What is a Goal?
A goal is nothing more than a wish. We've all stated goals like, "I wish I could lose some weight," from time to time. Goals are broad in the sense that they state general intentions. They are not specific enough to be measured. Objectives, on the other hand, are narrow and are set for certain tasks in particular. (More on objectives soon.)
Goals are appropriate for general safety instruction because this type of training does not require measurement of observable, measurable outcomes.
Goals are normally unnecessary when developing specific technical safety training because they are too general in nature and therefore, insufficient.
Technical safety training that teaches safety procedures requires written objectives to make sure employees are proficient. Otherwise, they might be injured or killed!
There are two basic types of goals:
Training Goal
A training goal is a general statement about what the trainer wants to do. It states how the trainer will achieve the intended outcome of training. Training goals might be stated in an instructor guide, but not in the student workbook or handout. For instance, training goals might look like this:
- Talk about the company's hazard reporting procedures.
- Introduce students to confined space entry requirements.
Notice that the examples state what the trainer will do: they use action verbs.
Learning Goal
A learning goal, on the other hand, is a general statement about what the trainer wants each student to know and/or do. It summarizes what the learner, not the trainer, will know or be able to do. Learning goals would be included in the student workbook or handout. For instance:
- Understand hazard reporting procedures.
- Gain a greater awareness of confined space entry.
- Perform first aid procedures.
The first two examples above use passive verbs to describe what the learner will know (understand, gain awareness). The last example uses an action verb to describe what the student will do.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
3-2 Which of the following statements is considered a good example of a training goal?
You forgot to answer the question!