How To Audit A Training Program for Beginners: An A-Z Guide

Companies that have comprehensive corporate training programs experience a 218% increase in income per employee compared to those without formalized training, according to Deloitte. Sounds impressive, right? But how do you know if your training program is actually hitting the mark or just wasting time and resources? That’s where auditing learning and development comes in. In this article, let’s walk through the four steps on how to audit a training program. This guide covers everything that you, a beginner, are looking for.

Why should you audit training programs in your organization?

Auditing your organization’s training program is the best way to adapt to constantly changing performance and productivity requirements. This process helps to:

• Compare the company’s performance to L&D benchmarks in the industry.
• Assess the efficiency of the current L&D strategies & make suggestions for improvement areas.
• Ensure that training programs align with the objectives of your organization. 
• Highlight learning and performance gaps through employee training.
• Identify and understand your learner’s preferences.

How to Audit a Training Program: A Step-by-step Guide

Audit a training program seems a big project. If you’re a newbie and don’t know how to get started, here are a few essential things to take for a successful audit.

Step 1: Create a list of training programs

We believe that everyone, including beginners, can nail the first step. First of all, make a list of the training programs you’ve established and those programs that learners can access through your learning platforms. This list will help you audit each training program to guarantee its relevance and effectiveness.

Step 2: Examine data and learners’ feedback.

Analyzing student feedback and statistics may enhance your audit for future training programs. For instance, when performing your audit, take note of:

• Which training programs do learners attend the most
• How well learners perform in each one.

It’s necessary to alter a training program if most of your staff are struggling with it. In this manner, you can establish a better L&D audit for highly skilled staff and the workplace. Animated instructional videos can also be a focus area, as they may require updates to align with learner needs and preferences.

Recommend reading:

• How to Collect Training Feedback from Employees

Step 3: Examine the performance of your staff members.

Don’t forget to assess staff members’ performance before enrolling them in training sessions. You should evaluate how their present training compares to their historical performance.

Step 4: Connect your training initiatives with the company’s objectives.

Ensure your training program is tied to the organization’s goals for increased productivity, profitability, and employee upskilling/reskilling.

Recommend reading:

• Align training with business goals: a step-to-step guide

Training and Development Audit Checklist

There are 8 factors to consider when evaluating your training program, including:

• #1: Learning and Development Strategy
• #2: The L&D Procedure Within the company
• #3: Stack of technologies
• #4: Training budgets
• #5: Your training resources
• #6: Training Content and Curriculum
• #7: Training Delivery Methods
• #8: Engagement and Feedback from Participants

#1: Learning and development strategy

L&D strategy is an essential aspect of the learning & development audit. The audit must concentrate on two main parts of developing an L&D strategy within the firm.

• Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is the procedure by which the business identifies the employees’ needs for training and development so that staff can perform their jobs well. It includes a thorough analysis of the training needs at various organizational levels. During this procedure, auditors must assess if L&D strategies align with training goals and performance.

• Learning Needs Analysis (LNA) identifies the difference between the desired and the existing skills, knowledge, and abilities. Once you address this gap, you can decide on the training needed.

LNA requires auditors to have a deep knowledge of the learning metrics used to track and assess employee performance. Also, auditors must comprehend how the business gathers and handles feedback and data from learner analytics.

Recommend reading:

• How to Develop Successful Learning and Development Strategy

#2: The L&D Procedure Within the company

As businesses evolve, so do their learning and development procedures. A process audit will concentrate on the following areas:

• Making a record of the training process includes best practices, rules, and regulations.
• Opportunities to save money: It outlines the reasons to keep using some procedures and the benefits of examining, improving, or getting rid of other procedures.
• Room to increase the capacity of L&D includes: utilizing strategic partnerships, contracting internal operations, and outsourcing L&D procedures.

#3: Stack of technologies

To ensure the L&D process is well-equipped to support efficient training and development, the audit should verify the following.

• Communication and collaboration tools
• Training design, development, and delivery tools 
• Data learning and analysis platforms
• Other technologies include
  • Project management
  • Content management
  • And learning management systems (LMS).

#4: Training budgets 

Two essential components in any audit of an L&D budget include:

• Return on investment calculation: you need to outline the financial gains (returns) from training investments (costs). From this cost-benefit analysis, the company will find why to keep funding L&D even during an economic crisis.
• Actuals versus plans: You need to compare anticipated and actual budgeting expenses. Remember to accurately audit excessive spending and underspending as they can negatively impact your training program’s effectiveness and quality.

Recommend reading:

• Training Budget: A Budget Allocation Guide for L&D managers

#5: Your Training Resources 

L&D auditors must assess the entire learning resources of the organization from start to finish. Training resources include the following:

• Available educational materials through a variety of channels.
• Different methods & techniques for creating individualized training experiences: personalized reskilling and upskilling.
• Platforms, tools, and technologies for delivering training.

#6: Training Content and Curriculum

Your training content should be aligned with your company’s goal and vision. Below is what you should pay attention to:

• Regularly review your training materials, both the physical and digital formats.
• Revise the training content curriculum to adapt to the current industry trend and meet trainers’ demands.
• Examine the length and depth of the training programs.

#7: Training Delivery Methods

There are many training delivery methods. That’s why it’s hard to choose the most effective one for your program, especially if you’re new to the audit task. However, you can test and combine some of them to see how suitable they are. So, let’s break down some of the most common training delivery methods you might come across:

1. eLearning modules and platforms: Some examples are Coursera, Udemy, or company-specific Learning Management Systems (LMS).
2. On-the-Job training (OJT): This is hands-on training right at the workplace. Employees learn by doing, usually under the guidance of a supervisor or an experienced colleague.
3. Instructor-Led Training (ILT): Traditional classroom-style training where an instructor leads a group of employees. This can be face-to-face or virtual.
4. Blended learning: A mix of e-learning and instructor-led training.
5. Workshops and seminars: These are short, intensive training sessions that focus on specific skills or knowledge areas.
6. Mentorship and coaching: Pairing employees with more experienced colleagues or external coaches to provide guidance, feedback, and support.
7. Job Shadowing: Employees follow and observe a more experienced colleague to understand the nuances of their role.

#8: Engagement and Feedback from Participants

Feedback from both trainers and learners gives you a comprehensive view of the training program. That also helps you identify gaps, shortcomings, and room for improvement.

Participant Engagement

• Attendance Records: Check if employees are attending the training sessions regularly.
• Participation Rates: Evaluate how actively participants are engaging during the training (e.g., asking questions, participating in discussions).
• Completion Rates: Verify how many participants are completing the training modules or courses.
• Interactive Elements: Ensure the training includes interactive components like quizzes, polls, and discussions.
• Practical Application: Assess if there are opportunities for hands-on practice or real-world application of skills learned.
• Engagement Metrics: Review data on engagement levels from your LMS or training platform (e.g., time spent on modules, and interaction rates).

Feedback

• Pre-Training Surveys: Check if there are surveys to gather participants’ expectations and learning goals before the training starts.
• Post-Training Surveys: Ensure there are feedback surveys after the training to assess participants’ satisfaction and perceived value.
• Feedback Forms: Review any additional feedback forms or comment sections for participant input.
• Trainer Evaluations: Include feedback specifically about the trainers’ effectiveness and knowledge.
• Suggestions for Improvement: Look for suggestions from participants on how to improve the training program.
• Response Rates: Assess the percentage of participants who provide feedback.

Take a Look at a Training Audit Example

Now you’ve come a long way, and we know this is the most awaited part. Below is an example of a training audit plan for the marketing department. Check it to thoroughly review and develop an audit program.

Section	Task	Details	Notes
1. Training Needs Analysis	Identify Key Skill Gaps	Advanced SEO Techniques	High Priority
		Content Marketing Strategy	Medium Priority
	Suggested Training Programs	Advanced SEO Training	Provided by SEO Guru Inc.
		Content Marketing Masterclass	Provided by Marketing Pro Ltd.
2. Training Program Inventory	List Existing Training Programs	Advanced SEO Training	Online, 2 weeks, Quarterly by SEO Guru Inc.
		Content Marketing Masterclass	In-person, 1 week, Bi-annually by Marketing Pro Ltd.
3. Training Effectiveness	Pre-Training Assessment	Advanced SEO Training	Pre-Training Score: 60% average
		Content Marketing Masterclass	Pre-Training Score: 55% average
	Post-Training Assessment	Advanced SEO Training	Post-Training Score: 85% average
		Content Marketing Masterclass	Post-Training Score: 80% average
	Participant Feedback	Advanced SEO Training	“Very practical and insightful”, Satisfaction Rate: 90%
		Content Marketing Masterclass	“Comprehensive and engaging”, Satisfaction Rate: 85%
4. Compliance	Legal and Industry Requirements	Advanced SEO Training	Up-to-date with industry SEO standards
		Content Marketing Masterclass	Adheres to current marketing guidelines
	Regular Updates	Advanced SEO Training	Quarterly updates with the latest SEO trends
		Content Marketing Masterclass	Bi-annual updates with new content strategies
5. Budget and Resources	Allocate Budget	Annual Training Budget	$25,000
	Budget Utilization	Utilized Budget	$18,750 (75%)
		Resources	$10,000 on SEO tools, $8,750 on training platforms
	Resource Allocation	Additional Resources Needed	$5,000 for external trainers, $1,250 for new software licenses
6. Schedule and Attendance	Schedule Training Sessions	Advanced SEO Training	August 1-14
		Content Marketing Masterclass	October 1-7
	Track Attendance	Advanced SEO Training Participants	5 (John, Sarah, Mike, Emma, Bob), Attendance Rate: 100%
		Content Marketing Masterclass Participants	4 (Alice, Tom, Jerry, Lisa), Attendance Rate: 100%
7. Best Practices and Areas for Improvement	Implement Best Practices	Advanced SEO Training	Regular updates, practical exercises
		Content Marketing Masterclass	Real-life scenarios, expert facilitators
	Identify Areas for Improvement	Advanced SEO Training	Increase interactivity
		Content Marketing Masterclass	Provide more personalized feedback
	Suggested Actions	Advanced SEO Training	Incorporate more group activities
		Content Marketing Masterclass	Offer one-on-one coaching sessions
8. Audit Summary and Recommendations	Summarize Key Findings	Observations	Training programs are effective but need more interactivity and personalization.
	Provide Recommendations	Recommendations	Add group activities for Advanced SEO Training, offer one-on-one coaching for Content Marketing Masterclass
9. Follow-Up	Continuous Improvement	Plan	Schedule regular reviews every quarter to update and improve training programs.

Conclusion

Now we hope you know how to audit a training program. It concentrates on underdeveloped areas and skill or knowledge deficiencies. It’s a helpful tool for business representatives who want to increase staff performance, productivity, and engagement while quickening organizational change.

Read more:

• Training Implementation: A Full Guide to Monitor a Training Project
• Test Your Training Program Before and After Rolling Out: What, Why & How