Grow your own trainers
"The trainers' confidence has increased significantly since the training, so thank you again for providing us with such a good training day; they are well on their way to producing the training materials and preparing to start training next Monday!"
Lauren McLaren, HR Officer, Stoneridge Electronics
At a time when my garden-minded friends are once again turning over their plots and allotments, I realised that Growing Your Own doesn't only apply to runner beans and spuds!
A common complaint
A common complaint from managers charged with sourcing training for their team members is: "There are no suitable courses for us!" By this, they either mean that there is nothing specifically tailored to their sector or there are no courses available that precisely reflect their company's own practices. We know that the generic lessons of a good training course can be applied in the workplace with a little thought, but all too often, time and the Inbox get the better of us as we go back to the old routine.
Maximum effort
Worth considering, then, is to Grow Your Own Trainers - it makes economic sense for many businesses. One organisation we worked with had its offices the length and breadth of Scotland. The organisation introduced a web-based system for managing its customer contacts and sales, and we delivered training to around 80 people, working with small groups and following up with distance learning refresher sessions. This worked well in terms of the learning, but it was expensive for the organisation. As updated versions of the system were released, it was necessary to repeat the proces... and so on.
Maximum value
By contrast, I recently worked with an electronics company which, as part of the implementation of its new management information software, had selected a team of people from different departments to be in-house trainers. They were involved in learning and testing the new system; the trainer training gave them the tools to share what they had learned with their colleagues. Many people enjoy learning to train - it gives them confidence in their own abilities, as well as the satisfaction of communicating their knowledge, skills and experience to others. In the case of this company, too, it will be a simple matter to update learning very quickly as new procedures come onstream becasue the infrasctructure is already in place. Added value all round!
Apply within!
When does good communication not add value? Certainly, the development of in-house training programmes works very successfully in the voluntary sector, manufacturing companies, the hospitality industry and organisations who employ people with English as a second language.
For more information on selecting and developing in-house trainers, contact us at info@devatraining.co.uk or call on 07834 706553.