TJ - The Publication for Learning and Development

Letter from Ireland

By Pat Costine (July 2005 Issue)
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This month I intend to explore, in a slightly tongue-in-cheek manner, an aspect of training and development that has long intrigued me. I refer to my perception that the public at large seems to have very little understanding of ‘training’ or indeed ‘training and development’ or of the work that those of us engaged in this field actually do. I will set out some thoughts on why I consider this to be the case. Let me also say at the outset that my intention is to provoke discussion and argument rather than to put forward conclusive remedies.

Like most people, I am regularly asked what I do for a living. When I state that I am involved in training and development, a common response is ‘I see, but what do you do?’ Furthermore, if I mention that I am involved with training and developing people, the follow-up question as often as not is ‘to do what?’

A little more obscurely, some years ago, I used promotional pens that featured a colourful array of animals and birds, as well as business details that mentioned training and development. While using one of these in college, a daughter of mine was surprised when a classmate exclaimed, quite seriously ‘I didn’t know your dad worked in a zoo.’ At the time of course I thought that this was hilarious – training people can be tough enough at times, let alone animals! 

On a practical level, due to my involvement with the Irish Institute of Training and Development, I sometimes get enquiries from people asking how they might get involved in training. These enquiries come from people with a variety of career backgrounds and a wide age range and I am always willing to help, but usually find it difficult to ascertain exactly what a person is aiming for in career terms. While some are interested in the delivery of training on a self-employed or contract basis, many others wish to gain entry to an organisation in some capacity that involves training. It is the latter group that often seems unsure about what specifically such a role might entail. Indeed, when I start to elaborate on various roles in the industry, such as training officer, training co-ordinator or training administrator, their sense of confusion is palpable.

In mentioning the various titles outlined above, I can fully understand where confusion might arise. Particularly as the responsibilities and duties associated with either of these positions is far from homogeneous across organisations. Even the literature available doesn't much help to clear things up. For example, the role of the ‘training specialist’ has in the past been perceived to encompass the following.

  • Administrator / Learning specialist / Problem-solver. 1 
  • Caretaker / Educator / Evangelist / Innovator. 2
  • Trainer / Provider / Consultant / Innovator / Manager. 3
  • Administrator / Evaluator / HRD manager / HRD developer / Career development advisor / Instructor and facilitator / Marketer / Needs analyst / Organisational change agent / Programme designer / Researcher. 4 
  • Helping people to learn and develop / Helping to solve performance problems / Helping to anticipate future needs. 5 

In current terms, it is reasonable to add the following roles.

  • Project manager / Knowledge manager / E-learning specialist / Networker .
  • Learning facilitator / Multi-cultural learning advisor.

I would also venture to suggest that these roles come into play whether the training specialist is an internal or external consultant. In addition, the extent to which any of these roles are relevant at any given time is dependent on many organisational factors – its size, culture, sector, growth stage, domestic or multi-national status and  so on. Moving on to the skills that the public envisaged as essential for the ‘training specialist’, we are faced with an even wider array of material. National and international training bodies and societies have developed competency frameworks, mostly built around competencies related to the systematic training cycle (training needs and analysis, design, delivery and evaluation).

We can also refer to an interesting recent list of assets for an effective trainer 6 that includes, among other things, business knowledge, understanding and expertise; logical argument; accepting and working with reality; respect for all; personal charisma; social skills and persuasive skills; problem-centred consultancy and flexibility and adaptability.

With such a profusion of roles, responsibilities, skills, competencies and assets thus encountered, is it really a surprise that the general public might seem somewhat perplexed at what exactly “training and development” is, or at what a “training specialist” does? So what do I say the next time I am asked? Answers on a postcard please to …

References
1. L Nadler, ‘The Variety of Training Roles’, Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 1, No. 1., 1969.
2. R Bennett and T Leduchowicz, ‘What Makes for an Effective Trainer?’, Journal of European Industrial Training, Monograph, Vol. 7, No. 2., 1983.
3. R Bennett, ‘The Nature and Context of Training for Success’, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 26-31., 1988.
4. J McLagan, Models of HRD Practice, ASTD, 1989.
5. R Johnson, ‘The Role of the Training Manager’, MED Distant Learning Programme, Sheffield University,1990.
6. T N Garavan, C Hogan, & A Cahir O’Donnell, Making Training & Development Work – A Best Practice Guide, Oak Tree Press, 2003.

 

Pat Costine currently serves as President of the Irish Institute of Training and Development (IITD), and is an administrator and tutor on IITD Diploma, Certificate and Trainer Skills programmes. He may be contacted on +00 353 5187330 or at pat@costinetraining.com

 

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