The Benefits of Peer-to-Peer Training

 

In the IT industry, ongoing training and professional development is vital. What usually happens, though, is that people are sent on one or two formal training courses per year and the rest of the time they are expected to look after themselves: reading books and journals, researching on the web, frequenting newsgroups, etc.

Being sufficiently motivated to commit ourselves to ongoing professional development in our own time can be a real challenge. After all, we're all human and occasionally our motivation wanes. Sometimes it's just easier to go home and put our feet up and wait until our employer sends us on another course. In such times, your peers can be an excellent source of support, and peer-to-peer training becomes an excellent tool to help you (and your peers) develop professionally.

What is peer-to-peer training?
Peer-to-peer training involves people training their colleagues. The project manager identifies an area in which the team is deficient and selects someone (or someone volunteers) to do some research on the topic. This person need not necessarily be the resident guru on the subject--and it's sometimes better if they're not. The chosen person then prepares a presentation and delivers it to the rest of the team. Following the presentation, the presenter assumes the role of facilitator and leads an open discussion on the topic, encouraging the team to ask …

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