Creating or Curating Learning and Development Programmes

Choosing the right training and development programmes for you and your organisation can be a daunting task. Changing the way you see your own role in this process and following a few simple steps can ensure you get the best training package for your company's needs.

There’s a lot of it about. Training. Everywhere you look. Training.

Leadership development, customer service, management, supervision, software, sales, time management, business writing, team work, giving presentations, strategy, negotiation, conflict resolution, communicating effectively, communicating powerfully, communicating across cultures, communicating using social media, … the list goes on. And on.

I asked a corporate training company at this year’s CIPD Human Resources & Development show what they did:

‘Training,’ came the answer.

‘What kind of training?’

‘Lots of training.’

So, how do you work your way through the options? How is it possible to identify those suppliers who can bring real value to your organisation? Increasingly, training provider USPs are converging – Measurable! Innovative! Efficient! Customised! Results-driven! This doesn’t make it any easier.

It’s a bit like shopping. You identify a need for washing powder, go to the supermarket and are immediately confronted by a plethora of brightly coloured boxes all selling you the same set of features and benefits.

So, in a world with exponentially increasing content, learning and development professionals no longer have to create training content. Rather, they require the skills to cut through the content jungle and deliver training programmes that will truly impact upon their organisations. At the heart of this is the ability to curate content rather than create it. I believe there are 3 main skills required here:

1.     Filter

You’ll need clear criteria in each area you’re looking at and weed out those suppliers who don’t match up. And to establish those criteria, you’ll need to get inside what really matters in any training area.

In language and cultural awareness training (my field), for example, there are certain key questions to ask:

a.     Are the trainers qualified? (or is it someone who happens to be a native speaker?)

b.     Is there an academic department supporting trainers with a clear CPD programme? (or are they left to their own devices?)

c.     Are trainers employed or freelance? (can they up sticks and leave if something else comes along?)

d.     Is there a clear pre-course preparation process? (or does the trainer just pitch up and muddle along?)

e.     Is there a clear assessment vehicle in place? (or is it just left to chance?)

f.      Is there a clear reporting system in place? (or do you just get an occasional reassuring email from the account manager?)

Put the right filters in place, and you’re well on your way to putting a strong short list in place.

2.     Research

Don’t believe the hype.

Most companies will boast an impressive blue chip client list – but it might be worth investigating a little further to make sure that it wasn’t Joe Bloggs from Accounts attending an open course 3 years ago. How extensive was the training they delivered? How many people were involved? Can you speak to the training manager to get a reference?

What about the reporting system? Why not have a look at it, see how user-friendly it is and what information you can easily access. Is it cloud-based? Can you view it on your ipad? How deep does it go? Same with any e-learning complement. Blended learning is a highly attractive concept, but with any online learning platform, the key issue is always user engagement – how is this tracked?

And what about the impact assessment? Measuring language learning or the effectiveness of cultural awareness training is not easy, for example, but any training company worth their salt will have something you can look at. So, ask to see the test format, evidence from previous trainees, perhaps even take a test yourself.

So, go beyond the marketing messages and see what the reality looks like.

3.     An on-going engagement with how people learn

There’s no doubt about it. The way we and our children learn is changing. Learning is no longer top down with a learned trainer pouring information into our heads. We are in a unique position to access information, ideas and opinions wherever we may be. As learners, we bring our own questions to the table with the ability to have a pretty good stab at answering them for ourselves.

Learning trends are technologically focused; mobile learning, the flipped classroom, peer-created encyclopaedias, superstar lecturers beamed into training rooms around the world, online learning communities, adaptive tasks and assessments. You can – and should – track them via social media and blogs (where else?).

And then look at how these impact on the training you source and provide? What expectations do your people have of how they best learn? What are your suppliers doing to stay in touch?

Curators of training and learning

Learning and development professionals are increasingly expected to function as curators of training, connecting people with the right resources to effectively support and improve their performance. If you’re not doing it already, now is the time to develop your core curation skills.

 In company language training at International House 

Expert language trainers at IH London offer bespoke business language and cultural training based on what your business does and what your company needs.

For more information and to talk about what In company training can offer your organsation visit our website