As budgets and business plans for the new year take shape, this guide walks through a practical training needs analysis – what it is, how it differs from a learning needs analysis, and how to use your LMS data to build a 2027 programme that’s focused, compliant and easy to justify.
Late autumn is when many organisations set their priorities and budgets for the year ahead. For L&D teams, that makes it the ideal moment to step back and ask a simple question: is our training aimed at the right people, for the right reasons?
A well-run training needs analysis answers that question. It moves your learning plan away from “what we ran last year” and towards the skills, behaviours and compliance requirements the organisation actually needs next year.
Training needs analysis vs learning needs analysis
The two terms are often used interchangeably, but the CIPD draws a useful distinction:
- A learning needs analysis (LNA) is ongoing. It acts as a health check on the skills and capabilities of the organisation, drawing on multiple stakeholders and regular data gathering.
- A training needs analysis (TNA) is a one-off exercise looking at the needs behind a specific training activity.
In practice, most organisations need both: a continuous view of capability, and a focused TNA when planning a programme, rolling out a new system or responding to new regulation. The CIPD also warns that needs analysis can become a “box-ticking annual exercise” unless it is aligned with what’s happening inside and outside the organisation – which is exactly what the steps below are designed to avoid.
Step 1: Start with business priorities
The CIPD is clear that needs analysis should flow from business strategy. Before looking at courses, look at the plan for 2027:
- What are the organisation’s main objectives for the year?
- Are there new products, markets, sites or systems coming?
- Which roles are changing, growing or being created?
- Where are the operational pain points – errors, complaints, slow onboarding, staff turnover?
Each answer points to a capability the organisation will need. The aim of the analysis is to make sure those capabilities are in place.
Step 2: Map the compliance changes coming your way
The CIPD also highlights the importance of statutory and compliance requirements, and 2027 planning comes with a long list. A few examples affecting UK organisations:
- Harassment prevention. From 30 October 2026, the Employment Rights Act 2025 requires employers to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment, and makes them liable for harassment by third parties unless they have taken all reasonable steps to prevent it. Training for all staff, managers and customer-facing teams is likely to need reviewing.
- Further employment law reform. The Act is being implemented in stages, with further changes – including additional restrictions on non-disclosure agreements in harassment and discrimination cases – expected in 2027. HR policy and manager training will need to keep pace.
- Sector-specific rules. Manufacturers, for example, face the EU Machinery Regulation, which applies to machinery placed on the market from 20 January 2027. Our guide to the manufacturing compliance landscape covers this in more detail.
Build a simple register of each change, the roles affected, the deadline and the training response required. This becomes the non-negotiable core of your 2027 plan.
Step 3: Gather evidence of current capability
Next, establish where people are now. Combine several sources rather than relying on one:
- LMS data – completion rates, overdue mandatory training, assessment scores and certification expiry dates
- Performance data – appraisal outcomes, objectives and competency ratings
- Manager input – short structured conversations about team strengths and gaps
- Employee input – surveys or self-assessments about confidence in key tasks
- Operational data – incidents, audit findings, quality issues and customer feedback
- Practical observation – for hands-on roles, records of on-the-job training and sign-offs
Your LMS is often the quickest place to start. If you can’t easily report on who has completed what – or if mandatory training sits outside the system – that is itself a finding worth noting.
Step 4: Identify and prioritise the gaps
Compare what the organisation needs (Steps 1 and 2) with where people are (Step 3). The gaps you find will typically fall into three groups:
- Must do – legal, regulatory and safety requirements with fixed deadlines
- Should do – gaps that directly affect business objectives or performance
- Could do – valuable development that can be scheduled as budget and time allow
The CIPD recommends concentrating on the gaps that are most critical and on the results you need from learning. Not every gap needs a course – some are better solved by coaching, clearer processes, job aids or better tools.
Step 5: Choose the right learning solutions
With priorities set, decide how each need will be met. Think about:
- Audience – who needs it, and does that vary by role, site or seniority?
- Format – elearning, face-to-face, blended, on-the-job, microlearning or video
- Frequency – one-off, annual refresher or triggered by an event such as joining or promotion
- Evidence – how completion and competence will be recorded and reported
This is where a structured platform pays off. A system like Totara Learn can enrol people automatically by role, manage recurring certifications and bring elearning, classroom and practical assessments into one record. And with Totara 20’s improved control over course visibility, catalogues can be tailored by role or programme so people see what’s relevant to them.
Step 6: Turn findings into a plan – and keep it live
The CIPD identifies several outputs from needs analysis: an overall report to inform L&D strategy, a prioritised list of gaps, learning and development plans, and personal development plans. For most organisations, a practical 2027 plan will include:
- a compliance calendar of mandatory training and renewal dates
- a prioritised programme of development activity with owners and timescales
- the budget and resources required
- clear measures of success for each priority
Finally, remember the CIPD’s point that needs analysis should be ongoing. Review progress quarterly, update the plan when regulations or priorities change, and use your LMS reporting to show stakeholders what has been achieved.
Is your LMS ready for 2027?
A training needs analysis often reveals as much about your learning technology as about your people. If reporting is difficult, mandatory training is tracked outside the system, or your platform no longer fits the way you work, it’s worth addressing before the new year begins.
Webanywhere’s free LMS health check gives you expert insight into how well your current platform supports your goals. Or get in touch to talk to our team about planning, building or improving your Totara LMS for 2027.