This week I was helping someone apply for a position as a trainer, and we were looking at their collection of job descriptions.  One of the things I noticed was there are a number of companies advertising for someone with industry knowledge and an interest in ‘doing some training’  I have to say I really think that is totally the wrong way round. 

Someone who has an in depth knowledge of how to create and deliver high quality learning can teach anything at all, as long as  they have the time and the enthusiasm to learn the subject matter.  Any high quality trainer will do that, otherwise they look an idiot in front of their audience. 

A subject matter expert will have the knowledge of the matter in hand, but not the knowledge of the models of learning, and the theories about how to ensure your delegates really have understood the message, and to measure how they will take it out into their workplace and do something with it.   

So come on HR departments out there, recognise the time and effort invested by Learning and Development specialists in learning their craft, and then in developing their skill levels.  Recognise that a good trainer can teach anything at all, and do it far better than a well meaning subject matter expert! 

A bit of culture this week, it was the 18^th century French writer, philosopher, and wit Voltaire who said “Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need”.  Looking at the rising figures of folk who are struggling to find a job, there must be a lot of bored people around. Hopefully the State can take care of the need issues, and as for Vice, well that up to you.

Why am I writing about this right now? Well as the economy grows and the country moves out of recession, and I am really starting to see signs of that in many areas, now seems to me to be a good time to take on a training programme. Small shoots of growth here and there, are giving me serious cause to be optimistic. If you know me you will know that has always been one of my failings!!    

As the time comes for people to go back to work, it will be much easier if they can go back better qualified than when they left. If you are running a company right now, I expect you are trying to get more work out of less staff.  Either way some personal development training will do wonders for your moral and the moral of your staff. It could make a serious impact on you bottom line, increasing your profitability, and investing in your team.  As Voltaire suggested Work spares us from need, training goes a long way to achieving the same thing.