Transit Technical Training, Volume 2: Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Best and Innovative Training (2018)

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79 A P P E N D I X B Training Needs Assessment and Selection Tool Background Training needs assessments are used to identify an organization’s training gaps and needs. They can help transit agencies evaluate current workforce proficiency levels on required competencies and uncover areas where existing training may be insufficient. Organizations should strive to conduct needs assessments on a periodic basis, as an employee’s work environment and the resulting competencies needed can change due to new processes or technologies. Not only does this ensure employees’ knowledge and skills remain current, but it better enables an organization to fulfill its mission and achieve overarching goals and objectives. As a result of a training needs assessment, transit agencies may find that they have a number of related training needs that may not be fully met by their current training program. Ideally, the training needs assessment should consider both the importance of various competencies to the success of the organization as well as the level of proficiency of current employees in those competencies. When selecting a training course to address training needs, the most desirable course (all else equal) would be the one that best addresses the most critical topics and those in which employees have the largest proficiency gaps. Purpose of This Tool This tool is designed to help transit agencies 1. Determine training needs for an occupational group (e.g., bus operators) by identifying critical competencies/training topics and gaps in current training to adequately address those needs, and 2. Compare two or more training courses based on how well they address identified gaps. Options could include a revision of current training within the organization, training available via an online catalog, a new course to be developed in-house, or an off-the-shelf or customized training course to be purchased from a vendor.

80 Transit Technical Training, Volume 2: Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Best and Innovative Training APTA: http://www.apta.com/resources/standards/Pages/default.aspx O*NET OnLine: https://www.onetonline.org/find/industry?i=48&g=Go Transit Training Network-Bus: https://www.transittraining.net/standards/bus Transit Training Network-Rail: https://www.transittraining.net/standards/rail Using This Tool The next few pages of this tool present a table that captures the ratings from throughout the needs assessment process. The pages that follow the rating table provide several worksheets that can be used to collect input for the ratings from various stakeholders in the organization. If transit agencies already have a list of related competencies or training topics and the various ratings are being made by one person (or together in a small group), the worksheets may not be needed and the ratings can be directly entered into the table. However, if a larger number of stakeholders must be consulted (e.g., to collect supervisor ratings of employee proficiency), the worksheets can be a helpful way to collect input to be aggregated in the master rating table. Instructions for using the rating table and the individual worksheets are presented before each table/worksheet. The approach to using the rating table is generally the same regardless of whether the worksheets are used, with two important exceptions. 1. Any number of competencies/topics can be included in the worksheets provided to stakeholders, but the rating table should include only the specific competencies/topics that the agency is hoping will be included in the course to be selected. Thus, the agency may need to select the related competencies/topics that it wants to focus on based on the initial ratings of criticality and proficiency and only include those in the rating table. 2. If the rating table is being used alone, raw ratings of 1 to 3 can be used. If multiple worksheets are being used, the average rating across the worksheets should be entered. This average may not be an integer, so the calculations may be more difficult and require the use of a calculator or spreadsheet software. Identify Relevant Competencies* Course Selection Identify Criticality of Need Assess Current Proficiency Assess Course Coverage The tool will take agencies through the process of rating how critical each competency or training topic is, assessing the proficiency of the existing workforce, rating each course’s coverage of those topics, and ultimately calculating which course’s content best reflects their needs. The full process is shown in the graphic to the right. *Note: Prior to completing the needs assessment, it is necessary to identify relevant competencies/ training topics for the group of employees being targeted in the needs assessment (e.g., bus operators). How to identify these competencies/ topics is up to each agency and not described in detail in the tool. Competencies/training topics may be listed in internal documents or can be identified using the following resources:

Rating Training Options Instructions 1. Begin with a list of related competencies or training needs based on an assessment of skill gaps among the current workforce or anticipated changes in equipment, operations, etc. Results from the various enclosed worksheets can also help to narrow down the list. The training needs should be listed in column 1 of the table on the next page. Only include related needs/topics that would conceivably be found in a single course/curriculum. If you have very diverse topics, separate them into several tables with the relevant training options in each one. 2. For each of the training needs, the organization should assign a rating from 1–3 (3 being most critical) based on how critical it is that the topic be covered well in the selected training.* Consider the impact to the business if the workforce is not well trained in the given competency, as well as the potential for employees to develop the competency through other required training or on-the-job experiences. The Criticality of Need Worksheet can also be used to collect this information from members of the organization. The summary/average rating should be entered in column 2. 3. Using either ratings from the Average Employee Proficiency Level worksheet or previously collected needs assessment data (e.g., employee self-ratings, supervisor/leadership ratings), input the average current employee proficiency on each competency in column 3.* As the rating scale is only three levels, the agency may need to determine how their needs assessment proficiency level ratings align with the three levels and apply the ratings consistently across competencies. Note that a higher number indicates a lower level of proficiency. 4. The organization should then review two or more potential training courses that they believe may satisfy their training needs and list their titles at the tops of columns 4 and 5 (more columns can be added for more than two options). Based on the review of the learning objectives, modules, lessons, etc. of each course, the organization should rate each option from 1–3 on each need/topic based on how extensively it was covered (use the Course Coverage of Competencies/Training Topics worksheet, if needed).* The exact standard for some coverage vs. thorough coverage is not important, as long as it is applied consistently across both training options. For this reason, it is preferable to have the same person (or people) reviewing both courses. 5. Once the criticality and coverage ratings have been made for all topics and training courses (i.e., columns 2–5 are complete), the criticality multiplier (column 2) in each row should be multiplied by the proficiency multiplier (column 3) and then by the ratings in columns 4 and 5 and entered in the corresponding result column (columns 6 and 7). So in the example below, for the training need Wheelchair handling procedures, the criticality multiplier of 2 is first multiplied by proficiency multiplier of 2, which equals 4. This value is then multiplied by the First Course Title Rating of 2 to get the Course 1 Result of 6 and by the Second Course Rating of 3 to get the Course 2 Result of 12. 6. Finally, total the two result columns. The total of columns 6 and 7 can be used to inform the decision about which course is a better fit for the organization based on the needs identified. Of course, this is only one part of the equation which also includes factors like course duration, quality, cost, and evaluation methods.

*Note: If multiple worksheets are being used to develop the rating, an average rating can be entered instead of the raw value from 1-3. 1) Training Topics or Competencies 2) Criticality of Need (Multiplier) 3) Average Employee Proficiency Level (Multiplier) 4) First Course Title Rating 5) Second Course Title Rating 6) Course 1 Result 7) Course 2 Result List related competencies or training topics identified in needs assessment How important is it that this course addresses each topic? 3 – Very important 2 – Somewhat important 1 – Nice to have How proficient are employees on this competency? 3 – Far below required proficiency level 2 – Slightly below required proficiency level 1 – At or above required proficiency level How well does the first course address this topic or competency? 3 – Thorough coverage 2 – Some coverage 1 – Little or no coverage How well does the second course address this topic or competency? 3 – Thorough coverage 2 – Some coverage 1 – Little or no coverage Column 2 x Column 3 x Column 4 Column 2 x Column 3 x Column 5 Wheelchair handling procedures 2 2 2 3 8 12 Wheelchair lift operation 3 1 2 2 6 6 Wheelchair securement 3 2 3 2 18 12 Additional training topics… Total 32 30

Training Needs Assessment and Selection Tool 83 Criticality of Need Instructions: Please read each competency/training topic description and rate the importance of the competency/training topic as it relates to your employees’ work activities using the following rating scale definitions: Not Applicable—This competency/training topic is not relevant to my employees’ work activities. Nice to Have—This competency/training topic is not required for employees to perform work activities, but can be beneficial if employees are able to apply it. Somewhat Important—Employees should be able to apply this competency/training topic when performing work activities, but it will not have a critical business or safety impact if not. Very Important—Employees must be able to apply this competency/training topic to effectively perform work activities, and not doing so could have a critical business or safety impact. 1 2 3 Competency/Training Topic Not Applicable Nice to Have Somewhat Important Very Important Competency/Training Topic 1 [Description] Competency/Training Topic 2 [Description] Competency/Training Topic 3 [Description] Competency/Training Topic 4 [Description] Competency/Training Topic 5 [Description]

84 Transit Technical Training, Volume 2: Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Best and Innovative Training Average Employee Proficiency Level Instructions: Please read each competency/training topic description and rate your employees’ overall proficiency level in the competency/training topic as it applies to operations in your transit agency using the following rating scale definitions: Not Applicable—This competency/training topic is not required for my employees’ work. Little to No Experience—This competency/training topic is required for my employees’ work, but they have little to no experience using it. Less than Required Proficiency—Employees have difficulty applying this competency/training topic with or without supervision. Required Proficiency—Employees are able to contribute to work activities that require them to apply this competency/competency with supervision. More than Required Proficiency—Employees are able to independently handle routine assignments and tasks that require application of this competency/training topic. 3 2 1 Competency/ Training Topic Not Applicable Little to No Experience Less than Required Proficiency Required Proficiency More than Required Proficiency Competency/Training Topic 1 [Description] Competency/Training Topic 2 [Description] Competency/Training Topic 3 [Description] Competency/Training Topic 4 [Description] Competency/Training Topic 5 [Description]

Training Needs Assessment and Selection Tool 85 Course Coverage of Competencies/Training Topics Instructions: Please read each competency/training topic description and rate the extent to which it is covered in the relevant training using the following rating scale definitions: No Coverage—This competency/training topic is not covered in the training. Little Coverage—This competency/training topic has minimal related content in the training. Some Coverage—This competency/training topic has a moderate amount of relevant content in the training. Thorough Coverage—This competency/training topic is thoroughly covered in the training. Note: The exact standard for little vs. some vs. thorough coverage is not important, as long as it is applied consistently across both training options. 1 2 3 Competency/Training Topic No Coverage Little Coverage Some Coverage Thorough Coverage Competency/Training Topic 1 [Description] Competency/Training Topic 2 [Description] Competency/Training Topic 3 [Description] Competency/Training Topic 4 [Description] Competency/Training Topic 5 [Description]