LearnX Award-Nominated Insight: How a Learning Needs Analysis Can Redefine Workforce Capability

At Emergent Learning, we’ve long believed that the most impactful learning programs don’t start with content, they start with curiosity. Before you can build capability, you need to understand what capability really means in context. 

That mindset guided one of our most significant recent projects: a Learning Needs Analysis (LNA) (also called Training Needs Analysis (TNA)) for a large national organisation in the food and service industry. The project was designed to uncover what their diverse groups of franchisees truly needed from the training provided to perform at their best, and has since been recognised with a LearnX Award nomination for excellence in workforce capability and learning design. 

Rethinking How Learning Begins Through an Analysis Lens 

Many organisations are quick to redesign training when challenges arise; adding modules, revising materials, or introducing new platforms. Without evidence however, those efforts can miss the mark.  

This organisation recognised that its established training model, while successful for many years, no longer reflected the realities of its trainees or their contexts. The program had evolved informally over time, shaped by experience rather than strategy, leading to inconsistent delivery and role expectations which impacted the speed to competency for new franchisees.  

As one stakeholder put it,  

“We’ve kept doing what worked fifteen years ago, but our people and the business have changed.” 

Emergent Learning was engaged to look deeply into the trainee experience and identify what needed to change, for whom, and why. 

Reflective question: When your organisation invests in training, are you certain it’s solving the right problem? 

A Needs Analysis Methodology for Training that is Grounded in Evidence 

Our approach was deliberately investigative. Using our EMERGE framework, we focused on the early phases — Elicit and Model — to capture the lived experience of learners and the strategic priorities of the business. 

We combined interviews, focus groups, site observations, surveys, and curriculum audits to map the full picture: what was being taught, how it was experienced, and how well it matched the actual work. This mixed-method approach revealed patterns that no single data source could have uncovered alone. 

One participant described the process as, 

“The first time anyone’s really stopped to ask what success in this role actually looks like.” 

Through this evidence base, we could pinpoint where training supported capability well and where it fell short. 

The analysis confirmed that the existing program offered strong hands-on exposure and a powerful cultural introduction. It also showed that the training didn’t always prepare learners for the full breadth of their responsibilities, especially in leadership, financial management, and decision-making under pressure. 

A long-term employee summarised the challenge: 

“I was confident technically, but not ready to lead people or manage the business side. That was the hardest part.” 

Reflective question: How much of your training today is designed around real work, not just role descriptions? 

Learning Needs Analysis in Practice: Mapping Real Work to Real Learning 

To truly understand performance, we built a comprehensive role and task map outlining every responsibility linked to success. It captured more than 180 tasks and subtasks across domains such as operations, leadership, compliance, and customer engagement. 

For leaders and trainers, the map revealed how learning, performance, and business outcomes intersect. 

As one contributor said, 

“You need to know exactly what’s expected, otherwise training feels hit and miss.” 

This clarity allowed us to move from opinion to precision. It provided the organisation with a tangible artefact that linked every training component to an actual work requirement and made it possible to identify where critical tasks were not currently supported with learning. 

Reflective question: Could you show, on one page, what great performance looks like in your key roles and how your learning programs enable it? 

From Learning Needs Analysis to Training Strategy: Aligning Stakeholders for Impact  

Evidence alone doesn’t drive change; alignment does. Once the analysis was complete, we brought stakeholders together in a co-design workshop to translate findings into practical next steps. 

Through collaborative mapping activities, participants explored how learning should flow: what different groups of learners need first, what can wait, and where practice and feedback should occur. It was the first time in years that operational leaders, trainers, and support teams were working from a single shared view of the learning challenge. 

One facilitator remarked, 

“It was like everyone had been solving different puzzles. This gave us the full picture.” 

The workshop generated immediate outcomes: validated learner personas, a draft curriculum structure, and clear design principles for future development. Each recommendation was grounded in evidence and shaped by the people who would ultimately bring it to life. 

Reflective question: Do your stakeholders co-create the future of learning, or only react to it once it’s built? 

The Value of a Learning Needs Analysis 

The Learning Needs Analysis delivered more than a report, it provided a roadmap. For the first time, the organisation had a clear, data-driven understanding of its learning ecosystem. It could see which parts of the program delivered real value, where capability gaps persisted, and how learning could better align to performance outcomes. 

Crucially, this clarity came before redesign. That means future investment can now be directed precisely where it will have the greatest impact. 

A senior stakeholder described the result as, 

“A line in the sand. We know now what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to happen next.” 

Even before implementation, the LNA began creating ripple effects: new conversations about leadership capability, renewed focus on compliance training, and a shared language between departments that had previously worked in silos. 

For learners, the ultimate benefit will be relevance. Training that reflects their actual challenges, not abstract scenarios, builds confidence faster and transfers more effectively to the job. 

Reflective question: How confident are you that your learning strategy is built on data, not assumptions? 

LearnX Award Winner for HR Talent Management Needs Analysis 

The LearnX Awards celebrate excellence and innovation in learning and development across the Asia-Pacific region. The Awards team recognised this project for its rigour, collaboration, and forward-thinking methodology — demonstrating how analysis, when done well, can transform learning from a compliance activity into a strategic enabler. 

What set the project apart was its combination of human insight and analytical depth. It didn’t simply measure training effectiveness; it explored how people learn, lead, and make decisions in real environments. The analysis gave the client the confidence and evidence base needed to decide how to transform its program for the future. 

As one participant reflected near the end of the engagement, 

“For the first time, it feels like we’re building on truth, not tradition.” 

Reflective question: What could your next learning initiative achieve if it began with evidence, not urgency? 

Why Learning and Training Needs Analysis Matter More Than Ever 

A Learning Needs Analysis or Training Needs Analysis isn’t bureaucracy; it’s a strategic advantage. It allows organisations to invest in learning that solves real problems and creates measurable value. 

By uncovering the root causes of performance gaps and distinguishing between what’s skill-related and what’s systemic, an LNA prevents wasted time and ensures training aligns with business goals. 

For this organisation, the analysis provided the clarity to act. For others, it could be the missing link between effort and impact. 

Reflective question: How much more effective could your training investment be if every decision started with data & analysis? 

The Power of Understanding Before Action 

Our award-nominated Learning Needs Analysis, recognised by the LearnX Awards, demonstrates that when organisations pause to understand before acting, the results speak for themselves. 

At Emergent Learning, we’re proud of the trust our clients place in us to conduct this kind of work. Work that challenges assumptions, amplifies voices, and builds the foundation for capability that lasts. 

Because when learning starts with evidence and empathy, it doesn’t just inform performance — it transforms it. 

👉 Want to explore how a Learning Needs Analysis could unlock capability in your organisation? Get in touch with us to start the conversation.