TRAIN THE TRAINER

EVALUATION PROPOSAL
ETR 431 Fall ‘17

Abstract
Evaluation proposal for a suggested training program designed to improve numerous aspects of
an existing training program at an industrial production facility

Sam Fountain
1787757@students.niu.edu
Part I: Program Description

Program design, components, and activities

The program which is the evaluand for this project is one designed to improve the training theory

knowledge of, and provide support and guidance to, technicians who have been tasked with the hands-

on training of new employees.

The program consists of a two-part, classroom training session for trainers, complete with activities and

assessments, for all training technicians. The session will be conducted in groups of 8 to provide

sufficient numbers for group activities while maintaining a personal feel to the interaction.

The second component to the program is a follow-up introduction session for training pairs (trainer and

trainee) in which a program overview will be given to both parties and includes activities which allow

both parties to get to know each other’s’ training and learning styles.

The third component to the program is a weekly update session, in which both parties provide an

update on their progress and highlight any successes or difficulties experienced during the week. This

information can then be used to brainstorm solutions and to pool experience to feed into the program.

The exchanges also provide an opportunity for the program manager to monitor the implementation of

the program by trainers and provide feedback and collect data as necessary.

The fourth component to the program is a tracking tool, which allows pairs to check their progress and

gives guidance on expected durations for various components of the program and helps the pair keep

on track for completing the program within the proscribed timeframe. The tracking tool also allows

supervisory team to monitor the progress of employees to provide guidance and assistance where

necessary and feed into annual evaluations to ensure that diligence and proficiency are duly rewarded.
The final component of the program is a final evaluation, conducted by an SME, of the trainee’s

performance, allowing them to complete the training program. The evaluation is conducted via a

standardized score sheet and comprises an oral examination, conducted one-on-one, and a series of

hands on demonstrations of proficiency.

Upon successful completion of the program, both trainer and trainee contribute to a discussion on the

most and least successful components of the program and their training experience. The resultant data

is fed back into the program to provide an opportunity for evaluation and continuous improvement.

If issues are experienced with proscribed timeframes or program expectations, revisions can be made by

the training manager after consultation with supervisory and/or management team. Problems with

trainer/ trainee diligence or aptitude can be dealt with either by coaching, or referral to supervisory

team if the training is at fault.

The program expects to reduce the total training period for new employees from a current estimate of

9-12 months (no data exists) to 6-9 months. The program also expects to reduce operator error

occurrences of new employees, but a percentage reduction has not been stipulated. Data exists for

historical occurrences, so a simple reduction will suffice for the initial year.

Individuals or organizations for which the program is designed

The participants, both trainer and trainee, are process technicians in an industrial biotechnology plant.

The learning curve is quite steep, as new recruits are often unfamiliar with the most basic aspects of the

required knowledge and skills.

Program goals and objectives

Short term goals for the project are numerous. They include improving the proficiency of new

employees, thereby minimizing the propensity for accidents and wastage and improving safety, reducing
the required duration of a successful training cycle, increasing the versatility of existing technicians and

deepen their process knowledge, and reducing staff turnover due to dissatisfaction with the training

success.

Long term goals are as follows: developing the skill sets of technical employees, improving moral by

demonstrating a commitment to the continued improvement of employee satisfaction, creating a

reproduceable program which can be easily transferred to sister facilities, and fortifying the existing

safety program through reinforcement of its values through the training program.

Program personnel/staff

The program will be conducted by one program manager, who will report out quarterly to the site

management team. Participants will be eight training technicians and their eight trainees. Other

required inputs will be periodic monitoring by the supervisory team and an SME to conduct final

evaluations. The SME must not be a training team member to avoid any conflicts of interest and would

ideally be part of the supervisory team.

Program logistics

The program will begin with two 2-hour sessions between training manager and eight trainers, to be

held in a conference room large enough to permit small group activities. Weekly 30-minute update

sessions will be held between training manager and eight training pairs, to be held in training manager’s

office. SME evaluations with trainees will be conducted, as necessary, anticipated to be every 6-9

months. These will be held in a small conference room, with the hands-on portion conducted on the

production floor. In addition, quarterly progress reports given by training manager to management team

during management team meetings.

The program is in operation, but I have no direct contact with participants to collect data or valuable

feedback.

Logic Model

Part 2: Evaluation Purpose (Intended Users and Uses)

The evaluation of the train the trainer program is being conducted in order to ensure that the program

is being conducted effectively and efficiently, that the resources attributed to the program are being

well utilized, and that there has been a degree of improvement over the pre-existing program, which the

new one replaces.

The purpose of this evaluation is to ensure that the program is able to assist technicians who have been

tasked with training new employees to develop proficient trainee technicians by increasing their

knowledge of training theory, methods and techniques.

It also aims to ensure that the program has been able to instill a sense of cohesion in the individual

training teams and thereby increase the site’s confidence in the training program as a whole.
The evaluation will also confirm that the program has increased the reduced the duration of the training

cycle and made some headway towards reducing staff turnover.

A further aim is to establish whether the program has been successful in improving morale within the

Operations department, through the improvement of the aforementioned criteria.

A final objective will be to assess whether or not the program has matured sufficiently to transfer to

other manufacturing sites where a need for training program improvement has been identified.

A number of questions the evaluation seeks to answer are as follows: Is the program structure

appropriately adhered to? Has the proficiency of new employees increased? Are trainers satisfied with

improvements to the program? Is the program sufficiently successful to maintain continued resource

investment?

The evaluation is intended to be used by site management primarily, with secondary stakeholders at

sister manufacturing sites and upper management also taken into consideration. The site management

will use the information contained herein to assess whether the program warrants continued

investment of resources, and to decide whether any identified amendments should be made to the

program.

The training staff who are being directly assessed by the evaluation are also intended to use the

evaluation, to be used as a tool to identify and bolster successful techniques, and to highlight and rectify

areas of improvement.

The evaluation is intended to be used by all of the users to improve the training program in the facility

and recognize improvements that have been made using the available data.
Part 3: Evaluation Model and Methods

The proposed evaluation is intended to assess the degree of success of the Train the Trainer program

and whether it is worthy of continued investment, both at the single plant level, and in the broader

business.

It follows an Objectives‐Oriented Evaluation Approach, as it is mainly focused upon the outcomes of the

program and their effects within the organization. The general design of the evaluation will be mixed

methods, employing a survey, checklist, interview and a one group pretest-posttest

The sampling plan features data collected from all of the staff involved in the program: 10 participants in

the form of trainers and trainees; 1 program coordinators in the form of the training manager; and 8

department supervisors and managers. The design used to collect data will be purposive, focusing on

information gleaned from specific individuals. Data sources are selected exclusively based on their

participation in the program, but follow no other criteria, as age and gender etcetera are irrelevant to

the evaluation.

The evaluation will employ an employee attitude survey to measure employee’s attitudes and opinions

about the quality of the training program updates. It will use the existing incident database to measure

trainee operator incidents before and after the campaign in order to assess whether the program has

improved new employee aptitude, thereby reducing accidents. It will utilize a census of tracking tool and

progress reports to ensure that the program is being completed within the prescribed timeframe.

Finally, an interview will be conducted with management, inputting the information from the

aforementioned data along with financial requirements of the program, to determine whether the

program is sufficiently successful to maintain continued resource investment.

Part 4: Evaluation Management Plan

Should the program plan be accepted, it is suggested that the implementation begin immediately. It is

expected to require at least six months to complete the entire program, given the anticipated reduction

in total training duration, though it may require as much as nine months if improvements are not seen.

As recruitment will involve a specific set of employees, the options will be limited to both participants

and program staff, but the timeframe for recruitment will be almost null. The data collection will extend

across the life of the training cycle, which as previously stated will require at minimum six months. Data

analysis is expected to require two weeks of the program manager’s time, if no other responsibilities are

required of the manager during that period. Dissemination of results will require the attention of the

site management team initially, with any resultant amendments made requiring further time before

sitewide dissemination occurs. The results should be presented to the entire site during a plant meeting,

with data-based information sent out in accompanying email to follow.

Milestones and deliverables will be assessed at each monthly management team meeting with the

program manager. All of the deliverables will be assessed at each meeting, largely ensuring that the

prescribed activities are taking place on a regular basis.

As the entire program staff exists today, the revamp will not require any additional resources. All of the

participants are regular employees, the training manager already oversees the existing program, so no

further investment will be required. The management team will be asked to contribute to the process,

including monthly meetings, but as they are salaried, this will incur no further costs.

All of the evaluation will be conducted by the training manager. Specific tasks include two 2-hour

sessions between training manager and eight trainers, to be held in a conference room large enough to

permit small group activities. Weekly 30-minute update sessions will be held between training manager

and eight training pairs, to be held in training manager’s office. SME evaluations with trainees will be
conducted, as necessary, anticipated to be every 6-9 months. These will be held in a small conference

room, with the hands-on portion conducted on the production floor. In addition, quarterly progress

reports given by training manager to management team during management team meetings.

Part 5: Communication, Reporting, and Dissemination Plan

Dissemination of results will require the attention of the site management team initially, with any

resultant amendments made requiring further time before sitewide dissemination occurs. Following a

site management announcement and discussion, an email will be sent to regional management

announcing the results, with further action taken at specific regional sites dependent on the success of

the program and each sites’ willingness to adopt the new training program.

The results should be presented to the entire site during a townhall-style plant meeting, with data-based

information sent out in accompanying email to follow.

If after the initial rollout considerable alterations are required to make the program successful, a new

evaluation plan will be drafted, outlining amended deliverables and deliverables, along with revised

timelines for further communication.