Training Needs Analysis guidance

The Training Needs Analysis is provided as a tool to guide you through the process of identifying your technical and personal development needs.

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Training Needs Analysis guidance

The Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is provided as a tool to guide you through the process of identifying your technical and personal development needs, and considering how/when you will address them.

It is a living document and should last throughout the course of your programme.

You should:

Independently complete the form and then discuss it with your supervisor within three months of starting your programme.
Use the outcomes from the supervisory discussion to create a development plan that lists the actions you will take over the coming year.
Refer back to your development plan on a regular basis (at least every 6 months) to check your progress and to identify any new development needs.
At the start of each new year repeat this process: review and add to your TNA, discuss with your supervisor, then update your development plan for the upcoming year.

TNA top tips

You do not have to undertake development in all eight competencies in each year of your programme. For instance, you could decide to prioritise two or three competencies per year. This means you may not need to complete every box on the TNA form in a single sitting.
It may be that you have already obtained skills and experience in some of the eight competencies prior to your doctoral studies. If this is the case, provide details within the relevant box.
The questions included on the TNA are only provided as prompts to help you consider your needs in each area. You do not have to answer the prompt questions if they are not relevant. Other questions may occur to you, which are more relevant, and it is fine to reflect on those instead. Find tips on reflective learning and critical thinking.
When it comes to training and development, or Continuing Professional Development (CPD), "one size doesn’t fit all. Wherever you are in your career now and whatever you want to achieve, your CPD should be exactly that: yours." (CIPD, 2019). There is no right or wrong answer when completing a TNA and each person will produce something that is unique.