Qualifications don't necessarily make for an all rounded, professional person, says Graham O'Connell - but they certainly help. And, he suggests, if as a profession we are advocating training and qualifications, shouldn't trainers be qualified themselves?

Did you know that there are 20,000 different qualifications on offer in the UK? And getting qualified has never been so popular. Last year 413,430 people went to university – up 23% since 1997. So are we getting smarter, more effective and more capable?

Let me start with a personal story. Some years ago I was involved in a recruitment exercise where around 60 people applied for one job. Among the final six selected for interview was a very highly qualified individual. By the end of a very exhausting assessment centre day, we were clear who should get the job. And it wasn't the most qualified person.

"Boosting basic skills is, rightly, high on the government agenda, but there is also a groundswell of opinion that we need to increase professionalism and capability at every level."

I guess this is a story where many of you could anticipate the punch line. We all know that there is more to competence that being qualified. Yet qualifications are an increasingly prominent part of the mix: just one ingredient in the recipe, but an important one. From an employer's perspective, a relevant qualification gives a signal that the person can hit a certain type of standard, and that carries with it a certain credibility. In some instances, it is the learning that is more important than the qualification itself, but even then there is often an added boost to confidence that comes from formal recognition.

One trend that trainers need to keep an eye on is the increasing popularity of blending training with education by offering accredited programmes in-house. And you don't need a corporate academy to do that. Boosting basic skills is, rightly, high on the government agenda, but there is also a groundswell of opinion that we need to increase professionalism and capability at every level.

That brings me to trainers and development consultants. I have long been an advocate for raising the standards in our profession. Compared to most professions we are under qualified and, as a consequence, we are valued far less (and add less value?). I am not suggesting that every part-time, specialist jobbing trainer needs a qualification in order to have a licence to operate. But those full-time developers of people and organisations probably do need a high level of expertise, in many instances backed up by a qualification, to have the credibility to function effectively at all levels, irrespective of their grade or job title.

There is now an added impetus: how can we support increasing professionalism and capability in others, and advocate them getting qualifications, if we are not prepared to do it ourselves?

There are many threads on TrainingZone.co.uk about the different qualification options for trainers. As is common in today's world, there is plenty of choice, but some uncertainty about how to exercise it. Starting at certificate level makes sense if you are just entering the profession and are focused on delivery. Here it would seem that choosing the right provider is key, as consistency is not as good as it might be. Once you have that basic level, the choice is mostly about direction: training management, consultancy, HR, OD, facilitation, psychometrics, business skills. And then the question is: where do you stop?

Well, don't forget that well-qualified person who didn't get the job. Achieving a qualification is not a substitute for developing your personal skills, expanding your depth and range of experience, and – practicing what you preach – using your learning to add value.

Graham O'Connell is head of organisational learning and standards at the National School for Government. He has particular responsibility for developing and promoting best practices in learning and development. He does some occasional tutoring on CIPD and University of Cambridge qualification programmes and runs occasional masterclasses. He also runs a number of networks including the strategic L&D network (for heads of L&D in the Civil Service), the Henley public sector knowledge management forum and the leadership alliance exchange.

To read Annie Hayes feature 'Training: The qualifications that count', click here

Questions about qualifications frequently appear on our Any Answers forum, to see these questions, and the debate they generated, click on the titles:

Gaining an L&D qualification

Personal qualifications