How To Identify Your Team's Training Needs

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This blog was created as a follow up to learning at work week, a time for employers to reflect on the vision they have for their team and plan practical steps in the right direction. It's vital that people get the development they need in order to feel accomplished and satisfied with what they do, so understanding your team’s training needs is essential for improving performance, morale, and cohesion. But where do you start? Here are some practical and human-centred approaches to help you assess what your team needs and create a culture of learning within your workplace.

The first step is clarity. A person can't grow if they don't know what they're aiming to improve, yet many still try. To identify skill gaps effectively, you must first set clear, realistic goals for each job role. Development can't begin without a shared understanding of what success looks like. Your first task is always to ensure that both you and your team have a solid grasp of the expectations for each role.

It sounds simple, but trusting your team is the first step. If they tell you there’s a problem or feel underprepared in certain areas, believe them. Your team is often the most reliable source of insight when it comes to identifying gaps in knowledge or skills. A suggestion box, whether physical or digital, can be a fantastic tool for gathering feedback anonymously. This gives space for honesty, especially from those who may be reluctant to speak up in person. There are plenty of free tools online that allow you to set up a digital suggestion box such as freesuggestionbox.com.

Regular one-on-one meetings offer a more private space for employees to voice concerns or share development goals. These conversations can often reveal individual needs that might not surface in group settings. Use the time to not only listen but also to coach. Discuss current priorities, explore long-term development interests, and offer constructive feedback. Document key points and agreed actions so you can follow up meaningfully. If someone is going through a growth phase, such as taking on a new project, building a skill, or recovering from a setback, consider scheduling one-on-ones before and after key milestones. Pre-meeting discussions can clarify expectations, while post-meeting reflections help analyse results, reinforce learning, and adjust the course if needed. Ultimately, effective one-on-ones are built on trust, consistency, and mutual accountability. When done well, they become a cornerstone of continuous development and employee engagement.

People often recognise each other’s strengths and weaknesses but may not know how to raise them. Team-building and communication exercises help create a supportive environment where feedback flows more easily. Group activities, while fun, also reveal valuable insights—who leads, who holds back, and who solves problems. Observing your team in relaxed settings can uncover dynamics missed in busy workdays. During team days, simple quizzes (using tools like Kahoot) can highlight shared knowledge gaps and shape future training without singling anyone out.

Managers often underestimate the value of everyday performance as a source of insight. While metrics and reports have their place, the most immediate and telling data comes from observing your team’s daily work. The outputs they produce, whether it’s a report, a project, a customer interaction, or a routine task, are direct reflections of their current capabilities, work habits, and understanding of expectations. But it’s not just about the end result. The way individuals approach problems, collaborate with others, manage time, and adapt to feedback reveals just as much, if not more, about their development needs. By consistently engaging with and observing your team in real time, you can identify patterns, uncover hidden strengths, and spot skill gaps early, empowering you to guide growth in a timely and targeted way.

Apprenticeships are a way to provide existing staff with new training, practical knowledge, a modern understanding of their field and an accredited qualification, all while still doing their job. Through apprenticeships, we've helped countless employers to fill gaps in the knowledge and skills of their team, allowing them to focus on the big picture while we do the rest. Identifying your team's training needs is much more efficient with tried and tested methods, experts in your industry and dedicated classroom sessions. Apprenticeships provide all this to identify training needs, deliver the training itself and the award learners with their new qualification. This is the beauty of learning at work, the idea that you don't have to choose between long term development and day-to-day tasks. Rather the opposite: apprenticeships teach people to use the big picture and the small picture in harmony. You cannot develop one without the other.

We, at Dynamic Training, are uniquely qualified to discuss this as we have delivered apprenticeships to the UK workforce for over a decade.

Click here to find out more about the apprenticeships we offer.

The key to identifying your team’s training needs lies in listening, observing, and creating an environment where feedback is valued and acted upon. When your team feels heard, they are far more likely to contribute meaningfully to their own growth, and to each other’s.

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All of the Apprenticeships and Workshops we offer are purpose-built with accessibility and inclusion in mind. You can view our apprenticeships, view our courses or contact us to find out more about how we can empower you or your workforce with apprenticeships or training programmes.