Trainability Testing

Trainability testing is one approach that can be used to ensure that trainees have both the motivation and the ability to learn. This approach focuses on mea- suring the motivation and relevant abilities of candidates for training and select- ing for training only those who show a sufficient level of trainability. For example, military researchers developed a questionnaire that measured motiva- tional and personality factors to predict success in combat training. The question- naire measured such things as independence, sociability, and motivation to serve in a combat unit. The combination of questionnaire responses and other predic- tors was strongly related to training success.

Another approach to trainee testing is to allow candidates to complete part of the training program and use their performance on that section as a predictor of how well they will perform during the remainder of training. For example, Arthur Siegel described a method called miniature training and evaluation test- ing, in which U.S. Navy recruits were trained on a sample of important tasks and tested on their ability to perform these tasks. Using eleven training and evalua- tion modules, the approach yielded better predictions of success for several jobs than the test normally conducted by the Navy. In a manufacturing setting, BMW took a similar approach when it opened its first U.S. auto manufacturing facility in Greer, South Carolina. To lure the company to South Carolina, state government officials offered generous tax incentives. The state also agreed to create training facilities to BMW’s specifications and worked with them to recruit and train potential BMW employees. Once trainees completed their training, BMW selected only those they wanted to hire to be among the initial 1,500 associates in its new plant. BMW stated that it was looking for associates with a strong commitment to quality and teamwork, and this procedure allowed the company to select the very best among those who had completed the rigor- ous training program administered by the state’s technical college system.