Does your organization have a growing staff, but a small learning and development team? Is your training department budget-limited but still intent on reskilling and upskilling your employees? Employing a training program could be an important part of your talent development department (TD).

Train the trainer initiatives can be training programs that equip experienced trainers with the skills necessary to deliver content such as new technologies or a fresh sales program. Or, these training sessions may be professional development offerings that teacher training and facilitation skills to those who are new to the training field or are subject matter experts (SMEs) who have been tasked to train others on content in their areas of expertise.

Train the Trainer (TTT) is a model that’s often used in the workplace. The trainer trains other employees in training sessions and at the same time teaches them to train others. The training program is intended for (starting) trainers, teachers and educators to optimize and professionalize their current method and expand their knowledge and skills. Many programs are focused on the teaching of leadership skills or facilitation skills.

Why Train the Trainer Important?

Research indicates that the shelf life for skills maybe five years or less. We are in a cycle of near-constant upskilling and reskilling of the workforce. Train the Trainer programs equip trainers and instructional designers with the skills they need to provide the best learning experience to employees. L&D (Learning and Development) professionals must keep their knowledge and skills updated to stay relevant and ensure their work creates the desired impact.

Delivering effective and engaging employee training is an art and a science. It isn’t simply about putting someone in front of a classroom to facilitate or show a person how to do something. Training is a process that begins well before the training course itself and extends beyond the close of it.

Instrumental to the success of a train-the-trainer program is selecting the correct person to act as the facilitator. This person must not only be an expert on the content and on designing training, but also must be well-respected, experienced, patient, and passionate. Train the trainer facilitators also need to have strong leadership skills, communication capabilities, exceptional listening skills, and emotional intelligence, according to the Talent

Benefits of the train-the-trainer model:

The Train-the-Trainer model’s core advantage is its effectiveness in teaching new skills and knowledge to a wide range of people within an organisation by involving internal resources to scale training delivery. Also, becoming an internal trainer and picking up new competencies is a great professional development opportunity for the people involved. Let’s inspect and see what other benefits make the train-the-trainer model a frequently used approach in the learning and development industry.

• Cost-effectiveness: It is much less costly to send one expert trainer to train internal subject matter experts than hiring a large unit of external trainers to deliver every single training session within the organisation

• Confidence as a trainer: Confidence as a trainer stems from thorough preparation in your subject matter and the resources you utilize to convey information. Additionally, confidence involves recognizing that an effective trainer is someone who presents themselves in a professional manner, communicates effectively and demonstrates an understanding of the learning requirements of their audience.

• Consistency in delivering a training curriculum: The default mode of operation for train-the-trainer programs is that trainers receive the exact same materials they were trained on, and therefore they disseminate the same learning through the organisation. This makes the model ideal for large organizations where continuity of training is important. Additionally, the standardized format allows to measure and compare the performance of each training group.

• Acceptance of internal trainers: In most organizations, people tend to seek advice more from their colleagues who they are already familiar with than from outside specialists.

It fits well in situations where fast dissemination of information is needed. After completing the initial train-the-trainer course, the freshly minted internal trainers can deliver their courses simultaneously to their colleagues. This is particularly useful when rolling out change initiatives for a whole organisation.

• Tailored learning: Internal trainers have the advantage of knowing the environment and culture of the organization as well as the products and services offered and client needs, allowing them to tailor the training content to the specific needs of the training participants.

• Trainers’ growing subject-matter mastery: Teaching someone else is the best way to learn. As trainers keep delivering training sessions to their colleagues, they will be exposed to handling new situations and meeting new questions and perspectives. As they find their way to answer these challenges, their subject matter expertise will inevitably lead to new heights.

• Developing a competent internal training team: Once people attend a train-the-trainer program and they start teaching their own colleagues, their competence as instructors will keep growing. Next time, when your organisation needs internal trainers for another subject, you already have a group of employees in the organisation who are skilled in training delivery.

• Better training follow-up: Since trainers are in-house experts, they stay around and can easily follow through until the new skills and knowledge become part of their colleagues’ routines.

Train-the-Trainer has a ripple effect making the enterprise an appealing employer and progressive workplace for attracting talents. A company that provides growth opportunities for its employees and training through innovative techniques is attractive to potential employees.

Wrap-up:

TalentPro’s train-the-trainer program is designed to equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in the field of training. Start your journey to becoming a certified trainer today!