Strategic Market Plan

ANT vs TNA: What are the Differences?

ANT denotes Analyzing the Needs for Training. TNA denotes Training Needs Analysis. 

ANT is the First Stage 
Firstly, we must determine if an employee needs to attend any training. We may have observed that the work-quality of a particular employee has fallen recently. Are we to send him/her for training? Or could it be that the employee experiences personal issues with colleagues, supervisor, family members, or financial difficulties? If that is (are) the reason(s), then the employee should be sent for personal counseling, not for training. 

TNA is the Second Stage 
After determining that an employee needs training due to change of tasks; or change of department; or a promotion to supervisory position, we can then decide on the relevant training program. TNA requires a detailed analysis of the specific course contentsthat are relevant to the participant. Conclusion ANT is to analyze and determine whether there is a need to attend training. TNA is to analyze and determine the specific course contents.

For effective learning, the three key stakeholders (corporate client, training provider, and trainer/facilitator) should plan and execute a 3-stage training process:  

Stage 1: Analyzing the Needs for Training (ANT) 
Many organizations send their employees for training without implementing the ANT process. Some training sessions seem to be ineffective due to some of these reasons: 1. Participants did not acquire anything because the learning materials were not relevant to their daily work. 2. Participants were bored during the sessions because they already know the course contents-nothing new to learn.

Stage 2: Formulate a Training Program 
A set of training objectives must be compiled for each and every employee. The training syllabus will then be prepared that conforms to the learning objectives. For public training programs, the human resource managers must use a benchmark to determine the suitability. The rule-of-thumb is that at least 80 percent of the syllabus/contents must conform to the training objectives, otherwise it will be a waste of the training fees. 

Stage 3: Follow-up Process 
Regular follow-up activities must be carried out on the trainees. Instruments must be in place to measure the work performance of the trainees. Research have found that within three months, 90 percent of what we have learned in a training session will be lost if we do not make use of the knowledge or skills in our work environment. 

What does that mean? It could mean that an ANT was not conducted to determine the specific knowledge or skills that the participants need to acquire for increasing productivity. To maintain the motivation and productivity levels of employees requires that they must attend regular training programs. Depending on individual needs and corporate positions, four sessions of two days each per year would be ideal.