Trainers and vocational training

Studies in Romania 2021 show that the deficit of the competent labor force is more and more accentuated. What can companies do to balance this deficit? One of the actions required is to invest in employee training. What does an investment in smart, strategic training entail? Among other things, it involves the training of trainers.

Within the organizations in which we carry out our activity, we have colleagues who work at ‘Training’, in the ‘training department’. These are or should be trainers. How did our colleagues get to work there and what is it that they do all day? It’s simple: they know ‘something’ very well and they like to teach others. However, beyond the technical expertise in a particular field and the pleasure of teaching others, the trainer must have some knowledge and skills related to how an adult learns skills or behaviors, exactly those dimensions targeted by the training sessions.

Why is it important to invest in the training of our trainers? There are at least three very important reasons why a trainer needs training for increased work efficiency.

1. Clients or auditors usually require trainers to have training in this role.
2. Understanding a complete training cycle is crucial to the effectiveness of the training sessions that are being delivered. The basic skills in identifying training needs, the ability to identify and formulate training objectives, which ultimately lead to the design of the training session (s) (or training design), are skills or abilities that are learned and perfected over time. Thus, the training of trainers becomes a key point in the efficiency and success of the training department within the organization.
3. During the trainings dedicated to them, the trainers learn to deal with the unpleasant or delicate situations that may appear in the sessions led by them, even for a day. The ability to solve such situations leads to a healthy atmosphere during the learning session, an atmosphere without which the adult cannot assimilate new information, and the visible results of training will not appear in everyday work.

In a significantly deficient competent labor market, the training of trainers (with or without a diploma) thus becomes a strategic action in maintaining organizational competitiveness.