What four steps are involved when setting up an employee training program for a job?

The question appears to be referencing a specific text which states that there are 4 steps.  Without knowing what that text may be, let's begin more generally with the main components of a good training program, then move from there to how to set those up.

As Stephen Covey writes in "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", always "begin with the end in mind".  In this context, this means, how do we define a "well-trained" employee?  To keep it simple, a well-trained employee knows what is required of their job function, and knows how to perform those requirements.  It is important to note that knowing how to perform a jobs functions successfully is a combination of practical "hard" skills and social "soft" skills, that is, how to interact with other members of the organization and those outside the organization.

With that goal in mind, the major elements of a thorough training program are:

Set Expectations

• Corporate level expectations, such as ethical behavior, corporate identity.


• Specific position expectations; what is to be accomplished, how often, how fast.


• Career path expectations; requirements for advancement, expectations about personal development the employee must undertake themselves or with help.

Assess Existing "Hard" Work Skills and Identify Gaps

• General work skills


• Communication skills


• Technical knowledge

Provide Training in "Hard Skills"

• Fill in the "Gaps"


• Assure a consistent minimum skill level


• Provide knowledge and skills specific to the company's operations (e.g. proprietary technology or software used)

Initiate Trainee into the corporate culture ("soft skills")

• Expectations about time management and availability


• Specific communication styles


• Who does what, areas which breed conflict, chain-of-command (per the organization chart and de facto)


• Dress codes (official and de facto)

Monitor Progress

• Provide feedback on performance against tasks the employee "should know" how to do.


• Remediate deficiencies which become apparent.


• Augment with new training to facilitate advancement and increased productivity.

Having laid out the components of a thorough program, the process of setting up such a program can be condensed simply into 4 steps as follows:

1. Identify goals and requirement knowledge.


2. Identify resources (personnel and materials)


3. Schedule adequate time.


4. Monitor progress.

This sequence is roughly paraphrased from the web page "7 Steps To Develop an Effective Employee Training Program".  (See citation below.  Note that even though the page title uses the "7 x to Effective x" style, it is NOT related to any Stephen Covey publication or site.)

Finally note that, technically, a well-trained employee is not necessarily a successful one.  There are many employees who have been thoroughly trained, know both the what and the how, but nonetheless fail to fully perform.  This is often due to issue with motivation or emotion.  Therefore, it is wise to use the training process to help the employee build motivation and resolve emotional obstacles that might hinder their success.

Likewise, a key part of ongoing performance monitoring is determining whether inadequate employee performance is because of inadequate employee training, or other subsequent factors.  As with most business work practices, training is a continuous process, a feedback loop which drives continuous improvement in the entire operation.