Education & Training

Training

Working in training you could be employed within a large company in-house or work for a consultancy specialising in training and development in a particular career sector.

Working for a large company you would be responsible for helping to manage the learning of an organisation's workforce. This could include staff training on working practices, practical skills and motivation to give employees the knowledge they need to carry out their day to day work-related tasks.

You are also likely to be involved in development work which means looking at long-term learning strategies for employees to help improve their skills and move them up within the organisation.

The training and development manager is responsible for developing a comprehensive training package that covers both basic training and career development in order to help retain staff and make sure they are motivated and possess the skills they need. They will either deliver training sessions to participants themselves or arrange for either other team members or specialised industry consultants to do so.

Roles in training a varied and will be dependant on the type and size of the organisation.

Some activities you are likely to be involved with could include:

• Identifying training and development needs within an organisation through job analysis
• Appraisal schemes
• Regular consultation with business managers
• Designing and developing training and development programmes
• Considering the costs of planned programmes and handling budgets
• Assessing the return on investment of any training or development
• Developing effective induction programmes
• Producing training materials for in-house courses
• Managing the delivery of training and development programmes
• Devising a training strategy for the organisation

You will need to have excellent communication and social skills and be able to work with people at all levels, motivate others and change people's attitudes. Good problem-solving and negotiation skills as well as the ability to control group situations and facilitate groups are also essential skills for the job.

Entry is becoming increasingly competitive so a related degree and some good experience on your CV working with people is likely to be essential.

Those with good office skills could look for jobs in training administration as an alternative starting point and then progress into a training and development role.

If you've studied a business related or psychology degree you may gain some exemptions from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) examinations making you more attractive to employers with specialised graduate schemes.

Although a postgraduate qualification is not necessary, a Masters or diploma recognised by the CIPD can improve your chances.

Useful links:

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

Chartered Management Institute (CMI)

Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)

ENTO (Employment National Training Organisation)

LSC Yorkshire and Humber

Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) Yorkshire