficial because it helps to measure trainees’ progress and make the necessary adjustments. Moreover, with the use of training objectives, trainer can more easily establish a relationship between objectives and particular training segments. The training objective is beneficial to the trainee because it facilitates reduce of trainee anxiety. Obscurity and having no final aim creates anxiety and negatively affect learning. So, it is better to keep the trainees aware. Also, having training objectives help to increase concentration, which is important for successful training completion. If the goal is set motivating and challenging, the likelihood of its achieving is higher than in case no goal is set. With clear training objectives, the training designer would look for the training methods, equipment and content accordingly to reach the objectives. Planning usually is useful in case of unexpected situations (Naukri Hub).
While the training objectives expresses a present (observed) state (what the trainees actually learnt), course outcomes describes an intended state (what the trainees would learn ideally) (Jackson E.).
Learning objectives are different for behavioural course and technical course. The learning objectives for behavioural course are about changing person’s attitude and relation to different situations, while the learning objectives for technical course are less broad and more specific, like skill to implement definite engineering calculations. The outcomes of the behavioural course can be applied by trainee in different activity spheres. They set the behavioural model of trainee, which can be used everywhere. The outcomes of technical course are applicable in the specific activity sphere. Both types of training are required for successful organization’s existence and goals implementation.
For an organization learning outcomes and training objectives should be aligned to strategic organizational goals. There are two basic types of organizational goals: official and operative. Official goals are described in the public statements like annual reports and corporate charter. These goals help to support positive organization’s reputation and public image. Operative goals are real, specific steps needed to achieve organization’s purpose.
Training objectives as well as organizational goals should follow SMART strategy. They should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. Specific – the objective should be clearly stated, such as “increase organization’s profit” or “the employee should know basic strategies for effective sales”. Measurable – the result should be expressed with the use of measure unit, like “increase the organization’s profit by 5% in compare with previous year” or “the trainees can apply 5 basic effective sales strategies”. Achievable – with which resources and methods the aim can be reached. For example, “increase the organization’s profit by 5% in compare with previous year with the use of automatization and staff reduction”. Relevant – aim accomplishment relevance for organization’s success. Time bounded – the aim should have definite time limits or deadline by which it should be achieved.
After defining organizational goals the required resources should be determined, like better equipment, increase of personnel qualification. In case of need of personnel qualification the learning outcomes should be identified. For example, if it is planned to buy new equipment, the personnel should know how to apply it for their job. The situations, while this new equipment is used, should be defined. For instance, if the organization buys new accounting software, the accountants should know how to turn it on and off, how to create all kind of required reports in efficient way, how to perform their daily operations with this software.
Bibliography
Business Dictionary.2016. Training objective. [online] Available at:
< http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/training-objective.html>
News Days Zimbabwe. 2011. Importance of training objectives. [online] Available at:
< https://www.newsday.co.zw/2011/10/27/2011-10-27-importance-of-training-objectives/>
Naukri Hub. 2016. Importance of training objectives. [online] Available at:
< http://www.naukrihub.com/trainings/importance-of-training-objectives.html>
Jackson E. 2016. Course objectives & Learning Outcomes. [online] Available at: <http://resources.depaul.edu/teaching-commons/teaching-guides/course-design/Pages/course-objectives-learning-outcomes.aspx>
North-eastern University. 2016. Creating Your Course Outcomes and Lesson Learning Objectives. [online] Available at: <http://www.northeastern.edu/nuolirc/creating-your-course-outcomes-and-learning-objectives/>
