Under our FSA project, we are developing a Staff Operational Handbook specific to our Training Department. Does anybody have one already, and if so, could you give us an idea of the content headings? We have identified items such as Design and Delivery, External Suppliers, Process for booking training, Record keeping etc., but wonder if anybody can suggest other items we should include? It will form a policy and procedure manual for the department to be followed by all the in-company trainers. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Zoe Horwood
5 Responses
Handbook
Hi
Include a chapter or section on all the equality proofing steps a trainer has to take before,during and after a course. This includes design,delivery,evaluation and after care
William
Training Handbook
This question is a frequent one on this site and I’ve responded several times along with many others (maybe I should write a book?).
My approach has always been to work around the training cycle of:
Identifying – Designing or Buying – Delivering – Assessing – Recording – Certifying – Evaluating.
And a couple of others I add which are:
Managing – Marketing and PR – Staff Development for Trainers. (Maybe there are more points too)
If you use a Wordprocessor with an Outline function, you can put dot points under each heading. Ask yourself, what, who, how, when, where, and why about each topic and think through the process jotting down key considerations eg, if I was thinking about delivery, here are some of the things I would think about:
How will we deliver?
When are our clients peak work loads?
Will we need a schedule?
Who will pay for the venue?
What assets will be required?
Will we need overnight accommodation?
Will travel be involved for staff from other offices?
What handouts or other materials will be provided?
Who will book venues?
How will we pay venue fees?
Who will authorise attendance etc?
With all these points you can then write your handbook to cover anything that needs to be covered.
If you start at the beginning – the natural flow through the training cycle, it helps to ensure you don’t double up or contradict yourself later on.
Hope this helps.
Training Handbook should include:
In any policy, which is what this is, you should also include things such as Equal Opportunities, Assessing Training Needs, Monitoring and Evaluating Success,Progression and Appraisal and Reviewing Training Policies, as well as the practical aspects of setting up training sessions. Would glady discuss this further if you would like to.
Lynda Rolington
Training Methods and Procedures
When developing a training operations guide, you could include any methods and procedures that you currently use or plan to use. You may want to include checklists (job aids) for the various processes, e.g., grammar/tone editing, document formatting consistency, project processes, delivery methods, training evaluation, and so forth.
Training and Competence
As you mention the FSA, follow the headings of the T&C sourcebook and you won’t go far wrong. One of the most important things to remember is sign-off and validation of training. Hint – the person who wrote it can’t sign it off!
Evaluation is also a big subject for the FSA so make sure your evaluation procedures are well documented. My advice is get yourself onto one of their T&C training events if you can (and if it’s applicable to your business) – they’re usually very good.