A skills needs analysis can be conducted by an in-house trainer or by a consultant. The process is systematic and based on specific information-gathering techniques. Ultimately, there are several ways to determine which areas require attention. There is, however, no short cut formula to carrying out the process. Each organisation will require a different method of collecting and organising information to assess their needs.

These techniques can contain any of the following:

1. Observation
   
   By observing an employee’s work you can determine where his/her skills lack and identify where they require training. It is advised that you develop a checklist to remind you what to look out for. Ideally, you should identify the employee’s strengths that can be worked on and their weaknesses that need to be overcome.
   
   
2. Interviews
   
   With interviews you can discuss key areas that you believe to be problematic and gather the opinion of several individuals to determine a trend or widespread perception.
   
   
3. Questionnaires
   
   The most positive aspect of questionnaires is that they allow you to gather information from every person from whom you require feedback in a manner that is not as time consuming as face-to-face interviews. It also allows for flexibility and anonymity – so employees can answer questions openly and honestly in their own time.
   
   
4. Job Outlines
   
   Conduct a job analysis to determine all the functions of a particular role – this will provide a framework to assess the employee against. Once you have a detailed job description you can match up training with the expectations of the position.
   
   
5. Performance Review
   
   Annual performance reviews of an individual should be seen as an opportunity to identify areas for improvement. These reviews provide a time for both the manager and employee to discuss the causes for problems in performance.
   
   
6. Company Performance Review
   
   For certain job functions one can immediately determine areas which require training by looking at the overall performance of a department or the company. A sales team that gets many leads but fails to close as many sales can be an indication of a need for sales training or if the amount of money recovered in debt recovery is substantially less than that owed there may be shortage of experienced debt recovery agents.
   
   
7. Industry Trends
   
   To ensure your company is kept up-to-date on industry developments and the latest training available it is advised that you monitor seminars and workshops being presented in your field. Also make a note of which courses seem to be the most popular amongst your competitors and within your industry so you can determine if you are losing your competitive edge.
   
   For example, it is no surprise that the most popular course amongst Compuscan Academy’s learners is the All-in-One Credit Course. Regardless of your position – if you are in the credit industry this course is essential. The course itself is a combination of accredited skills programmes and presents employees with the key skills they need to work in the credit environment. Another exceptionally popular course at Compuscan Academy is Credit Control and Collections. This one-day course covers every aspect of efficient loans collection from how to develop a client loan repayment management system to how to respond appropriately to problem loans.

Once you have analysed which skills you need to invest in start looking for a training provider that can customise a course especially suited to target these needs. Compuscan Academy specialises in customised courses and can help you to comprehensively meet all the needs uncovered in your skills assessment.