Why Attend:

Training and development professionals are under continuous pressure to offer exceptional training services. The demands of their job can only be fulfilled through an extensive knowledge of the main topics related to the training profession. This course will equip participants with practical knowledge for promoting training within their organizations, linking training to organizational objectives, analyzing training needs, and selecting internal trainers and external consultants. In addition, the course focuses on different levels of training evaluation and on the competencies required by training professionals.

Course Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the strategic significance of training with particular emphasis on aligning training with strategy, promoting training within the organization and partnering with managers and supervisors
• Develop appropriate methods to conduct a Training Needs Assessment (TNA)
• Examine ways to select internal trainers and to hire external consultants
• Demonstrate the success of training at all evaluation levels, from reaction to Return On Investment (ROI)
• List foundational competencies for training professionals along with key actions and behaviors

Target Audience:

Training and development professionals involved in the process of training needs analysis, coordinating and organizing training courses, and evaluating the results of training.

Target Competencies:

• Working with people
• Presenting and communicating
• Applying expertise and technology
• Following instructions and procedures
• Planning and organizing
• Formulating concepts and strategies

Course Outline

The strategic framework of training: an overview:

• The role of a training department
• Approaches aligning training with strategy
• From top down to pulse taking
• Marketing training within the organization
• Training preparations
• Guidelines for promotional material
• Your training announcement template
• Partnering with managers and supervisors
• The style inventory
• Planning, preparation, presentation and follow up with managers and supervisors
• Roles and responsibilities

The role of the training professional in TNA:

• The importance of identifying needs
• The training needs assessment process
• Data collection methods: quantitative and qualitative
• Advantages and disadvantages of the quantitative and qualitative methods
• Approaches to identifying needs
• Workshop: applying training needs assessment

Selecting Subject Matter Experts (SMEs):

• Qualifications for internal trainers
• Internal trainer selection process
• Train the trainer boot camp
• Feedback and coaching template for internal trainers

Hiring a consultant or external trainer:

• Screening consultants criteria worksheet
• Proposal evaluation
• Review of a training proposal
• Consultant interview evaluation questions
• Monitoring consultant performance: beginning, during, closing

Demonstrating the success of training:

• Lessons on how to evaluate training
• The four levels of evaluation
• Linking evaluation levels with TNA
• Linking evaluation levels with Instructional Learning Objectives (ILOs)
• Components of a complete ILO
• The ROI process model
• Tabulating program costs
• Calculating ROI

Competencies of the training professional:

• Competency defined: the iceberg metaphor
• Competency: components and types
• Foundational competencies for training professionals
• Key actions and behaviors
• Your personal development plan