Millions of people attend training sessions all over the world, some of the sessions are received very well and some not. The problem for everyone is the application of what has been learnt in the work place. Many delegates complain that they don’t have any time to apply learning or practise skills. The pressures of the job take over and it becomes more important to produce rather than apply new skills or knowledge. Training very quickly becomes pointless with any skills or knowledge quickly lost due to lack of use.
What is to be done? Can training organisations help in the transfer of learning? An external training provider will find it very difficult to spend any time working alongside delegates cementing the transfer process without being paid. Company training budgets probably won’t factor in the extra cost required for external trainers to complete the whole training cycle. Internal trainers are better placed to help but probably face the same pressures that trainees suffer from, work commitments.
I beleive a blended learning approach is the way forward, attend external or internal training, receive CD web based support and more importantly ensure trainer delegate support is encouraged for as long and as often as required. Video based, web based and or email support can help external trainers maintain contact, e-zine, mailshots also help. Internal trainers must be allowed access to delegates until they are confident with their new skills. Otherwise the training process, cost, time and effort is pointless.
