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Vol. 28, No. 2
July 2025
How Can Agencies Make the Most of Training?
Learning transfer happens when you apply what you learn in training to your work. In a perfect world, training would be a "one and done" affair: everyone would leave training ready to put new knowledge and skills into action.
Yet as the figure suggests, that is not how our brains work. Created in the 1880s by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus and replicated by Murre and Dros in 2015, the forgetting curve is a model that shows that without intervention, most newly acquired knowledge is lost in the first few days, after which the rate of loss tapers off. According to the curve, half of new information is forgotten within a day, and 75% within a week.
Although there are things we can do to hang on to-and use-what we learn, training alone is not enough. If agencies want learning transfer, staff must practice, reinforce, and strengthen new behaviors in the job setting over time. Transfer of learning is a gradual process (Brittain, 2014).
This is why the development of North Carolina's child welfare workforce is a joint effort. At the state level, the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) creates and offers high-quality courses that focus on the things child welfare professionals need to succeed-for example, how to have crucial conversations. At the county level, local child welfare agencies take the lead by helping staff bridge the gap between training and real-world practice.
Supervisors Are Key
When it comes to transfer of learning, county child welfare supervisors are the key. They are in the best position to coach staff, model desired behaviors, reinforce learned information, and create the kind of environment workers need to practice and receive feedback.
Following are specific actions supervisors can take to combat the forgetting curve and develop effective workers:
1. Create a Transfer-Friendly Environment
Cultivate a learning culture. Transfer of learning flourishes in an environment where workers are willing to say, I don't yet know how to do X, but I'm working on it. I'm getting better. Admitting this requires vulnerability.
In a learning culture, people feel safe. They are confident they will be supported and treated with respect if they ask a question or admit they don't know how to do something.
No one likes to feel incompetent. But as former trainer and current Statewide CQI Lead Holly McNeill points out, "Feeling incompetent is part of the process. You start out not knowing, but with effort and support you come out the other side. It's how we learn new things. And we need to learn new things! Our field is ever-changing."
Send clear, positive messages about training and continuous learning. Emphasize the importance of continuous learning and encourage all workers to stay engaged with ongoing professional development opportunities. One of the best ways to do this is for supervisors to attend training themselves and be seen applying what they have learned.
Know what your staff are learning. Supervisors cannot assess or support learning transfer if they do not know what staff are being taught. Supervisors need a detailed understanding of the courses their staff are taking, either through study of course materials or, preferably, by taking the current version of those courses themselves.
McNeill advises, "If it has been years since you have taken a course, take it again. You have to complete 24 hours of training a year anyway. Our work is evolving all the time. Supervisors have a responsibility to stay caught up."
2. Actively Support Transfer
Set clear expectations. Sending staff to training is an investment. Supervisors must ensure staff know what they must do before, during, and after training so that investment is not wasted. Supervisors should make their expectations clear prior to training, ideally using the course-specific transfer of learning tools described below.
Debrief soon after training. When staff return from training, talk to them about what they learned and how they intend to apply it. For instance, a supervisor might say, Tell me what you learned. How can I support you in applying what you learned? Do you remember talking about X in training? Here, let's look over the materials to see what they say about it.
Observe and provide feedback. Observe workers' performance to identify areas where additional training or support may be needed. Consider using the "Track Training Skill Development Observation Guide." Regular formal and informal feedback also helps staff identify areas for improvement and refine their skills.
Facilitate discussion and practice. Create opportunities for staff to discuss their training, practice their skills, and reflect on their experiences. McNeill reports that in some agencies, everyone who completes training must present a piece of what they learned in a team meeting. "This is a fabulous practice," she says, "because it reinforces what that person has learned and it reinforces information and best practices for others, even those who have already had that training."
3. Use Your Resources
There are many tools available to help child welfare supervisors in North Carolina facilitate transfer of learning. This includes the following:
Supporting New Workers During Pre-Service Training: Guide for Supervisors. This guide, designed to be used in weekly supervision meetings, makes it easy for supervisors to check on a worker's progress, offer guidance and feedback, and make adjustments to a worker's training plan if needed. Although it is focused on pre-service training, this guide can be adapted for use with all workers.
Transfer of Learning (TOL) Tools and Course Workbooks. NCDHHS provides a single web page where supervisors can find workbooks and TOL tools for pre-service training, Track training, and job-specific courses. TOL tools can help supervisors guide discussions, plan activities, and identify areas for further learning. To access this page, click here.
Individualized Training Assessment (ITA). Accessible through the NCDHHS learning site NCSWlearn.org, the ITA allows North Carolina county child welfare supervisors and workers to discover their training needs based on current job responsibilities, identify their highest priority training, and find a list of the required, recommended, and elective courses offered by NCDHHS.