The Training Has Left the Station

Mike Donoghue is a member of a multinational information technology corporation where he collaborates on the communications guidelines and customer relationship strategies affecting the interactions with internal and external clients. He has analyzed, defined, designed and overseen processes for various engagements including product usability and customer satisfaction, best practice enterprise standardization, relationship/branding structures, and distribution effectiveness and direction. He has also established corporate library solutions to provide frameworks for sales, marketing, training, and support divisions.

  Career Development   Communications Management   Knowledge Management   Lessons Learned   Talent Management  

Some months ago, the venerable trade periodical Training Magazine ceased publication. The magazine and its affiliated events were a strong force in the industry for many decades, but unfortunately like many long-lasting businesses in recent years, it too had to lay off its staff and close its doors. Although it may not be a true indicator of the health of the training industry as a whole, the shutdown raises further concerns about the nature of training and its future.

While the emphasis for traditional training sessions that involve designated trainers and committed attendees going to a conference room or similar facility has waned over the years, there is actually a greater need for training than there ever was. The world, its industries and the technologies around the globe have not become simpler, and as a result there is a stronger push for educating people. The problem though is that some people want to cut costs and cheapen its implementation to such a significant degree that they also reduce its impact.

It is no longer a world where telling someone how to perform an action is at the core of training. This instruction method has existed for years on end, sometimes including activities to improve lesson retention. But it has evolved more into a learning model whereby trainees are treated more like students and allowed to pace their knowledge attainment. This …

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