Training Your Personnel: Level 4

Unit 5 - Training Needs Analysis

5.2 Devising a Training Strategy

To determine the level of competence required, management must devise a training strategy if the training is to be effective. The main requirement of the training is that it should be appropriate to:

  • The organisation s aims and objectives.
  • The organisation s activities and operations.
  • The responsibilities of individuals within the organisation.
With the above in mind, the strategy needs to consider:

  • What training is required (this is specified in the standards).
  • Who should be trained.
  • What level of competence is required.
Companies may already have training strategies in place if they are accredited to ISO 9000 or Investors in People (IIP). These strategies should be used to determine environmental training requirements rather than developing a separate training strategy.

Establishing a Training Programme

The first step in devising a training strategy is to identify the training needs of personnel. This can be done through assessing existing knowledge and levels of competence and establishing areas for further development.

Personnel whose work involves minimal environmental impacts, such as administration personnel, may only need basic awareness training, and an understanding the company s environmental policy and EMS. For personnel involved in procedural or operational activities, the training needs assessment needs to establish the skills required to perform activities in an environmentally competent manner, i.e. personnel responsible for waste disposal need knowledge of waste management regulations, and personnel responsible for auditing the EMS will need to understand audit principles and the know how to undertake an audit.

As a minimum, the training needs assessment should take into account the following: