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Learning and Development | 6 Min Read

Measure the effectiveness of an employee training program

Every year, businesses around the world invest significant resources in training their employees. Measuring the effectiveness of training programs is vital for identifying gaps in strategies and evaluating the impact of training programs on overall productivity. These insights enable L&D teams to refine their strategies and enhance the efficacy of employee training programs.

Companies require clear methods to evaluate whether their training programs yield results. Measuring training effectiveness indicates whether employees apply what they learn and reveals areas that need improvement. Businesses can track progress and observe tangible changes by implementing the proper steps.

This blog outlines simple methods to measure the success of training programs, shares best practices, discusses effective training models, and more.

 


What is training effectiveness?

Training effectiveness refers to measuring the impact of training on an employee’s knowledge, skills, performance, and the organization’s return on investment (ROI). To ensure accurate assessment, the goals and objectives of the training should be established beforehand.

For instance, an organization might evaluate an employee’s productivity, sales figures, and other factors before training and then reassess these factors afterwards. This process highlights the quality of the training provided, enabling businesses to continue with the same approach or adjust their strategies as needed.

Employing scientifically validated techniques to evaluate training programs is known as training effectiveness management. Organizations can make better decisions to enhance their strategies and allocate resources by understanding and measuring training effectiveness.

 


What is the need to measure training effectiveness?

Measuring training effectiveness is essential for the following factors:

 

  • Training impact: Organizations can see the specific skills and knowledge employees have gained. This insight helps understand the direct impact of training on employee performance and confidence.
  • ROI assessment: By measuring training effectiveness, companies can assess whether their investment in training is paying off. This evaluation shows if the training leads to better performance, helping to justify the resources spent on it.
  • Training gaps: Evaluating training outcomes reveals areas where employees may still need improvement. This information allows organizations to refine and enhance upcoming training programs to better meet employee needs.
  • Employee needs: Different employees may have varying training requirements. Measuring effectiveness helps organizations understand these diverse needs, ensuring that training is relevant and beneficial for all employee groups.

 


How do you measure the effectiveness of training?

Understanding training evaluation metrics is crucial to measuring training effectiveness. It allows organizations to implement well-conceptualized training that makes efficient and high-performing teams.

A popular method to measure training effectiveness is identifying the 3Ws (why, who, and what of training):

 

Why train employees?

As the business landscape evolves with time, employees’ existing skills are unable to meet organizational demands as well as personal career goals completely. Therefore, implementing employee training programs according to different employee categories and their core competencies can help improve workplace productivity and outcomes.

 

Who to train?

Identify organizational requirements and employees’ aspirations. Based on these factors, employees who are being considered for promotion, seeking lateral shifts, or are willing to improve their performance can be considered for employee training programs.

Ideally, every employee should be given an equal chance to refine their skills. Therefore, a personalized program for each employee category can be designed.

 

What to train on?

Every employee has varied training needs; some employees need to learn transferable skills, while others need to refine their leadership qualities. Therefore, a well-rounded training program should be designed according to different job profiles, employee needs, and organizational mobility requirements.

Training evaluation metrics can include the following questions:

  • How many participants completed the training?
  • What is the success/underperformance rate of assessments undertaken?
  • Is there any significant behavioral change observed due to the intervention?
  • What is the return on investment (ROI)?

 

Some ways to measure training effectiveness for an employee training program are-

 

1. Tracking the correct key performance indicators (KPI)

Organizations should focus on KPIs that provide clarity regarding employees’ performance projections and progress. They include:

  • Skills and knowledge retention
  • Employee time to proficiency
  • Employee engagement
  • Transfer of training
  • Net promoter score
  • Impact of training on organizational performance

Measuring the accurate KPIs helps understand training gaps and success factors, which allows valuable strategy modifications.

 

2. Conducting employee training assessments

Employee training assessments are excellent for L&D professionals as they help assess trainees’ learning retention and progress from beginning to end. The steps to administering a training assessment are:

 

Prior training assessment

An assessment before training provides a baseline of awareness of employees’ existing skills. Such assessments provide a base to evaluate employees’ performance before and after the training.

 

Mid-training evaluation

Gauging employees while training makes it easier to understand whether the exercise is helping employees or if it needs some amendments.

 

Post-training assessment

An employee assessment at the end of training helps compare scores against the pre-training scores to determine whether there is an improvement. These evaluations efficiently address a progression or retrogression in trainees’ performances, helping make necessary training amendments.

 

3. Tracking employee engagement

It’s essential to understand whether the training initiative is engaging employees and if they are committed to the training from the beginning to the end. The success of a training initiative is directly related to the richness of content and the value it provides to the learners.

A few questions that answer whether employees are engaged or not are:

  • Are employees interested in other programs?
  • Are they completing courses or programs at the right pace?
  • Do they ask questions?
  • Is there a change in their behavior due to training?
  • Are they discussing doubts with a senior resource or managers?

 

4. Seeking feedback on training

Employees’ feedback regarding their learning experience helps recruiters understand what’s effective and what’s not. An ideal way to seek feedback is through a medium where learners can express their training experience. For example, an anonymous feedback survey during the training program helps understand employees’ honest views.

Engaging employees in this activity throughout the program aids L&D managers in extracting valuable insights that help improve training satisfaction in the future.

 

Infographic 1

Models used to evaluate training effectiveness

The Kirkpatrick Model

 

The Kirkpatrick Model is a globally recognized framework to streamline organizational training and learning initiatives. It evaluates the training effectiveness for formal and informal training modes against four evaluation criteria: reaction, learning, behavior, and results.

 

the Kirk-Patrick Model

The 4 Levels of Training Evaluation:

  • Reaction: This measures how learners have responded to the training, including the critical aspects of the activity, such as utilizing reviews, questionnaires, or talking to participants to get honest feedback on the training experience. It focuses on the candidates’ idea of whether the training program has helped them or not.
  • Learning: It measures what the trainees have learned and how much knowledge they have gained. In short, it focuses on how much the candidate has assimilated.
  • Behavior This indicates how trainees apply the learned information and how it has impacted their performance and attitude, focusing on how much the candidate retained after the training ended.
  • Results The last aspect is the ‘why’ part of the training. It captures the observable difference in the participants’ behavior before and after the program. It includes outcomes the organization has determined favorable for both business and employees.

Mercer | Mettl’s training effectiveness solutions help understand the training lifecycle, including training needs identification, measurement of the program ROI, and impact on employees’ knowledge and skills. It is based on the Kirkpatrick Model.

Mercer | Mettl’s pre-training assessments are customized for the specific competency training framework. These assessments, when administered before the training, measure the current proficiency level in the desired competencies. They help in creating the appropriate training program for employees.

Mercer | Mettl’s post-training assessment framework is designed based on the Kirkpatrick four-level training evaluation model, the worldwide standard for evaluating training effectiveness. It helps assess the effectiveness of the L&D program for successfully filling skill gaps in each employee to improve their performance.

The Phillips ROI Model

Infographic 2

The Phillips ROI Model associates training costs with the training outcome. It uses the Kirkpatrick Model to classify data differently.

  • Reaction: It uses short surveys to measure participants’ responses to training and gathered data.
  • Learning: It provides an MCQ survey to the learner before and after the program to compare and measure knowledge and skill improvements.
  • Application: It collects data about training success or failure and evaluates the ‘why’ behind this outcome.
  • Impact: It helps assess the impact of factors, like training content, on the performance of employees and participants.
  • Return on investment: It uses cost-benefit analysis to find the cost and intangible benefits of the employee training program.

Anderson’s Model of Learning Evaluation

 

Anderson’s Value of Learning Model is a three-stage assessment to measure the training program’s effectiveness. It aligns organizational objectives with the training program in the following way:

It aligns organizational objectives with the training program in the following way:

  • Identifying current training needs as per strategic business needs.
  • Using different ways to evaluate learning contributions.
  • Finding the most feasible learning approaches for the business.

Kaufman’s Five Levels of Evaluation

 

Infographic 3

Kaufman’s model is another extension of the Kirkpatrick Model, and it aims to improve outcomes in the following ways:

  • Input: It is the training material that we use in the employee training program.
  • Process: It is the evaluation of process efficiency and acceptability.
  • Acquisition: It evaluates if learners have gained the required skills and how they use them in the workplace.
  • Application: It assesses how employees use acquired skills in daily work tasks.
  • Organizational costs: It measures cost analysis and performance improvements and links performance to the cost paid for the employee training program.
  • Societal results: It evaluates the program’s benefit to the client ecosystem and stakeholders.

 


Best practices for measuring training effectiveness

  • Have reasonable KPIs: Organizations should select a manageable number of key performance indicators (KPIs). While more measures can provide additional information, it is essential not to overwhelm the process with too many metrics.
  • Identify KPIs before development: Teams should determine their KPIs before the training development phase. Knowing what to measure in advance allows them to select the appropriate methods for assessing effectiveness. Consulting with key stakeholders can help identify which metrics are most significant for them.
  • Plan data collection during the design phase: Organizations must establish a data collection schedule during the design phase. They should decide when and how to measure effectiveness and incorporate this into the training timeline to stay organized and manage stakeholder expectations effectively.
  • Customize the evaluation framework: Organizations can select the model that best fits their requirements by conducting a training needs analysis. For instance, measuring only the second and fourth levels of the Kirkpatrick Model might be sufficient to make informed decisions about training effectiveness.
  • Act on findings: One of the most crucial practices for measuring training effectiveness is implementing the findings. Organizations should make necessary changes and improvements promptly based on the evaluation results.
  • Define objectives clearly: Organizations should establish measurable and realistic training objectives that align with their needs and the specific skills or knowledge targeted. Well-defined objectives facilitate focused measurement and evaluation.
  • Invest in an analytics platform: Organizations should consider using an analytics platform, such as a learning management system (LMS), to automate data collection, track learner progress, and generate detailed reports.
  • Use multiple test methods: Relying on a single evaluation method may provide an incomplete view of training effectiveness. By employing a combination of assessments, such as quizzes, surveys, observations, and performance reviews, organizations can evaluate both knowledge acquisition and practical application, ensuring a thorough analysis.
  • Collect data at various time points: Organizations should gather data at different intervals to capture the short-term and long-term impacts of training. Immediate post-training assessments can evaluate learning retention and skill application, while follow-up evaluations weeks or months after can measure the transfer of learning to the workplace.
  • Analyze qualitative and quantitative data: Organizations should analyze qualitative and quantitative data to understand training effectiveness comprehensively. Quantitative data, such as performance metrics or assessment scores, provide numerical insights; on the contrary, qualitative data, such as case studies or applicant feedback, offer valuable contextual information.
  • Communicate findings and recommendations: Organizations must communicate evaluation findings and recommendations to key stakeholders. They should provide clear and concise reports highlighting the training’s impact, program strengths, areas for improvement, and actionable recommendations. Adequate communication fosters support, secures resources, and drives organizational change.

 


Conclusion

Measuring training effectiveness helps understand the challenges faced during the employee learning and development program. When training is paired with a feedback system for every employee, it helps the hiring managers meet business objectives with a logical approach. Thus, employees at all levels are able to comprehend expectations, operationalize vision and values, and perceive what is essential to succeed.

 


FAQs

What is the effectiveness of the employee training program?

What are the three attributes of an effective training program?

What are the four levels of training effectiveness?

Originally published December 24 2018, Updated July 16 2025

Written by

Archita Bharadwaj has worked as a Content writer at Mercer | Mettl since April 2023. With her research background, she writes varied forms of content, including blogs, ebooks, and case studies, among other forms.

Training Effectiveness

Importance and Effectiveness of training

Training effectiveness determines how a training program instigates change in an employee's skills, knowledge, and behavior; for example, it measures the degree to which a particular training program may enable a team to increase its efficiency or achieve a specific business objective.

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