In an earlier post, I suggested that the first Dir. of Training of a start-up training department/program might well have extensive knowledge of the company in lieu of a background and/or experience in training. In suggesting this, I am not in any way denigrating competence in matters of training and learning. Rather, I’m suggesting this approach as a matter of strategic practicality. My rationale is that it would be easier and faster to develop competence in training matters than trying to develop a sound business perspective with working knowledge and familiarity of an organization and its people.
Given this strategy, training competence can be developed in one or more of the following ways:
- Attending public seminars/workshops on training
- Pursuing a degree in instructional design, etc.
- Reading professional journals
- Joining a professional training association (e.g., ASTD, etc.) and attend local chapter meetings
- Organize or join a peer group of training directors in your industry/local
The developmental program adopted by the Dir. of Training would be dictated by the situation, i.e., the training needs of the organization at that point in time. For example, if developing a strategic training plan was paramount, the Director could start off by learning about strategic planning. Or, if a special course needed to be developed, s/he could learn about the instructional design process. Or, if there were many training needs, s/he could start out learning how to conduct a training needs assessment.
The overall development of the new Dir. of Training should be overseen and monitored by an outside mentor, who would recommend formal training where appropriate and provide coaching in navigating situationally specific training situations. Such an approach to developing a new director of training has been successfully undertaken.
