I
want to be involved in delivering management training. I hold a CIPD
Certificate in Training Practice and have experience in delivering training for
the department in which I work, but the extent of my soft skills delivery
experience is a Train the Trainer course. Would a management NVQ help or do I
need to do an HR Degree?
Peter
Wilford, consultant, Chiumento, writes:
You
need to ask yourself what the reason is for your lack of experience to date. Do
you lack delivery experience? If so, perhaps you can put a case within your own
organisation to get the opportunity to deliver some in-house material. Do you
feel unable to write material to deliver a training course because you lack
business knowledge? If so, further study could be a good option.
In
order to develop your management training skills, theoretical knowledge gained
through courses undoubtedly plays a part. Management training is also an area
where experience counts heavily upon establishing personal credibility. Being
able to facilitate managers finding solutions to their own problems can be
assisted by the insights gained from broader experience of the kind of work and
life problems they face. In addition, platform experience and developmental
experience can be gained from sessions of two-up training, especially with
someone whose background differs substantially from your own. Seeing how they
handle a topic or problem thrown at the two of you will enable you to develop a
range of techniques, in some cases almost subconsciously and to appreciate that
there is not always just one answer.
Finally
you may not be selling yourself as well as possible and perhaps need to hone up
on selling the experiences you already have in this area. Remember that
employers are looking for more rounded individuals in the training field, those
who can devise and create solutions to problems rather than just deliver.
Margaret Malpas, joint managing director, Malpas
Flexible Learning, writes:
I
would recommend the CIPD graduate programme including the trainer electives. This
would give you the basic grounding you need in management topics via the Core Management
element. Then there are four electives which are specifically for trainers –
Employee Development, Managing Learning Processes, Managing Training and either
Organisational Consultancy or Management Development. This would be a perfect
solution for your aims.
Louise
White, consultant EJ Human Resources, writes:
Qualifications
always go someway to assist in career development but they are no substitute
for practical experience. On the other hand, they can demonstrate commitment to
your employer and show that you are serious about taking on more responsibility
in this area. Subsequently, your employer may be keen to provide you with the
opportunity to supplement your course with hands on experience.
