# How to identify training needs **Canonical URL:** https://skillsmatrixtemplate.com/guides/identify-training-needs.html **Author:** Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith **Last reviewed:** 27 May 2026 **License:** Free to cite with attribution and link back to the canonical URL. --- ## Definition A training need is a gap. It is the distance between current capability and the level the work requires, nothing more. Work at three levels. Organisation, job and individual: a classic training needs analysis checks all three. Not every gap needs training. Some are fixed by better tools, clearer process or recruitment; training is for genuine skill gaps. ## Key takeaways - Use this guide to implement identify training needs with the same 0-5 framework as the site methodology. - Write descriptors before you rate, then calibrate managers on what each level looks like in your context. - Review the matrix on a fixed cadence and date every cell when capability changes. - Separate capability ratings from performance conversations. - Link training and hiring plans to named gaps, not generic catalogues. ## Guide body ## What is the first thing to do for identify training needs? World Economic Forum research finds that 39% of workers' core skills will change by 2030, and 63% of employers cite skills gaps as the top barrier (World Economic Forum, 2025). A training need is a gap. It is the distance between current capability and the level the work requires, nothing more. Work at three levels. Organisation, job and individual: a classic training needs analysis checks all three. Not every gap needs training. Some are fixed by better tools, clearer process or recruitment; training is for genuine skill gaps. ## What is the short answer for identify training needs? To identify training needs, compare where your team is now against where the work needs them to be, then turn the gaps into a prioritised plan. Work at three levels, organisation, job and individual, score current capability against a clear target, rank the gaps by impact, and decide which truly need training rather than another fix. In short: measure the gap, weigh it by impact, and let the biggest, most critical gaps set your training priorities. ## Why does building a skills matrix matter now? Untargeted training is money set on fire Training is expensive in budget and, more so, in people's time. Spend it on the wrong things and you get the cost with none of the benefit. A needs conduct a formal needs analysis before building training, which means many still to change by 2030, so the needs you train for must be transformation, making accurate needs analysis urgent. The logic is hard to argue with. Skills are shifting fast, gaps are the main brake on progress, and yet a large share of training is still commissioned without first checking what is actually needed. A needs analysis costs little, an honest scoring exercise and an afternoon of thought, but it determines whether everything that follows hits the mark or misses it. It is the highest leverage hour in the whole training cycle: get the diagnosis right and the treatment works. ## The Classic Model? The three levels of a needs analysis The established approach, set out by McGhee and Thayer back in 1961 and still the standard today, examines training needs at three connected levels. Checking all three is what stops you training the wrong people on the wrong things. LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report positions learning as a top retention lever when skills are visible and actionable (LinkedIn, 2024). ## How does organisational apply to identify training needs? What does the strategy require the workforce to be able to do? This level links training to business goals, new systems, regulations or growth, so the analysis serves the organisation, not just individuals. LEVEL 02 Job / task What does each role need, and to what standard? This level turns broad goals into concrete skill requirements, the targets against which real capability is measured. ## What does a real team matrix look like? What a needs analysis looks like on a matrix Here is the same six-person team, read as a training needs analysis for one critical skill, Data analysis, where the whole team is short. Current is scored against a target of Level 3, the gap is calculated, and each gap is ranked by priority and matched to the right action. Data analysis needCurrentTargetGapPriorityRight action MedOn-the-job practice + coaching Mark T. 13+2High Structured course, then real work Priya R. 23+1MedStretch project with sign-off HighCourse + shadowing an expert MedOn-the-job practice + coaching high priority (the +2 gaps), trained first Illustrative needs analysis on the Upleashed 0 to 5 framework. Because nobody reaches the Level 3 target, Data analysis is a team-wide need, and the largest gaps are tackled first. ## HOW TO READ THIS ANALYSIS? A team-wide need stands out. Every person is below the Level 3 target on Data analysis, so this is not an individual problem but a shared one, and a strong case for group training rather than six separate efforts. The gap size sets the method. The +2 gaps (Mark, James, Tom) need a structured course to start; the +1 gaps need only practice and coaching. Matching method to gap size keeps the spend efficient. Priority is impact, not just size. Here the skill is critical and the +2 gaps are ranked high, but a +2 gap on a trivial skill would rank low. The analysis weighs both. It doubles as the proof. Re-scoring against the same target after training shows the gaps closing, evidence the need was real and the training worked. ## Choosing How To Gather Evidence? Five ways to spot a training need, and when to use each A robust needs analysis triangulates more than one source, because each has a blind spot. Here is how the common methods compare, so you can combine them sensibly rather than trusting any single one. ## From Hunch To Evidence? The method is free. A ready-made matrix just does the gap maths for you. Everything here works in a blank spreadsheet, and that is a fine place to start. A purpose-built template simply automates the analysis. Set a target for each skill, score current capability, and the grid calculates every gap, ranks the shortfalls, and shows the team-wide needs at a glance, so your training plan falls straight out of the data instead of a hunch. The Advanced Excel Skills Matrix turns current-versus-target scores into a ranked set of training needs automatically, the gap, the priority and a target date, all on the same 0 to 5 The online 5×5 builder maps a small team in your browser, with no sign-up. A fast way to find your The full Excel template: heat map, automatic gap analysis, individual roadmaps, up to 30 people and 30 yours forever. ## Which tools on this site support identify training needs? - [Skills gap ROI calculator](/roi-calculator.html) ## How should you score skills on the 0-5 scale? Use the same 0-5 descriptors as the PDF and this site's methodology. Define each level in observable behaviours, not labels alone. (See HTML for 0-5 scale table.) See the [methodology pillar](/methodology.html) and [descriptor generator](/descriptor-generator.html) for policy wording. ## What should you add when implementing this online? This web guide adds live links, cited sources, and site tools around the same method as the PDF. Download [identify-training-needs.pdf](/assets/downloads/guides/identify-training-needs.pdf) for workshops; use the sections below to implement online. The [methodology pillar](/methodology.html) explains the Upleashed 0-5 framework used across 106. 5M+ assessments. Pair it with the [descriptor generator](/descriptor-generator.html) so raters share one definition of each level. The [Excel Skills Matrix Template](/template.html) (£199) implements this method with heat maps, role targets, and training-plan outputs. Template owners can start [PulseAI](/pulseai.html) for £1 in year one when they need continuous updates. Treat each section as an action checklist: agree evidence rules, run calibration, publish the grid, then review on cadence. The PDF is the narrative; this page is the implementation path with calculators and templates linked in context. Work at three levels. Organisation, job and individual: a classic training needs analysis checks all three. Not every gap needs training. Some are fixed by better tools, clearer process or recruitment; training is for genuine skill gaps. Prioritise by impact. A small gap on a critical skill beats a large gap on a trivial one. Rank before you spend. The matrix does the analysis. Current versus target scores turn straight into a ranked, evidence-based training plan. What a training need really is A training need is simply a gap: the difference between what your team can do today and what the work requires them to do. Identifying training needs is the disciplined process of finding those gaps, deciding which matter, and confirming that training, rather than something else, is the right fix. A need is a gap, not a wish This distinction matters. A training "need" is not a course someone fancies, a trend, or a budget to spend before year-end. It is a measurable shortfall between current and required capability for work that actually matters. Framed this way, identifying needs stops being a guessing game and becomes an analysis: where exactly are we short, by how much, and on what? That is what a training needs analysis sets out to answer. Training is not always the answer The most useful thing a needs analysis does is tell you when not to train. Sometimes people have the skill but a clunky process stops them using it; sometimes the tool is wrong, the workload impossible, or the role miscast. Training cannot fix any of those, and money spent on it is wasted. A good analysis separates genuine skill gaps, where training helps, from performance problems with other causes, where it does not. Three levels, one picture A classic training needs analysis looks at three levels. Organisational: what does the strategy demand the workforce be able to do? Job or task: what does each role require to be done well? Individual: where does each person stand against those requirements? The levels connect: business goals define role requirements, role requirements define individual targets, and the gap at the individual level, added up, is your training plan. Untargeted training is money set on fire Training is expensive in budget and, more so, in people's time. Spend it on the wrong things and you get the cost with none of the benefit. A needs conduct a formal needs analysis before building training, which means many still to change by 2030, so the needs you train for must be transformation, making accurate needs analysis urgent. The logic is hard to argue with. Skills are shifting fast, gaps are the main brake on progress, and yet a large share of training is still commissioned without first checking what is actually needed. A needs analysis costs little, an honest scoring exercise and an afternoon of thought, but it determines whether everything that follows hits the mark or misses it. It is the highest leverage hour in the whole training cycle: get the diagnosis right and the treatment works. Seven steps to identify training needs This is a diagnostic sequence: establish what the work requires, measure what you have, then turn the difference into a ranked plan. Follow it in order and the training that results will be targeted, justified and easy to Start from the business goals Begin at the organisational level. What is the team being asked to deliver this year, and what must it be able to do to deliver it? New product, new system, new regulation, growth target, each implies capabilities the team needs. Anchoring the analysis to real goals keeps it honest and stops it drifting into training for training's sake. WATCH OUT Skipping this step produces a tidy list of generic courses that no one needed. Tie every need back to something the business is ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a training needs analysis? It is a structured way of finding the gap between what your team can do now and what ### How do I know if a gap really needs training? Ask why the gap exists. If people genuinely lack the skill, training helps. If they have ### What are the three levels of needs analysis? Organisational (what the strategy requires the workforce to do), job or task (what each ### How should I prioritise training needs? By impact, not raw gap size. Weigh how critical the skill is, how many people share the ### How often should I run a needs analysis? Re-check at least annually, and whenever something changes the requirements: a new ### Do I need software to identify training needs? No. A well-built spreadsheet calculates gaps and ranks needs perfectly well, and most ## FAQ ### What is a training needs analysis? It is a structured way of finding the gap between what your team can do now and what ### How do I know if a gap really needs training? Ask why the gap exists. If people genuinely lack the skill, training helps. If they have ### What are the three levels of needs analysis? Organisational (what the strategy requires the workforce to do), job or task (what each ### How should I prioritise training needs? By impact, not raw gap size. Weigh how critical the skill is, how many people share the ### How often should I run a needs analysis? Re-check at least annually, and whenever something changes the requirements: a new ### Do I need software to identify training needs? No. A well-built spreadsheet calculates gaps and ranks needs perfectly well, and most ## References 1. World Economic Forum. (2025). The future of jobs report 2025. https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/ 2. LinkedIn. (2024). Workplace learning report 2024. https://learning.linkedin.com/resources/workplace-learning-report ## Related - [How to do a skills gap analysis](https://skillsmatrixtemplate.com/guides/skills-gap-analysis.html) - [How to plan a training budget](https://skillsmatrixtemplate.com/guides/plan-training-budget.html) - [How to prioritise skills development](https://skillsmatrixtemplate.com/guides/prioritise-skills-development.html) - [Using a skills matrix for development plans](https://skillsmatrixtemplate.com/guides/development-plans.html)