Corporate Training

Training Matrix: A Complete Guide

Training mix is a structured framework that helps HR and Learning and Development (L&D) practitioners know what training program is required for each job role within an organization. 

It is a widely used tool for visually presenting an overall scenario of employees' training needs in either a simple table or digital dashboard—it maps employees against the required skills, certifications, or particular sources they must complete. 

For HR practitioners, a training mix helps with HR audits and compliance checks. For L&D professionals, it helps track training progress and measure its effectiveness, as well as plan future programs based on the training gaps identified. 

Benefits of a Training Matrix

There are many upsides to using training mix for SMEs and large corporations. 

1. Clarity on employee development requirements

Having a training mix helps you clearly see what training is required for each employee based on their rank and role in the company. Having a good sense of this will help their managers or team leaders prioritize certain levels and types of career development—basically, allowing a more structured learning pathway for their professional growth. 

2. Easy compliance tracking

For industries where compliance training is non-negotiable and critical for job performance, creating a training mix helps you to ensure the mandatory programs for tasks involving health and safety, or ISO standards, or any requirement from government agencies, including the Department of Health (DOH) or the FDA - Food and Drug Administration. 

3. Reduces skill gaps and boosts productivity

Any job performance will have identified skill gaps from one level to the next. With a solid training mix, these skills gaps will be more intentional in designing targeted learning interventions that will help improve the individual capability of the target beneficiaries and the entire team where the individual belongs, as individual performance definitely affects the team as well. 

4. Provides managers with real-time visibility

Managers typically have blind spots as to what their current team members' needed capacities are to meet the current and future demands at work individually. With the training mix, it will be more visible for them to see the exact training status, completion rates, and the progress of each of their subordinates. This will assist them in making better staffing decisions and knowing what, when, and to whom they can delegate tasks with confidence and clarity. 

Types of Training Matrices

You can choose from commonly used training matrices depending on your priority list - compliance, skill development, or holistic employee growth. Here are the types of training matrices that you can use: 

1. Basic Training Matrix

Usually, just a table is used to plot job roles on one axis and training programs on the other. This gives you a quick look at which employees must complete certain training programs. 

It is commonly applied to smaller organizations or teams requiring a straightforward look at their training requirements. 

2. Competency Matrix

Next on the list is a competence matrix, which goes beyond the traditional listing of training programs. This type of matrix actually connects training with the needed skills and competencies that each employee must perform in their roles. For instance, if you're a sales manager, your matrix must include competencies such as consultative selling, sales leadership, and negotiation—each linked to a critical training program. 

3. Compliance Matrix

As mentioned earlier, compliance training is mostly considered for highly regulated industries. So, having a compliance matrix will help companies define what mandatory training is required by industry standards or government law for each employee. This type of matrix also helps track renewal dates for each certification, so it doesn't expire and avoids any risk of penalties. 

4. Hybrid Matrix

A hybrid matrix combines all three other types of matrices. It includes each employee's compliance requirements, competency development, and progression paths. This, by far, is the most comprehensive option if you'll be making your own training matrix - particularly used by larger organizations with complex, critical training needs. 

How to Create a Training Matrix

The meat of this guide is this step-by-step process for creating your own training matrix based on the preferred type of matrices we mentioned earlier. Let's examine each of these steps in depth. 

1. Identify roles and responsibilities

List all the job roles in your organization—if you work in a large corporation, this list can be completed in seconds with readily available data. 

Then, clarify what's responsible so you can match needed training requirements to specific tasks associated with each role. For instance, a technician needs safety and equipment training (among many other trainings), while a manager may just need leadership and people management programs.

2. Define required training per role

Assess what training each job role must complete. This includes technical (hard skills), soft skills, compliance certifications, or specific onboarding sessions. The objective is to ensure that every employee has a clear pathway as to what training must be completed to perform effectively. 

3. Determine frequency and renewal cycles

Define the frequency for each training. Is it one-time, renewals, or does it need regular refreshers? For instance, some safety trainings are valid for just one year, while leadership training could be optional, but fundamentally important to conduct every year. 

Documenting these training cycles will help your team prevent lapses, leading to more employees staying compliant, upskilled, and updated.

4. Choose a format

Have a concrete plan for how you will present and manage the training matrix. If it's a small team, you may use a simple Excel or Google Sheets table. If you're into large corporations, you probably have a software or dashboard you can use - particularly some learning management systems (LMS) or HR software that can help you automate reminders, and effectively track training completions and generate instant reports. 

Fundamentally, the correct training format highly depends on your team size, industry requirements, and training and reporting needs. 

5. Assign owners for updates and monitoring

The crucial step of creating a training matrix is to assign accountability and responsibility for keeping the matrix updated as much as possible. This could be a primary task of a department manager's HR and L&D specialist. Having clear owners who would take care of the training data to make sure it is updated regularly - i.e., no expiring certifications are flagged will help the matrix be a good, reliable tool for decision making for training purposes and organizational efficiency in operations. 

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by Venchito Tampon

Learning and Development Plan: A Complete Guide

Learning and Development Plan (L&D plan) is a structured flow and framework that outlines how a company or organization will equip its employees with the right competencies (knowledge, skills, and behaviors) to perform better in their job roles.

Most commonly referred to as a "Training Plan" by Filipino HR practitioners, the L&D plan serves as both a roadmap and structure for employee growth and development, giving managers leverage to align workforce capabilities with actual business objectives. 

Importance of a Learning and Development Plan (Why It Matters)

There are compelling reasons why having a learning and development plan can significantly impact your employees' growth and development. Let's go through each of these benefits.

Business Impact

First, you'll find that employees are more likely to stay when they can see, feel, and experience opportunities for growth within the company. An L&D plan can serve as a reminder and a signal that your company is investing in employees' professional and personal development, thus reducing turnover costs.

A learning and development plan also helps improve individual job performance, making employees more growth-oriented and efficient at work. Equipping them with the skills necessary to deliver results will help them achieve their KPIs, departmental objectives, and business goals. 

You will also find employees going through an L&D plan to acquire new skills they haven't acquired before—i.e., skills such as coaching and mentoring, problem-solving, and presentation skills, all necessary to position themselves for success in your company. 

Employee Impact

Besides personal growth and career pathing (having structured learning opportunities for your employees), you will then observe that they will boost their morale and engagement - feeling valued as the employer (company) gets to invest in their own training and development. 

Links to Strategy, HR, and Culture

On a bigger picture, you'll find that learning and development are in certain alignment with each department, business unit, and team—there is a direct link between employee performance and the business's organizational strategy. 

This now reinforces a better culture of continuous improvement, whereby learning becomes a one-time event and a core part of the company's foundation - DNA. 

Components of a Learning and Development Plan 

Critical components exist when creating a learning and development plan, and they all stem from it being purposeful, measurable, and truly aligned with the organizational goals. Let's go through each of them. 

1. Needs Analysis

Improving your employees' capabilities starts by identifying their training needs. I've covered how to conduct training needs analysis, but to give you a quick framework, needs analysis examines: 

• Skill gaps - simply compare current employees' capabilities with the skills required to perform their job. 
• Organizational goals: ensure that all development efforts align well and support long-term strategies such as customer centricity, market expansion, or tapping into new market segments. 

2. Learning Objectives

Having clear learning objectives will set the tone for the L&D plan. Effective objectives must have or be based on:

• SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) - make your objective check every box.
• Bloom’s Taxonomy - ensures every learning goal builds knowledge (i.e., remember or understand), applies actual skills (i.e., apply, analyze), and reaches higher-order thinking (i.e., evaluate or create). 

3. Learning Methods

Structure learning programs for maximum learning experience by blending different learning approaches: 

• Training programs for structured learning face-to-face workshops, webinars.
• Coaching and mentoring for individualized learning experiences 
• E-learning and microlearning for self-paced learning anywhere and anytime for employees.
• Peer or group learning and on-the-job training for actual application of skills. 

4. Resources & Tools 

Your company needs to invest in tools, technology, and resources to make learning accessible and scalable - to reach as many members of your workforce. A few tools you might consider investing in: 

• Learning Management Systems (LMS) for designing and delivering online courses.
• Workshops and simulations to help design interactive, hands-on activities.
• Digital resources, including videos, workbooks, and an LMS members' area, make it easier for employees to consume content, thus allowing for more consistent training across teams and locations (best for companies with remote teams).

5. Timeline & Implementation

A learning and development plan can only be effective if executed properly, so it is important to outline when and how learning will occur. Two types of initiatives worth considering: 

• Short-term initiatives to easily address any immediate need, like compliance, scheduling, or onboarding. 
• Long-term initiatives for leadership pipelines, succession planning, and value-ladder (or career pathing) - implementing all these schedules helps your employees juggle between actual work and growth efforts. 

6. Measurement & Evaluation

After training design and delivering learning programs, you must measure their effectiveness. These are common approaches you should install:

• KPIs - show up/attendance rates, training completion rates, employee performance improvements from skills-based trainings, or job promotions.
• Kirkpatrick’s Model - evaluate learning programs at four levels: reaction, learning, behavior, and results.
• Feedback loops  - integrating post-training surveys and manager assessments to measure whether learning programs create a real, tangible impact on employees. 

Step-by-Step Process of Creating a Learning and Development Plan

Here's the meat of this guide. I'll show the step-by-step process for creating a learning and development plan—just follow each step, as it's easy to follow and proven to work in many companies across industries. 

1. Assess Organizational Goals and Align with L&D

The first step is to examine your company's strategic direction. For instance, if your company wants to achieve digital transformation, your learning and development plan must prioritize activities related to that—things like digital literacy and technical upskilling. 

When you align your learning programs with your company's business objectives, you make sure your training serves its actual purpose. 

2. Conduct Training Needs Analysis (TNA)

Your TNA must identify gaps between your employees' current and required skills. Methods for assessing needs include employee surveys, focus group discussions (FGDs), and competency assessments. 

Regardless of the method, you should answer the following questions: 

• What do employees know and do well today?
• What must they learn to meet future demands at work?

3. Define Competencies and Skills Required

The TNA will tell you your exact training needs. The next step is to list all the competencies your employees must build (you can group them based on job roles and departments). 

These competencies include technical skills (e.g., data analysis), soft skills (e.g., technical writing, coaching, and mentoring), and role-specific skills. This list of competencies will be your benchmark when designing and delivering training programs. 

4. Set Learning Objectives

The next step is to translate identified needs into clear objectives. As mentioned earlier, objectives should follow the SMART framework and Bloom's taxonomy. 

5. Choose Learning Methods (Formal, Informal, Blended)

See what fits your current workforce. Select the most effective training delivery method; it could be any or a mix of these three:

• Formal - face-to-face sessions, workshops, and in-house certification programs.
• Informal - group learning, actual practice, and mentoring.
• Blended - mix of face-to-face and online modules and some blending of other learning delivery types - on-the-job training. 

The choice of learning method depends on the nature of the skills required, the actual training budget, and employee learning preferences. 

6. Allocate Resources and Budget

Check your available resources, including the budget for the L&D initiative, as it will require approval and support from stakeholders. 

Other resources include training materials, software if needed, logistics, and external trainers if you hire corporate training companies. Ensure you also assign internal resources to help you run training programs—resources including HR staff, subject matter experts, and mentors who will support the implementation. 

7. Roll Out Training Programs

Launch your training programs according to the L&D plan's timeline. The one element of success here is clear and efficient coordination between your HR or L&D team members. 

8. Evaluate Effectiveness and Refine

Once you deliver the training program, your last best step is to measure results using Kirkpatrick's model (reaction, learning, behavior, results) or other performance metrics. You may also opt to gather employee feedback through evaluation forms. 

Refine your learning and development plan as you see fit to ensure continuous improvement, relevance, and alignment with your company's business objectives. 

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by Venchito Tampon

Training of Trainers Guide: Build Skilled In-House Facilitators Using Proven Frameworks

Training of trainers is important in building internal capability, particularly in creating a pool of confident in-house facilitators who can lead competency-based learning sessions that drive organizational change. 

Whether you're rolling out a company-wide program or preparing leaders to inspire and train potential leaders in your organization, a well-executed training of trainers will help leverage the message that can be transferred, retained, and ultimately applied in real-life work scenarios.

Difference Between Training of Trainers and Standard Skills Training

While these two types of training are often labeled identically, they achieve different objectives, which, when understood and applied, can be more effective for trainers and L&D teams.

Standard skills training focuses on helping participants learn how to perform a specific task or project or develop a particular competency, such as leadership communication, customer service, software use, or upselling techniques. The goal of standard skills training is individual performance improvement. 

Training of Trainers (ToT) prepares participants to become effective facilitators of learning (or what others refer to as "corporate educators"), instead of only learning the what and how of a topic, participants aim to learn how to teach it to others. ToT training includes understanding adult learning principles, managing group dynamics, using facilitation techniques, designing and evaluating training programs, and assessing learner progress. 

Standard skills training builds doers, whereas training of trainers (ToT) builds teachers, facilitators, and corporate trainers. 

Why Training of Trainers is Important?

Training of Trainers is an investment that can compound returns, as you shift from relying solely on external trainers to conduct technical and soft skill training programs for your employees to developing skilled facilitators within your organization who can multiply learning by delivering regular training programs. 

1. Builds Trainer Capability and Standardizes Delivery

ToT equips technical trainers with the skills to design, facilitate, and evaluate training programs. It also standardizes internal training programs aligned with the organization's context, tone, values, objectives, and desired outcomes. 

Training of trainers has standardized methodologies that will become the foundation of your in-house trainers, helping them deliver consistent output or impact for their target beneficiaries in training.

2. Scale Training Initiatives

You no longer need to hire external training companies or freelance trainers to conduct employee training programs continuously.

With trained internal facilitators and thought leaders, companies can roll out programs across teams, sites, or departments without too many external dependencies. This saves costs and time and helps ensure consistency in facilitating training programs.

3. Improves Learning Effectiveness

Trained in-house facilitators who learn how to engage adult learners, manage group dynamics, and adjust delivery for different learning styles and contexts can make sessions more relevant, interactive, and impactful, which leads to better learning retention and application of knowledge. 

External perspectives from experienced trainers will further help your in-house facilitators improve their training delivery.

4. Strengthens Organizational Capability

ToT can help build a culture of learning, innovation, and leadership within the organization. It will empower your employees to become knowledge carriers, supporting succession planning, leadership development, and sustainable organizational growth.

5. Supports Consistent Performance and Behavior Change

With skilled trainers guiding sessions, your organization can see that learning can lead to real behavior change - not just simply awareness. It could tap levels 3 and 4 of training evaluation - change of behavior and results. 

What Is the Most Effective Training of Trainers Program in the Philippines?

The most effective Training of Trainers program in the Philippines is Next-Level Trainer: Mastering the 8 D’s of Dynamic Training Delivery by Rainmakers Training and Consultancy.

This program stands out as it goes beyond standard ToT content. It combines proven instructional design models like ADDIE, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Kolb’s Learning Cycle, and Kirkpatrick’s Evaluation Model, while introducing modern-day strategies to engage the next generation of workforce, including Gen Zs. 

Next-Level Trainer by Rainmakers is trusted by companies in the Philippines to build skilled in-house facilitators who can lead technical, behavioral, and leadership training programs effectively.

If you're looking for a structured, application-focused ToT program that is aligned with modern training standards, Next-Level Trainer is the recommended choice.

Training of Trainers Frameworks and Models

What is the most effective training framework for trainers? 

There is no single "best framework" for Training of Trainers, as every model has its strengths and is interconnected to help design and deliver training programs. 

The most effective approach combines multiple learning and development models to support each phase of the trainer's journey—from designing training programs, delivering content, engaging leaders, and evaluating training results. 

Here are four widely used frameworks that, when combined, can provide a strong foundation for any Training of Trainers (ToT) program: 

1. ADDIE Model for Structuring the Training Process

The ADDIE model is a systematic framework often used to design training programs. In a ToT setting, here's how to apply the ADDIE model:

• Analyze - Identify the current capability of trainers and the training gaps.
• Design - Outline the learning objectives, course structure, training formats, and content flow for trainer development.
• Develop - Create training materials, guides, handouts, slides, activities, and evaluation tools. 
• Implement - Deliver the Training of Trainers sessions through workshops, practice teaching, hands-on activities, and feedback. 
• Evaluate - Measure the effectiveness of the trainers post-ToT using feedback forms, assessments, and performance outcomes. 
• You can use ADDIE to make ToT programs more goal-oriented, structured, and objective-driven. 

2. Bloom’s Taxonomy for Setting Clear Trainer Objectives

Bloom's Taxonomy is a clear framework for writing learning objectives based on cognitive skill levels- it is helpful for the Design phase of Tot.

For example, in using Bloom's Taxonomy, you use action verbs like "explain", "demonstrate", "apply", and "evaluate" for learning objectives, helping in-house trainers visualize what the end of the training program will be. 

3. Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle: Designing Trainer Activities

Kolb's Experiential Learning cycle is a framework to help structure learning activities to align with how adults learn effectively. This framework includes: 

• Concrete Experience – Practice teaching or actual group facilitation exercises.
• Reflective Observation – Evaluating training performance and reviewing for success points and areas for improvement. 
• Abstract Conceptualization – Connecting relevant examples, expertise, and experience to training theories, principles, and frameworks.
• Active Experimentation – Applying feedback and refining facilitation techniques to enhance the overall learning experience. 

Using Kolb's model, you improve ToT programs through actual practice, reflection, and refinement of facilitation skills. 

4. Kirkpatrick’s Model: Evaluating ToT Impact

Kirkpatrick's Four Levels of Evaluation is a globally used model to measure training effectiveness. The four levels are: 

• Level 1: Reaction – Did participants find the ToT program engaging, timely, and relevant?
• Level 2: Learning – Did they acquire knowledge, principles, framework, and facilitation skills?
• Level 3: Behavior – Do they apply what they learned in training design and delivery?
• Level 4: Results – Has the organization benefited from better internal facilitation?

As an L&D practitioner or corporate trainer, you can evaluate the Training of Trainers program to improve your training design and ensure that you're achieving business outcomes from your training program. 

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by Venchito Tampon

Training Design Guide: How to Build Effective Learning Programs in the Philippines

Creating effective training programs starts with intentional training design. Whether the goal is to upskill teams, train new leaders, or roll out a culture initiative, well-structured and co-partnered training design ensures that learning of your target beneficiaries aligns with performance outcomes. 

Looking to Build Better Training Programs?

At Rainmakers, we apply this same approach in designing and delivering corporate training programs for companies across the Philippines. Every session is grounded in learning fundamentals and objectives, supported by practical methodologies, and aligned with business needs. 

👉 Explore how we design corporate training programs

This guide outlines the step-by-step process behind successful training we design and actually deliver (and the exact framework that top-ranked Filipino trainers have used) - we include here what training design is, why it matters, and how to build training programs that work.

If you're an HR professional, L&D practitioner, subject matter expert, or a leader in your organization tasked with developing people, let's begin with a shift in perspective. 

What is Training Design?

Training design is the process of planning and structuring a corporate training program to achieve specific learning outcomes for target beneficiaries or participants. 

The training design process often includes setting clear learning objectives, selecting relevant topical content, choosing effective training methodologies, and organizing sessions into a logical flow that is more likely to engage participants. 

Training design aims to ensure that learners gain the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitude (three components of competence) they need to succeed in their roles. 

Why Training Design Matters in Philippine Workplaces

In a competitive, fast-changing, and budget-conscious work environment in the Philippines, organizations can no longer afford to run training programs that don't produce results. 

Training design is the foundation that turns learning into performance. 

A corporate training program must serve a clear purpose. If it lacks goals, content may be too broad or too much for the time given. Activities could be engaging but disconnected from actual job roles and learning outcomes. As a result, employees will leave the session with little understanding or new skill acquisition to apply what they've learned. 

Training design is essential for the following reasons: 

The training meets real learning needs. 

Learning design starts with clearly understanding what employees need to learn, not just what the organization wants to teach. The keyword is "need." This will avoid generic content and ensure relevance for every module. 

The training supports business goals. 

Ultimately, corporate training programs must connect learning with desired business outcomes, such as improving customer service satisfaction, increasing individual productivity among team members, or training new leaders with specific competencies. When training design is well planned, these specific business objectives will be achieved. 

The methods used match how Filipino learners engage best. 

Full lecture training programs won't work for Filipino learners. Training design ensures you include interactive activities, group discussions, case studies, role-playing sessions, and real-life examples from the facilitator to keep participants engaged from start to end of the training session. 

The learning leads to real change. 

Employees need to use their new insights and skills. A good training design increases the chance that new skills, knowledge, and changes in behavior will actually show up on the job. 

What Makes a Good Training Design?

An effective training design ensures that learning is understood, applied, and aligned with real job needs. These five elements can help you strengthen your training design, especially in the Philippine workplace: 

1. Clear Learning Objectives

Training must begin with clear, specific objectives. These objectives define what the training's target beneficiaries should know, do, or improve after the session. Without clear goals, L&D, HR practitioners, or training facilitators must choose the right content or assess learning outcomes. 

In most Philippine organizations, learning objectives help secure stakeholders' buy-in and align expectations. 

2. Aligned Content and Methods

The content should directly support the training objectives, and the methods should fit the type of learning required—whether knowledge, skills, or behavior. For example, if the objective is to improve customer handling, the training design must include scenarios, role-plays, or simulations that match the content to the actual work scenario. 

3. Structured Flow of Learning

Training must follow a logical flow - from setting the context, delivering the content, applying the learning, and ending with reflection or reinforcement. An organized session often stems from a structured flow with a clear path from theory to practice. 

4. Evaluation of Learning and Performance

Training is only practical if it produces change. Good training design often includes methods to assess if learning occurred. Training methodologies include quizzes, observation, feedback forms, and post-training evaluations. 

In the Philippines, many companies use Level 1 (reaction) and Level 2 (learning evaluations) from the Kirkpatrick Model, but stronger training designs also aim for Level 3 (behavior) and Level 4 (results). 

5. Localization for the Philippine Context

Training is more effective when it reflects the learners' language, culture, and realities. For Filipino employees, relatable examples, Taglish explanations, group activities, and respect for hierarchy often improve engagement, learning retention, and comprehension.

Localization in training design includes adjusting delivery based on learner profiles, such as customizing content for beginners to intermediate levels that best suit rank-and-file staff rather than supervisors. 

Step-by-Step Training Design Process

Designing practical training follows a straightforward process. Each step builds on the last - from identifying training needs to organizing how they will learn it to measuring results. 

Here's a step-by-step training design process that you can follow:

1. Training Needs Analysis (TNA)

Conduct a training needs analysis session. Start by identifying what employees need to learn to improve performance.

You can use simple tools to collect data, such as:

• Surveys: Ask your target employees what tasks are complex or where performance is lacking. Make questions easy to understand enough for them to answer the survey. You can use this training needs analysis template. 
• Interviews: Speak with key training beneficiaries to understand their job challenges and skill gaps.
• Focus group discussions (FGDs): Group conversations help uncover shared issues, facilitate follow-up questions to learn about training needs. 

After gathering data, you can list specific performance gaps, group similar needs, and translate each gap into a learning goal. 

From there, you can prioritize based on urgency, business impact, and number of people affected. The result should be a short list of learning outcomes linked to real job requirements.

2. Define Learning Objectives

After identifying learning needs, define the training objectives. Start with clear, measurable goals that describe the expected learning outcome.

Begin with terminal objectives. 

Terminal objectives are the primary learning outcomes a training program aims to achieve. They describe exactly what participants should be able to do or accomplish at the end of the program. 

Here are a couple of examples of learning objectives: 

• For consultative sales training program: "Deliver a structured sales pitch to a client using the SPIN technique."
• For customer service training: "Resolve customer complaints using the 4-step handling method."
• For leadership development training: "Facilitate a productive team meeting using a structured agenda and action planning format."
• For Excel training program: "Create a monthly report using spreadsheet functions and visual data summaries."
• For HR or admin staff on work-from-home training: "Apply the company’s work-from-home policy to common employee scenarios and requests."

Next, break these down into enabling objectives. 

Enabling objectives are smaller steps or skills that support the terminal objective.

Referring to our given example earlier, here are examples for enabling objectives. 

Terminal Objective: Deliver a structured sales pitch to a client using the SPIN technique.

Enabling Objectives:

• Identify the four components of the SPIN selling model
• Formulate need-based questions relevant to a customer profile
• Organize sales points into a logical sequence
• Practice delivery using tone, pacing, and product knowledge

Then, you use Bloom's Taxonomy to choose action verbs that reflect the level of learning. Avoid vague verbs like "understand" or "know". Instead, use words like "describe", "demonstrate", "analyze", or "apply". 

Write each objective to be:

• Specific: Clear about what is expected. For example, “Draft a meeting agenda with three key discussion points” is more specific than “Prepare for a meeting.”
• Measurable: Observe through activity, deliverable, or output. Example: "Insert a line chart to show monthly sales trends” allows facilitators to see if the learner can do the task."
• Achievable: Realistic within the time and format of training. For example, “List the four steps of the complaint handling method” is achievable in a one-hour session. In contrast, “Master advanced conflict resolution” may require longer or follow-up training.

Well-written objectives are the foundation for selecting content, methods, and assessment and evaluation tools.

3. Organizing Content Into Competency-Based Modules

After defining clear learning objectives, group related skills, knowledge, and behavioral actions into modules based on the core competencies required for the job or role. 

Each module of the training program should develop a specific competency or sub-competency. 

The first step is to identify core competencies.

Step 1: Identify Core Competencies

Based on the terminal and enabling objectives of the training, group them based on the competencies required to perform the job effectively.

Training Objectives → Grouped Competencies

Competency becomes the module of the training program.

For instance, if you're designing a training program for customer service associates, the first competency they need to perform their jobs is customer handling. 

At the basic level, customer handling has essential points or topics:

• Types of customer complaints
• The 4-step complaint resolution process
• Empathy and tone in customer service
• Techniques to manage and de-escalate irate customers

These topics and the competency form the first module, in this case, "Module 1: Handling Customer Complaints". 

Step 2: Define Module Activities and Tools

Each module should include a mix of methods that support knowledge building, skill application, and behavior change. 

Here are specific activities you can include in our earlier module about handling customer complaints. Choose only one to conduct after the lecture for the first module. 

• Case analysis: Review real customer complaint cases and identify response gaps
• Role-play: Practice responding to customer complaints using the 4-step method
• Video review: Watch sample calls and assess tone, language, and resolution
• Group exercise: De-escalation practice with rotating scenarios

With these training activities, here are the tools you need for the first activity:

• Slide deck with complaint categories and steps
• Company complaint handling flowchart or SOP
• Sample customer profiles and complaint scripts
• Evaluation rubric for role-play feedback
• Videos showing examples of poor vs. effective responses

Activities will vary depending on your objective, experience, delivery, and training flow. 

Step 3: Sequence and Finalize Modules for Delivery

After designing each module with its competency, topics, activities, and tools, the final step is to arrange the modules in a logical learning sequence and review the overall design for alignment, flow, and feasibility.

You can start with foundational competencies before moving to complex ones. This will help you begin immediately without feeling overwhelmed. 

Build each module so that the learner gains confidence and skills progressively. 

You should also check for alignment, as you want to ensure each module supports the terminal objectives of the corporate training program. Confirm that all topics, methods, and activities build the intended competency. 

Balance time and delivery format. Imagine how the training program will be facilitated in a real scenario. Review the time needed for each activity and adjust modules for one-hour, half-day, or full-day sessions depending on beneficiaries' available schedules and your training delivery plan. 

4. Planning Training Logistics

Once the training modules are finalized, the next step is to prepare all logistical elements that support the smooth delivery of the training program. Planning logistics allows you to provide consistent and engaging content and an engaging experience for target beneficiaries. 

Start by listing the materials needed for each module. As mentioned, these may include slides, handouts, role-play scripts, activity sheets, props, case studies, and assessment forms.

You can prepare either a printed or digital copy or both, depending on the delivery format, whether the training program is conducted in person, virtual, or hybrid. 

For in-house non-outsource training programs, you can assign in-house trainers to facilitate each module or entire training program. Clarify who will lead the module, facilitate group activities, and answer questions after each module.

All facilitators must be familiar with the session flow and the expected output from each module. 

Logistical planning for corporate training programs in the Philippines also often requires extra attention to venue readiness and participant availability. For in-person corporate training sessions, ensure sound systems, projectors, flipcharts, or other drawing boards are available in the venue.

Test platform stability (Zoom, Teams) for virtual sessions, and ensure backup internet or mobile hotspot access in case of internet connection issues. 

The best way to run efficient training programs is to assign support roles, including tech support and co-facilitators. A well-organized support team can help trainers focus on actual delivery while participants stay engaged without delays or disruptions. 

5. Designing Evaluation Tools

Training evaluation confirms whether training achieves its objectives. It also helps measure what participants learned, how they apply it, and whether it has a significant effect on their daily jobs. 

One of the practical and widely used approaches to evaluate training programs is the Kirkpatrick Model, which has four levels of evaluation: 

1. Reaction – How did participants feel about the training?
2. Learning – What did they learn during the session?
3. Behavior – Are they applying what they learned on the job?
4. Results – Did the training create measurable business impact?
   

Start by linking evaluation tools to the learning objectives of the training program.

For knowledge-based modules, you can use pre-and post-tests, quizzes, and short-written exercises. For skill-based modules, use role-plays, simulations, or demonstration checklists. For behavior change, collect feedback from supervisors on the impact of training on job performance days, weeks, or even months after the training program. 

In the Philippines, the most commonly used tools include: 

• Post-training surveys (Level 1): Short feedback forms completed immediately after the session
• Knowledge checks or practical tasks (Level 2): Simple tests or exercises done during or after the module
• Follow-up supervisor feedback (Level 3): Observations or check-ins conducted 2 to 4 weeks post-training
• Basic tracking of performance indicators (Level 4): When applicable, companies may monitor KPIs like customer satisfaction scores, sales performance, or error rates

Well-designed evaluation tools will provide the necessary data to assess training effectiveness and improve future training sessions. 

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by Venchito Tampon

Work Attitude and Values Enhancement Training [Ultimate Guide For 2025]

What is Work Attitude and Values Enhancement? 

Work Attitude and Values Enhancement (WAVE) program is behavioral and values-based training for employees in the government or private sector that strengthens key work ethics such as discipline, honesty, and accountability. The goal of this training is to build a healthy and strong employee mindset, improve workplace behavior, and align individual attitudes and values with the company's goals and culture. 

WAVE training is a popular training program for employees in the government and private sectors in the Philippines. It helps organizations instill values, mindsets, and behavioral change, essential to creating a healthy and productive work environment. 

Work Attitude and Work Values

Most professionals see work attitude and work attitude as technically the same, but they actually have different meanings. 

Work attitude is an employee's mindset about their tasks, responsibilities, and colleagues. It is one of the elements at work that affects a person's ability to respond to feedback, handle stress, and approach their daily duties.

If you take two people into the room, one with a positive attitude will show initiative, stay committed to being productive, and contribute greatly to a healthy work environment. Conversely, someone with a negative attitude would often be observed to be unproductive, causing delays, conflicts, and even disengagement among his peers. 

Work values are a person's principles when making decisions or interacting with others. They include values such as honesty, accountability, discipline, respect, and excellence.

The best part of allowing values enhancement in the workplace is that your employees will function with strong values in dealing with their tasks, earning the trust of their colleagues, managers, and customers. 

How Work Attitude and Values Influence the Workplace?

Having both work attitude and work values that shape your employees' behavior can certainly impact work performance, teamwork, and results. Beyond being just personal traits, these are key drivers of talent development that have a solid effect on business outcomes. 

In my experience providing corporate training services for both SMEs and multi-national corporations in the Philippines, these are the five core areas I've seen where attitude and values have a measurable impact: 

1. Work Quality

As plain as it sounds, having a strong work ethic translates to work ethic, which means you'll find more ways to achieve accuracy, consistency, and continuous improvement to deliver more value in the work environment.

This is also where you set scenarios in which the employee double-checks their work (to retain work quality), meets agreed timelines, and stays focused on completing tasks with excellence until they get done.

Employees with a strong work ethic, values, and attitude don't settle for "pwede na", and often go beyond what is expected (that's actually how you define "excellence" for this matter). 

2. Team Collaboration

From individual work excellence, employees with good work values and work attitudes will have their values shared among their team members. You see more shared values, as they are primarily defined—that includes respect, fairness, and open communication, all key ingredients in creating a culture of trust.

In that culture, employees are more open to feedback (and even give constructive input to others), can resolve conflicts without drama, and act professionally (as expected for workers in the Philippines). 

They are not hostile to other people but value teamwork and collaboration as work values, which are often visible in the workplace. You see them actively supporting one another's success, getting inspired by their achievements, and wanting to do more quality work. 

3. Resilience and Motivation

Employees with strong work values have what we call a "growth mindset," which is a way of learning that isn't fixated on problems and challenges but on the ability to grow and learn despite the odds of trials.

You'll find these kinds of workers never easily give up after one failure, but rather adjust, learn, and push forward - the type of resilience you need for your employees, if you're an HR specialist, or for your business if you're an entrepreneur. 

4. Professional Reputation

As work values and attitudes translate to results ("work performance"), employees are later rewarded with professional reputation—praise from colleagues, trust among colleagues, and potentially a salary raise. 

Employees who show professional values, including integrity, dependability, and self-discipline, would make trust a core part of their professional identity. They become go-to or reliable people who will later become mentors and future leaders in the company. 

And mind you, professionalism among employees is contagious, helping you shape a culture of higher standards of both work and values across the company. 

5. Customer Experience

Work values not only reflect within the four corners of the office but ultimately affect how employees create a memorable customer experience.

Think of it this way: If employees show values like empathy, honesty, and service orientation, which are crucial to delivering the best customer service and experience, you can expect longer lifetime value for customers, positive brand recognition, and stronger brand loyalty - just to name a few. 

Objectives of WAVE Programs

WAVE (Work Attitude and Values Enhancement) programs are not your typical motivational training. This type of program is high in demand because it helps companies share work behavior and reinforce company values (top-down approach) among employees. 

Below are high-impact objectives of WAVE programs: 

1. Strengthen the Link Between Self-Awareness and Behavior

One of the primary objectives of WAVE programs that lean towards the personality development of target participants is that they get to understand how their internal mindset influences their external actions. 

One objective of the WAVE program is to help your participants reach the starting point for real behavioral change: self-awareness. 

Self-awareness includes knowing your emotional triggers, patterns, and default responses at work so you can respond appropriately when they occur. 

2. Rewire Negative Work Habits with Daily Value-Based Actions

WAVE programs aim to replace counterproductive habits (e.g., "mañana habit," blame-shifting, toxic communication) with daily actions based on solid values like respect, self-discipline, and proper accountability.

As mentioned earlier, employees who possess these values can develop new work routines that are aligned with the organization's expectations and serve the needs of their customers or clients. 

3. Align Personal Purpose with Organizational Mission

One unique objective of WAVE Programs is that it helps connect an employee's purpose to the company's broader goals (potentially aligned to its mission). 

It is important for them to see how their individual role matters to the business's bigger picture of operations, as this will dictate even more how they'll be more engaged, consistent, and committed at work. 

This alignment between personal purpose and an organization's mission, vision, and core values makes successful companies thrive and grow even more. 

4. Build Professional Behavior Aligned with Company Standards

Professionalism is the core of an organization's context when running a business. These include acting with integrity without supervision, showing mutual respect, and owning mistakes (accountability). 

WAVE training emphasizes just that—professionalism. The higher the standards of your employees, the higher the work quality you can expect from them in the long run. 

5. Instill Values That Promote Responsibility and Collaboration

WAVE programs emphasize developing and mastering core values for employees, as this promotes true collaboration and business success. 

Corporate trainers will align organizational values and truly bring the core values to life on behalf of the company's L&D and management through proper training delivery and evaluation of competencies for work attitude and work values training. 

Key Components of Work Attitude and Values Enhancement (WAVE) Programs

Each component of WAVE training programs is designed to tackle a specific area of attitude, values, and behavior change, which makes this corporate training program more impactful and sustainable. 

1. Self-Awareness and Mindset Check

This is one of the standard components of WAVE programs that usually initiates the training day - where participants begin to reflect on their current work mindset, habits, and behavior.

Through self-check-ins and reflection, participants would recognize gaps between how they work now and what is expected or what they want to become. These gaps could be skills, attitude, and behavioral gaps that, if addressed, would result in observable improvements for the participants.

This is where a training facilitator must be equipped to make it comfortable for participants and allow them to see the benefits of doing self-reflection. 

2. Rewiring Negative Work Habits with Daily Value-Based Actions

One decisive goal of the WAVE program is to help employees break unproductive work habits that are preventing them from reaching their full potential as professionals. 

The WAVE program can help participants address these real behavioral patterns (not just theory) by replacing these destructive habits with consistent, values-driven actions that align well with their self-identity. 

By identifying these habits (through self-reflection activities, personal assessments, and team feedback) and engaging in action-based rewriting, participants can build new routines grounded in values such as personal accountability, respect, and consistency. 

To give you an example of a habit-rewriting process using micro actions - learning and mastering small but specific behaviors repeated daily will help reshape the employee's mindset and reinforce the organization's expectations. 

3. Align Personal Purpose with Organizational Mission

WAVE training isn't solely focused on personal development, so one core component that makes it unique as a training program is connecting participants' individual sense of purpose to the larger mission of the organization. 

Training facilitators need context and deep information about the organization they're engaging with to easily translate and facilitate the entire training session in this personal-organization alignment. 

Generally, WAVE program facilitators will go through three methods to align personal purpose with organizational mission: 

• Role Impact: Employees would have to understand their work's direct value and impact on the organization's bigger picture, serving their target customers or clients.
• Value Match - they see where their personal and company values overlap.
• Direction Check - evaluate objectively if their personal growth (holistic) aligns with the organization's vision.

The fair objective in WAVE training is not to achieve perfect alignment but to recognize shared meaning that will have a lasting impact when employees display their actions. 

4. Group Sharing and Commitment Conversations

An essential component of WAVE programs is creating space for group sharing and commitment conversations. Some people usually assess more of themselves through interpersonal efforts—this is where you turn honest conversations with other participants into self-accountability, leading to team accountability.

Participants are encouraged to speak up and share their insights in a guided group setting—not casual but structured enough to help employees verbalize the attitudes or behaviors they need to improve and hear how others are also working through similar challenges. This kind of vulnerability gives them more courage to face their professional problems head-on. 

Studies say that when employees vocalize what they want to change or improve, it creates social responsibility and reinforces the habits they want to build. 

A group setting reinforces three critical components: shared ownership, peer learning, and collective standards. Combined, these can help establish a strong incentive for participants to commit to lifelong discipline and personal change. 

5. Application Planning

Many training programs stop at awareness, but WAVE, as a good example, goes further by helping employees translate what they've learned into clear, daily actions tied to their roles and responsibilities. 

Knowledge and theory on paper are good, but you won't see real positive reinforcement unless you turn them into action.

Application Planning, the action-based component of every WAVE session in the Philippines, helps ensure that insights and realizations from the training program can turn applied knowledge into concrete value-driven behaviors at work.

Generally, this WAVE component is done individually but facilitated in a structured format. In this format, employees are encouraged to write down specific actions that relate to their work functions and the values emphasized in the training (e.g., accountability, teamwork, integrity, discipline).

For instance, a person who doesn't feel productive would write their practical application action: “Every morning, I will list my top 3 priorities and complete them before responding to non-urgent emails.”

This exact statement forces the person to translate his training-related learnings into micro actions needed to reinforce a specific habit. 

Application planning typically goes through the process to make it achievable for participants:

• Action Identification – What behavior will change?
• Value Connection – Which company value supports this action?
• Context Anchoring – When and where will this action take place?
• Follow-through Mechanism – How will I know I’m succeeding?

Training facilitators will help participants move from one phase to another in this process and ensure they have measurable output at the end of the day. They may provide templates for habit tracking, journals for weekly reflections, and sample behavior-action mapping charts to make it more feasible for the participants. 

WAVE Training by Rainmakers

WAVE Training by Rainmakers has helped thousands of Filipino teams build the right work habits and values that drive real performance. 

From frontline workers to tenured employees, our sessions are designed to create visible mindset shifts that align with your company culture. 

Learn more about our WAVE Training Program in the Philippines.

WAVE Training Frequently Unasked Questions (FUQs)

These are questions that employees, managers, and HR leaders often ask (or should ask) when considering Work Attitude and Values Enhancement (WAVE) programs.

1. What is the difference between attitude and behavior at work?

Attitude is a person's internal mindset (beliefs, feelings, and outlook about work) while behavior is the visible action that results from that mindset. 

Imagine an employee with a respectful attitude. Their behavior typically includes active listening, a calm tone, respectful nonverbal language, and courteous responses to people. 

WAVE programs will focus on shifting attitude (how people think) and behavior (what people do) to create long-term, lasting performance change. 

2. How long does it take to see results from a WAVE program?

Initial shifts in behavior, especially in punctuality, communication tone, and accountability, can be observed as early as the first week after the WAVE program.

However, lasting cultural change generally takes 30 to 90 days for people to see actual results, especially when reinforced through leadership support, feedback loops, training check-ins (follow-throughs), and values-based sessions in the workplace.

3. Can WAVE training change a toxic culture?

Yes, but not alone. WAVE training can spark a cultural change among employees as they recognize their harmful attitudes (potentially toxic behavior) and replace them with shared values. 

A true culture shift often requires leadership modeling among managers, supervisors, and top executives, clean and structured policy alignment (by HR), and consistent employee accountability. 

4. What industries benefit most from WAVE programs?

WAVE programs in the Philippines benefit most companies in different sectors. They apply mainly to the government sector, where accountability is highly needed. 

But for private companies, you'll find WAVE training programs being conducted for:

• Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
• Retail and Customer Service
• Manufacturing and Logistics
• Healthcare and Public Service

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by Venchito Tampon