Prioritising learning needs

Once you have identified learning needs across the organisation you then need to prioritise them.

Answering these questions will help you prioritise your training needs:

*What impact will developing these skills have on our performance?
*What would be the costs and benefit of investing in developing these skills
*Which skills needs are the most important to our long-term success?
*Which skills needs are the most urgent?

You should record the research and decisions you make when analysising the costs versus the benefits of developing these skills in a quantifiable way – such as on a spreadsheet. It will be much easier to make the case for supporting learning to decision makers and funders if you have carried out a quantifiable cost/benefits analysis.

Potential gains might include:

*Reduced turnover and savings on recruitment costs
*Higher skill levels leading to more efficiency and fewer errors
*Reduced risk of accidents or breaches of legislative requirements
*Higher morale and levels of motivation
*Impact on fundraising capacity through a higher skills base
*Improvements to the quality of your service and reputation
*Sustainability and succession planning.

It’s worth remembering that investing in training or learning will not always be the appropriate solution for organisational issues. Carrying out a Training Needs Ananlysis and cost/benefit analysis of implementing the findings is likely to highlight areas where other solutions are required.