To be or not to be a Trainer? You decide…

Trainer: benefits

Being a Trainer can be a varied and exciting role, travelling to UK and International destinations, meeting people of different cultures, with no two days the same. But every job has its up and downs, so what is it really like to be a Trainer?

Delivering courses to large groups of people can be a daunting task. Standing up at the front with all eyes on you could be someone’s nightmare, but then again some people love being the centre of attention! Speaking publicly is something that takes practice and time to build confidence, but this skill is something you’ll never lose once mastered. There’s nothing like the feeling you get from a job well done – receiving great feedback and knowing that you have helped people learn something new or motivated them to develop themselves further. There’s always the odd time when you have to deal with an unruly delegate, but no job can be smooth sailing all the time, and there is a great support network of trainers so we can help and advise each other and learn from each others’ experiences.

People often wonder how trainers remember everything they need to deliver their courses. Although all learning and development professionals spend years developing a base knowledge of a variety of subjects and theories that they can refer to when delivering training, by no means are they required to have all of this information on the tip of their tongues. Preparation is key! Subjects can be revisited and refreshed upon the night before and notes can be made to refer to during the training sessions and in breaks. Of course, some of the learning is so embedded, delivery just comes naturally.

Another big part of the job is the travel involved. Trainers for Capita Learning & Development travel across the UK and also abroad to places like the Middle East, The Gambia and Europe where they can drink in the culture and sights. However, as the travel is for work, trainers find their free time for tourism quite limited as the majority of their time is spent travelling to the venue, preparing and working. But some people are just not made to sit in an office…

So, it’s important to weigh up the pros and cons of any job. And our trainers have all jumped into their roles – imparting their expert knowledge, passion, and support to many people on a daily basis.

As one trainer summarises: “What other job can offer you the experience of working in so many different places, industries, cultures, with new faces and challenges on a daily basis?”

So you decide. To be or not to be a Trainer?

Written by Claire Hopkins, a learning consultant at Capita Learning & Development.

Learning and Development: At a Glance

Carol Martin, Senior Consultant and Development Manager, Capita Learning & Development highlights the benefits of training employees - it stops stagnation, it's a great networking opportunity and it generates creativity and innovation.

She also talks about how the recession exposed gaps in the organisational structure of companies and how this has forced companies to train their employees in order to cultivate better performance. Watch the full interview below...

Training Industry Trends

In the current economic climate companies are careful on what they spend money on and often training is at the bottom of the list. However a lot of employers still value investing in their employees, wanting to keep in pace with business demands and changes but also to improve the standard of their work, keep them stimulated and interested, which in turn leads to higher retention of staff. It is important to retain and develop talent within the company as hiring and training new employees prove to be more costly.

Trends show that training programmes have become shorter in length and 90-minute espresso sessions have become quite popular for people with busy schedules, who do not want to (or cannot afford to) spend hours on training courses anymore. Shorter but more intensive courses have become far more effective. The main objective is that employees can discover practical techniques which can be implemented immediately in their workplace. The benefit for the company is maximising investment with this time-efficient training concept.

These days more and more businesses are turning to e-Learning as it offers a versatile and highly effective alternative way to progress skills and also helps to keep training costs low. The biggest advantage is flexibility - people can fit the training into their own schedule and learn at their own pace. This has become increasingly important in our busy lifestyles. 

For more industry trends watch Capita Learning & Development's, UK Delivery Team Manager, Liz Kemp, speaking about the trends and changes in the training industry, bespoke and tailored training solutions and what the future holds for the training industry. 

With the impact of the recession still being felt nationwide, UK employees are increasingly expected to do more with fewer resources. Capita Learning & Development has taken the industry trends and customer feedback into account and identified a full suite of programmes and short courses to tackle the development needs of the UK. They range from Leadership and Management through to Personal Development; and accredited programmes.

We have updated and also added some new courses, for example Talent Management and Succession Planning as the current competitive recruitment and retention climate is creating the need for innovative talent management strategies. Also new is Evaluating Learning Intervention Effectiveness. In order to maximise the impact and return on investment of any learning it is essential to measure the effectiveness. Businesses need to make sure that retained learning is put into practice and its impact should be measured.

To find out more on our training courses, download the 2013 directory below: