Training Evaluation Toolkit

• Skill Assessment Form - Individual
• Skill Assessment Form – Group
• Certificate of Completion
• Certificate of Completion (Mail Merge)
• Certificate of Completion Data Source
• Training Evaluation Data Collection Plan
• Evaluation Report Communication Plan
• Training Participant Feedback Form

"Clearly Mr Allan's 20 plus years of professional experience in Training and Development comes through crystal clear as he identifies the real world challenges that Training and Development professionals experience in providing effective programs that enhance the organization's performance. He even provides tools for measuring ROI; the measurement of training that continues to grow in importance to prove it's own worth in many organizations."

"The Training Evaluation Toolkit provides a complete and comprehensive vision of training and its evaluation. The tools featured in the package are well built, simple to use, easy to implement and really get the job done. The Training Evaluation Toolkit allowed me to move to the next step of training evaluation and to perfect the tools already in place at my workplace. This toolkit really met my expectations and I highly recommend it to all potential customers."

"I am very happy with the products that I bought from your company last year (Training Evaluation Toolkit and Writing Learning Outcomes). The concept/process is uncomplicated, hence I was able to immediately use them in developing and designing a training program as well as measuring the program's effectiveness."

"First Impressions

On opening, I was surprised at the extent of the content, in particular the range of templates that are included in the package (16 in total). A quick read of the introduction described the evaluation model that this tool kit is built around; the very well known and extensively used Donald Kirkpatrick's training evaluation model.

On further review

I like this model for evaluating training programs as it sits well with OJT training and classroom delivery alike. Leslie explains each of the four levels in great detail, living up to his promise of delivering a 'practical guide' to training evaluation. He spends a chapter on each level, detailing the process of assessing training with a significant amount of background detail and considerations for the evaluator. It is an outstanding explanation of Kirkpatrick's model. The chapter on measuring results is particularly noteworthy, explaining how results are often difficult to isolate and can be affected by non-training matters.

I did find the second last chapter, measuring the ROI on training, to be what I would consider as 'theory heavy', most probably because it falls outside the scope of my particular niche. Although it is still approached from a practical angle, the depth is too extensive for the front line trainer, low level training manager and possibly even the small business owner. Don't get me wrong, I do see the need to ensure that the reward for you efforts is worth the resources committed, but if it is too complex, the options are to outsource or overlook.

This is bought quickly back into focus with the last chapter titled 'Program Evaluation and Reporting'. Although short, it is an invaluable inclusion that clearly outlines the importance of reporting on your training activities.

The templates are excellent. Included in the package are blue prints for training data collection and presentation, participant evaluation and feedback, a certificate of completion and training report. If this is your first time evaluating training, then this book will give you the building blocks that you need to gather feed back, complete the assessment, analyse the results and record your findings.

Conclusion

The Training Evaluation Tool Kit is a one-stop tool box for evaluating your training programs, regardless of the size of your organisation. It feels more suited to a medium to large organisation with a regular training schedule, but that's not to say that any benefit would be lost to the small business owner or sole trainer. At a cost of $50 USD, it is priced very reasonably with comparable products (and even some less comparable in quality).

Would I buy it? Yes, for the templates and the explanation of Kirkpatrick's model alone."

"I'm always being asked about evaluation and whether I have examples of materials. Although there is already a lot written in this field, including toolkits like the CIPD's, another contribution is always welcome. The style is accessible and practical. The materials straightforward and easily adaptable. The content is mainstream and of the 'how to' variety. I think it will be helpful for those new to evaluation who have been tasked with pulling together an approach to measurement and who would rather not start with a blank sheet.

In some respects the toolkit reminds me of the work of the late Leslie Rae with its sound reasoning and unfussy materials. But quickly the text moves into the higher levels of evaluation and the complexities of measurement. Isolating the effects of training and putting numbers on performance change is not everyone's cup of tea but it certainly has its place. In this respect it is more like Terence Jackson's Evaluation: Relating Training to Business Performance. I don't think this toolkit is better than what has gone before but it is handy having it in an e-book format.

Intangibles and the longer term benefits from things like leadership development do get a mention. But the toolkit is at its strongest in looking at quantitative methods. Personally I have my doubts about whether the investment of time and effort in most RoI exercises are worth it in terms of the value they offer back (how can you set out to measure the value of the training and then not weigh up the cost and value of the evaluation exercise itself). No one ever got a pig fat by weighing it. But if you need to do such an exercise, this toolkit may be as good a start point as anything offered by Jack Phillips.

This book hasn't excited me - that is not what it is about - but I am sure there are many a trainer out there that will be keen to 'borrow' the materials and follow the tips provided. For me, it gets a 3.5 out of 5."