Employee Training Survey Template: Your Ultimate Guide

Effective employee training is an important foundation for any organization striving to achieve success. 

Yet, imagine this scenario: you’ve meticulously crafted an employee training program, invested a lot in expensive modules and activities, and spent months optimizing the program. Months later, you only get stagnant performance metrics and lukewarm engagement. Disheartening, isn’t it? 

The harsh truth is that crafting an effective employee training program is easier said than done, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer on how to do it. An effective training program isn’t solely about bombarding employees with training materials and information; it’s about providing tailored learning experiences to unlock their potential.

This is why regularly gauging the effectiveness of the training program is just as, if not even more important, than merely delivering comprehensive training content. Having a robust feedback mechanism is critical, and there’s a powerful feedback mechanism tool that is often overlooked: employee training surveys. 

When done correctly, employee training surveys can effectively expose hidden strengths and weaknesses of your employee training program. Yet, the benefits of these surveys can extend far beyond the feedback functionality: they can help foster a culture of open communications, build employee buy-in, and, ultimately, foster a way for organizational success through transformative learning.

In this article, we’ll delve into how to create and use effective employee training surveys, and we’ll also share a powerful template you can use right away to design user-friendly surveys. 

In the coming sections, we’ll cover:

• The crucial role of employee feedback in shaping impactful training programs
• Unlocking the hidden benefits of training surveys for both employees and organizations
• Building the ultimate employee training survey template: From crafting powerful questions to designing user-friendly interfaces
• Harnessing the power of data: Turning survey insights into actionable steps for training transformation
• Continuous improvement: Embracing a feedback loop for constant evolution and optimal training experiences

Without further ado, let’s embark on this journey to create and use employee training surveys.

The Importance of Employee Training Surveys

Employee training surveys are not mere feedback tools for evaluating your training program’s effectiveness but can be an important catalyst in fostering a healthy relationship between an organization and its workforce.

Let’s delve into how employee training surveys can benefit both the individuals undergoing training and the organizations.

Benefits for Employees:

For employees, the surveys can help them communicate their learning needs and preferences, which can result in these benefits:

1. Empowering feedback: Surveys empower employees to voice their opinions, suggestions, and concerns regarding the training programs. This can allow employees to express their nuanced feedback, pinpoint ineffective modules, and even offer suggestions to tailor future training content to their specific preferences. 
2. Improving learning outcomes:  By ensuring employees’ voices are heard, not only will they feel more valued and engaged, but they can actively contribute to the refinement of training programs via constructive feedback. This can help ensure the future training program is properly aligned with individual needs and learning styles, which can result in deeper understanding, better skill acquisition, improved retention, and ultimately enhanced skill application on the job.
3. Building trust and value: By seeking employee feedback through surveys, the organization communicates that the employees’ opinions matter and that the organization is committed to employee growth and development. This fosters a sense of value and a culture of transparency, making employees more engaged, satisfied, and invested in their own personal development within the organization. 

Benefits for Organizations:

The advantages of employee training surveys extend far beyond individual employee empowerment and can benefit the organization in several ways:

1. Assessing training effectiveness: Training surveys are a very useful barometer for gauging the training program’s effectiveness. Surveys allow organizations to capture both quantitative and qualitative on skill development, knowledge acquisition, and overall program effectiveness. 
2. Identifying areas for improvement: Employee surveys can pinpoint the training program’s weaknesses, enabling fine-tuning of training content, delivery methods, and even the trainer’s approach. Identifying these weaknesses enables targeted iterative improvements of the training program.
3. Boosting ROI: Data captured from employee surveys helps the organization evaluate the ROI of the training program and make strategic adjustments when necessary. In the long run, this can allow the training program to produce tangible business benefits like improved performance, reduced errors, and increased productivity, contributing to a higher ROI in the long run. 

Different Types of Employee Training Surveys

Before we start exploring the different survey questions and template, it’s important to understand the different types of surveys available: 

1. Pre-training surveys

As the name suggests, this type of survey is conducted before the training itself. 

Pre-training surveys are aimed at gauging prior knowledge, assessing the employees’ needs, expectations, and existing knowledge. This information can guide the customization of training content to ensure relevance to individual needs and avoid redundancy. 

2. Post-training surveys

This type of survey is given after the training has been concluded, and the main aim is to capture immediate feedback on the training experience: evaluate knowledge/skills acquisition, assess trainer, content, and delivery effectiveness, and collect suggestions for improvement. 

3. Ongoing surveys

This type of survey is conducted regularly (in intervals), post-training, to track the long-term impacts of the training program. These ongoing surveys are used to monitor skill/knowledge retention, identify emerging needs, and ensure training initiatives remain relevant to ongoing trends, changes in market demands, and the evolution of business landscapes.

Editable Employee Training Surveys Template

To help you build effective employee training surveys for each stage of the learning journey: gauging pre-training expectations, assessing post-training effectiveness, and monitoring skill retention through ongoing evaluations, here are editable templates for each type of employee surveys.

How To Use the Employee Training Survey Template: Your Ultimate Guide

When crafted with care, employee training surveys can become a sturdy bridge connecting valuable employee feedback to effective training programs. However, building this bridge requires meticulous planning and deliberate construction, so the questions within the survey won’t only gather information but also enhance engagement while providing valuable insights. 

Let’s discuss the key steps in using and editing the employee training survey template, starting with the very first step: 

Step 1: Setting SMART Goals

Effective survey questions are those that are aligned with your training program’s goals and your organization’s overall objectives. 

So, before you can decide on what kinds of questions to ask in your employee training surveys and edit the template, you’ll need to first define what your goals are.

You can use the SMART framework to define more effective goals for your training program that are:

• Specific: What precise knowledge do you want the training participants to gain?
• Measure: How will you measure the success of the training program?  What are the quantifiable metrics to measure?
• Achievable: Make sure the training program’s goals are realistic and attainable.
• Relevant: Make sure the survey questions directly relate to the organizational needs and training content. 
• Time-bound: Specify a timeframe for achieving goals and collecting feedback from training participants. 

Your employee survey questions should be a direct reflection of this goal (or goals), so the training participants can be guided toward providing feedback that contributes to iterative improvements of the program.

Step 2: Crafting Questions About Content Relevance

The next step is to craft questions that assess whether the training content effectively bridged the gap between theoretical concepts and practical application in employees’ specific roles and responsibilities.

Here are some tips for formulating questions about content relevance:

• Introduce the concept of relevance: You can open this section by introducing the concept of relevance and why it is important in your training program. Explain that the goal of these questions is to evaluate how well the training content aligns with the training participants’ roles and responsibilities, as well as the broader organizational objectives. 
• Tailoring to specific roles and responsibilities:
  • Specificity is key: Don’t ask generic questions about the training’s usefulness, but go specific. Tailor your questions to address specific roles and responsibilities. For example, for a marketing team, ask, “To what extent will the training on social media marketing strategies directly apply to your daily campaign management?”
  • Real-world application: Frame questions around how the specific roles can use the learned knowledge and skills in their day-to-day tasks. For example, you can ask, “Can you think of a specific situation where you will apply the training content to solve a current challenge?”
  • Application Focus: Emphasize the practical application of the training content by asking questions that link the material to real-world scenarios like, “Can you provide examples of how the training content can be applied to your day-to-day work?“
  • Customization for Roles: Recognize the diversity of roles within the organization. Tailor questions to different job functions. For example, “From your perspective in [specific department], how relevant is the training content to your role?“
  • Organizational Alignment: Connect the relevance of the training content to broader organizational goals like, “In your opinion, how does the training content contribute to the achievement of our organizational objectives?“
• Directly addressing content: 
  • Specific modules and concepts: Don’t just ask about the overall training program,  but be specific by identifying key modules or concepts and then crafting questions that assess their relevance to individual roles. For example, “How relevant was the module on customer segmentation to your work in sales?”
  • Address knowledge gaps and applicability: Craft questions you can use to assess whether the training content properly addressed existing knowledge/skill gaps and provided practicality. For example, “Did the training fill any critical knowledge gaps you had in [topic]?” or “How will the practical exercises help you implement these learnings?”
• Encouraging reflection and feedback: Open the door for constructive feedback by asking about potential improvements to enhance content relevance.
  • Rating Scale for Relevance: Implement a rating scale (e.g., on a scale of 1 to 5) to quantify the perceived relevance. For example, “Please rate the overall relevance of the training content to your job role, with 1 being not relevant at all and 5 being extremely relevant.“
  • Open-ended questions: Allow for detailed reflection beyond simple yes/no answers. Ask, “What aspects of the training content felt most relevant to your job duties? Why?” or “Are there any parts of the training that you felt were not relevant to your needs? How could they be improved?” or “What specific changes or additions would you suggest to make the training content more relevant to your work?“
  • Scenario-based questions: Present hypothetical situations related to their work and ask how the training content would help them handle them. This provides deeper insights into the practicality of the learnings.
  • Balancing Positive and Negative Feedback: Ensure a balanced approach by including both positively and negatively framed questions. For example, “Identify aspects of the training content that you found particularly relevant as well as areas where improvements could be made.“
  • Encourage additional comments: Provide an opportunity for participants to share additional thoughts or concerns regarding the relevance of the training content. Ask something like,  “Is there anything else you would like to share about the relevance of the training content to your role?“

By crafting these questions about content relevance, you can more effectively connect the training program to real-world impact. Doing so can empower employees to apply what they have learned, boost their productivity, and drive organizational success. 

Step 3: Crafting Questions About Delivery Method

The delivery method of your training program is akin to a vehicle carrying your content to your employees. Thus, selecting an optimal delivery method is critical to ensure your content safely reaches its destination—and your employees are enjoying the ride. 

Here are some tips for crafting questions to assess delivery method:

• Understanding the method: 
  • Introduction to delivery method assessment: Introduce the purpose of assessing the training program’s delivery method. Emphasize that the objective is to gather feedback on whether the chosen delivery method is meeting the participants’ learning needs. 
  • Address the specific delivery method: Your questions should directly address the unique aspect of the delivery method in question. For example, if your training utilizes e-learning modules, then you might ask about the user-friendliness of the LMS platform or the effectiveness of virtual interactions. 
  • Focus on both strengths and weaknesses: Don’t just ask about what the participants liked from the training delivery method. Ask what specifically resonated with them and what they think could be improved. You can ask questions like, “What aspects of the delivery method facilitated your learning?” or “Were there any elements of the delivery method that hindered your learning experience?”
• Engagement and interaction: 
  • Access participation and interaction levels: Evaluate whether the delivery method encourages active participation and collaboration. You can ask questions like, “`” or “How effective were the activities in engaging you with the training content?”
  • (If applicable) Evaluate the trainer’s role: If you are using instructor-led training methods, assess the trainer’s role and effectiveness. You can ask questions like, “Was the trainer knowledgeable, clear, and engaging?” or “Did the trainer provide adequate support and answer your questions effectively?“
• Accessibility and convenience: 
  • Evaluate the suitability of the format for individual needs: Consider the diverse learning styles and preferences of your employees. Ask questions like “Did the delivery method accommodate your preferred learning style?” or “Was the training schedule convenient for you?”
  • (If applicable) Evaluate the technical aspects: For virtual or e-learning, evaluate the technological aspects. Ask questions like “Were the platforms and tools used user-friendly and reliable?” or “Did you encounter any technical difficulties that impacted your learning experience?”

The goal of this step is to gather valuable feedback to help you fine tune your training program by using the right delivery method, facilitating an efficient path towards knowledge/skills retention. 

Step 4: Crafting Questions To Assess Participation, Engagement, and Interaction

In today’s digital world, engagement is a very important and expensive currency that fuels success. In this step, we will focus on crafting insightful questions that measures engagement and interaction: 

• Introduction to engagement and interaction assessment : Start by introducing the purpose of these questions, emphasizing the significance of interaction and engagement in the training program. Explain that the goal of these questions is to gather feedback on how well the training program encourages active participation and interaction.
• Levels of participation:
  • Dig deep: Move beyond simple yes/no questions about participation. Instead, delve deeper with inquiries like “How often did you actively participate in discussions or activities?” or “Did you feel comfortable expressing your opinions and asking questions?”
  • Variety is key: Mix up closed-ended questions with open-ended prompts to encourage elaboration. Ask “What specific activities or discussions fostered your greatest engagement?” or “Were there any opportunities for participation that you felt were lacking?”
• Interaction ecosystem: 
  • Peer-to-peer connections: Evaluate the effectiveness of interaction among participants. Ask questions like “Did you have opportunities to collaborate and learn from your peers?” or “How would you rate the effectiveness of team-based activities in promoting engagement?”
  • Trainer-participant interaction: For instructor-led training, assess the quality of interaction with the trainer. Ask “Did the trainer effectively respond to questions and encourage dialogue?” or “How accessible and approachable did you find the trainer during and after sessions?”
• Uncovering underlying motivators: 
  • Go beyond satisfaction: Don’t just ask if participants were satisfied with the level of interaction. Dig deeper to understand why they engaged or didn’t. Ask “What aspects of the training environment or activities encouraged your active participation?” or “What could be done to make you feel more comfortable participating in future sessions?”
  • Motivation matters: Uncover the driving forces behind engagement. Ask “What were your personal motives for actively participating in the training?” or “How did the chosen interaction methods connect to your preferred learning style?”

Crafting highly targeted questions about engagement and interaction allows you to be more effective in connecting participants to the learning process. Engagement is the lifeblood of successful training, so these questions will be the keys to unlocking this benefit. 

Step 5: Crafting Questions To Gauge Skills and Knowledge Acquisition

How do you know if your training participants—your employees have actually acquired the intended skills of knowledge from the training program? Have they improved their skills after the conclusion of the training? 

That is where well-crafted questions and knowledge acquisition come in, and these are some actionable tips for crafting these questions: 

• Introduction to Skills and Knowledge Assessment: Begin by emphasizing the importance of assessing skills and knowledge acquisition as a key objective of the training program. Communicate that the goal of these questions is to evaluate the impact of training on transferring and/or enhancing the knowledge/skills of the participants. 
• Mapping the desired skills and knowledge:
  • Specificity is key: Don’t ask generic questions about learning outcomes. Align your questions with the specific skills and knowledge outlined in the training program’s goals. For example, if the program focused on data analysis techniques, ask “To what extent can you now apply [specific technique] to analyze data relevant to your work?”
  • Connecting to application: Go beyond theoretical understanding. Assess whether participants can transfer their learnings to real-world scenarios. Ask “Can you think of a specific work-related problem where you could apply the skills you learned in the training?”
  • Pre- and post-training comparisons: Measure progress by comparing responses to similar questions before and after the training. This reveals the concrete gains in knowledge and skills.
• Uncovering gaps:
  • Identifying areas for improvement: Don’t shy away from areas where participants might still be struggling. Ask “Are there any specific skills or knowledge areas you feel you still need to learn or improve upon?” This helps you adjust future training programs to address remaining gaps.
  • Encouraging self-reflection: Prompt participants to assess their own learning journey. Ask “What learning strategies worked best for you in this training program?” or “What resources would you find helpful to continue developing the skills you acquired?”

Crafting these questions allows organizations to gain valuable feedback on whether the training program produced tagine outcomes and identify areas for further support or improvement.

Additional Tips and Best Practices

Let’s explore some actionable tips and best practices to further improve your surveys and ensure continuous improvement: 

• Optimize survey design and format:
  • Ensure user-friendly interface: Make sure participants of the surveys (and the training program) feel that the survey is welcoming and easy to navigate. Use a clear, concise layout with logical question flows. Employ visual elements like charts and progress bars to keep respondents engaged. Also, make sure your survey is mobile-friendly.
  • Anonymity and confidentiality: Make sure that participants clearly know that their responses will only be used for analysis and will always be anonymous. If you can’t build trust by communicating anonymity and confidentiality, you won’t get honest answers from the participants.
  • Pilot testing: It’s recommended to pilot test your surveys before throwing them open to everyone. Invite a small group of volunteers and ask for their feedback on the survey’s logical flow, question clarity, and overall user experience. Use this feedback to help improve your survey.
• Survey distribution and promotion:
  • Leverage a mix of channels: Don’t rely solely on email to distribute the survey. You can use other channels like internal communication platforms, training dashboards, QR codes displayed during sessions, or even print-out options to cater to different preferences. 
  • Clear value proposition: Clearly explain the reason for the survey. Communicate how their participation and feedback will impact future training programs (and their own learning experiences) to incentivize participation. 
  • Incentives and gamification: Consider offering small rewards or gamified elements to boost engagement. Remember, a playful spirit can entice even the most hesitant bridge-crossers.
• Data analysis and actionable insights: 
  • Dive deep: Once you’ve collected data through your survey, what will you do about it? Leverage statistical analysis tools and techniques to identify patterns, trends, and areas for improvement. Your survey will only matter if you can extract actionable insights from it. 
  • Transformation, not storage: Again, your data is only valuable if it leads to action. Translate your insights into concrete steps for improving training programs, content, delivery methods, and support systems. 
  • Transparency and feedback: Close the feedback loop by sharing your findings and action plans with survey participants. This can help demonstrate transparency and build trust, so they are likely to participate in future surveys.
• Open-ended vs. closed-ended questions:

• Striking a Balance: Both types of questions have their benefits and serve distinct purposes. Use closed-ended questions for quantitative data and quick assessments, while open-ended questions invite deeper reflection and qualitative insights. By offering both structure and exploration, you can get more granular data. 
• Context is key: Tailor your question type to the information you seek. Use closed-ended questions for clear-cut data like “How confident are you in your new skill?” and open-ended questions for detailed feedback like “What specific challenges did you face while applying the learned skills?”

Conclusions

Effective training programs are an important foundation for any organization striving to achieve success, functioning as a road transporting employees towards new/improved knowledge and skills. 

Yet, just like any road needs to be polished and improved regularly, your training program would benefit from regular evaluation and improvement. This is where employee training surveys become essential to ensure iterative improvements of your employee training programs.

Above, we have offered a complimentary employee training survey template you can edit and copy-paste right away. With this customizable template, you now have a solid foundation to create an effective training survey for your employees that you can tailor to meet your organization’s (or program’s) specific needs. 

Looking for a trustworthy partner in building an effective training program and improving your organization’s employee engagement and productivity? Contact iTacit today. iTacit is committed to helping you craft an effective training program and, ultimately, help your organization achieve success and constant growth.