The typical trainer’s job used to be fairly straightforward. His or her main responsibility was to impart standard work-related material to each new crop of employees. Sessions were held in classes for fixed periods of time and used many of the same teaching methods commonly used in high school or college classrooms. At the end of each session, the new recruits were tested and then sent on to their jobs. Some were called back for follow-up training. The trainer’s job, in other words, was fairly routine.
But not anymore. Trainers can no longer count on teaching the same subjects or using the same methods year in, year out. Change is now the rule. The following series of articles in this special report will address six of the key issues facing today’s trainers:
Competencies:
Trainers today need to know more than ever before. Even when they assign some work to vendors, they still need to know how to make sure those vendors are performing as expected.
Corporate universities:
Many companies are bringing training programs in house and offering them through corporate universities. What are the benefits to structuring training this way?
Technology: Technology offers trainers new tools for company training programs. But it’s important that trainers know how to effectively integrate yesterday’s training methodologies with today’s technological marvels.
Outsourcing:
Outsourcing can be a cost-effective way to address training requirements as needed. But will outsourcing be used more or less than before? And will it be used in a different way?
More accountability for performance:
Trainers are being held to higher standards. This means they need to find the most accurate methods for measuring their results.
Budgets:
Budgets are tighter than ever before. And, of course, trainers are expected to do more with fewer resources. Is it actually possible to improve training results on a smaller budget?
Workforce interviewed more than a dozen training professionals in an effort to answer these questions and more.
Workforce, June 1997, Vol. 76, No. 7, p. 94.