Table of Contents

• Why is this topic important?

The conversations about competencies have been going on for more many years.  Every five years one of many professional associations gathers a team of experts to research training competencies.  Rarely has the final step been taken to establish a certification program to encourage trainers to develop and prove competence.

• What can you achieve with this book?

  This book draws on over thirty-five years of experience in training trainers by The Training Clinic.  The Training Clinic’s core business is to train subject matter experts to become trainers, as well as course designers, facilitators, training managers and training coordinators.  It identifies real world competencies for those who staff a training function.  Trainers, facilitators, training coaches, course designers, training coordinators, and training managers can use this book to easily assess their skills and create a professional development plan to improve their skill, competence and affect business results.  This is the only work to address competencies for training coordinators.

  Organizations can use these competencies to develop their own internal training certification programs.

• How is this book organized

Each chapter begins with objectives about what can be achieved by completing the chapter.  To help the reader preview a chapter, assessment questions are listed that will be answered within the chapter.  Most chapters contain extensive checklists, tools, forms and templates that can be printed and customized from an accompanying CD.

Competency model checklists are provided that show results or output for both basic and advanced levels of proficiency in each competency.  Following the competency model checklist, individual competencies are described and list the supporting knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to demonstrate that competency at both basic and advanced levels of proficiency.

The book can be read cover-to-cover, or the reader can select specific chapters based on a specific interest or individual training role.  The basic and advanced competencies presented in this book describe successful behaviors of training and development professionals.  The chapters are organized around familiar training and development roles: training manager, training coordinator, course designer and trainer.  Each chapter also discusses emerging titles and roles for training and development professionals.

• Purpose

  This book will help the reader identify basic and advanced competencies for a variety of roles performed in the training function.  Assessment checklists measure current basic and advanced skill levels and create a professional development plan to develop incomplete or missing knowledge, skills and attitudes.   How to develop incomplete or missing competencies is addressed in later books that are a part of the “Skilled Trainer Series.”  Organizations can use the competencies to develop an internal certificate program for the continuing development of their training staff.

• Product description

  Nine chapters provide an overview of the training function as well as training function roles, including basic and advanced competencies for those who work in these roles.  Competencies are then described, and the reader is invited to assess personal skills and create an individual professional development plan.  Each chapter has rich assessments, tools and templates for personal use.  A resource section and bibliography are included at the end of this book.  Suggestions for how to create an internal certification program from the competencies are also included in chapter 8 for those who staff the training function.

Chapter 1:  What is a training function?

• Purpose of a training function

• Centralized and decentralized training functions

• Roles for those who staff a training function

o       Training managers

o       Training coordinators

o       Course designers

o       Trainers, instructors, facilitators, and coaches

• Full-time and part-time personnel

Chapter 2:  Competencies

• Define competency

• Identify how competencies are built from knowledge and skill

• Identify what constitutes basic and advanced competence

• Measure training competencies

• Identify suggested uses for competency checklists

• Identify steps to set up a competency assessment process

Chapter 3:  Competencies for the Trainer or Instructor

• Chapter objectives:

•     Identify competencies required of a trainer or instructor

·         Identify how to use the competency checklists

·         Create a trainer or instructor development plan

• Trainer or instructor competencies

1.      Prepares for instruction

2.      Sets a learning environment

3.      Uses adult learning principles

4.      Uses lecture

5.      Conducts discussions

6.      Facilitates case studies, exercises, games and simulations

7.      Conducts demonstrations

8.      Uses role play

9.      Gives feedback to learners

10.  Uses audiovisuals

11.  Administers tests and evaluate skill performance

12.  Handles problem learners

13.  Manages appropriate use of technology

14.  Promotes learning transfer

15.  Conducts online learning

16.  Recommends course modifications

• Chapter Tools:

·         Competency checklists for trainers or instructors

·         Development plan template

Chapter 4:  Competencies for the Facilitator or Coach

• Identify competencies required of a facilitator or coach

• Identify how to use the competency checklists

• Create a facilitator or coach development plan

• Facilitator competencies

1.      Plans team meetings using an agenda

2.      Sets a productive climate and begin a discussion

3.      Gets the group to focus on defining and reaching outcomes

4.      Helps group communicate effectively

5.      Encourages creative problem solving including brainstorming

6.      Supports and encourages participation

7.      Fosters self-discovery of alternatives and solutions

8.      Helps group make decisions

9.      Selects a team leader

10.  Handles disruptive participants effectively

• Coach competencies

1.         Build a relationship

2.         Provide information

3.         Facilitate development

4.         Confront when necessary

5.         Deal with change

Chapter Tools:

• Competency checklists for facilitators and coaches

• Development plan template

Chapter 5: Competencies of the Course Designer

• Identify competencies required of a course designer

• Identify how to use the competency checklists

• Create a course designer development plan

• Course designer competencies

·         Needs assessment

1.      Uses performance analysis

2.      Uses target population analysis

3.      Conducts “needs versus wants” analysis

4.      Conducts a job analysis

5.      conducts a task analysis

6.      Creates a skill hierarchy

7.      Writes terminal and enabling learning objectives

8.      Facilitates a feedback meeting

·         Training plan development

9.      Identifies training issues and how it relates to a business need

10.  States the outcome, results and objectives for training

11.  States the performance deficiency and its causes

12.  Identifies or establishes performance standards

13.  Identifies the target population

14.  Establishes criteria to evaluate the training

15.  Describes the proposed intervention

16.  Estimates the cost of the training plan

17.  Builds a partnership with management

18.  Schedules training

·         Developing training

19.  Creates a broad content outline

20.  Identifies sources for course content

21.  Selects appropriate methods

22.  Sequences training methods

23.  Ensures a variety of packing for training methods

24.  Identifies how much practice is required to learn a new skill

25.  Writes training activities

26.  Identifies the appropriate type of lesson plan for a specific course

27.  Writes a lesson plan

28.  Conducts a pilot workshop and makes appropriate revisions

·         Evaluation methods

29.  Designs a reaction sheet

30.  Writes a test

31.  Creates a skill performance checklist to measure transfer of learning

32.  Creates a return on investment analysis to identify results

Chapter Tools:

• Competency checklist for course designers

• Development plan template

Chapter 6: Competencies of the Training Manager

• Identify competencies required of a training manager

• Identify how to use the competency checklists

• Create a training manager development plan

• Training manager competencies:

·         Strategic competencies: Planning, staffing, organizing, budgeting

1.      Conducts long term planning and anticipates future needs

2.      Links training function activity to vision, mission and business plan

3.      Ensures legal, ethical and regulatory compliance

4.      Assures the training function is organized for optimum results

5.      Selects internal trainers systematically

6.      Gives internal trainers feedback

7.      Develops internal trainer skills

8.      Provides access to training management

9.      Promotes a training management relationship to trainers, course developers

10. Supports and develops staff

11. Participates in outside professional organizations

12. Keeps up to date with training trends

13. Uses and supervises external resources

14. Prepares a budget

15. Monitors a budget

16. Modifies a budget

·         Operating competencies: project management and internal performance consulting competencies

17. Assesses the need to create a project team

18. Uses project management tools appropriately

19. Ends projects appropriately

20. Acts an internal consultant to the client

21. Selects the appropriate role for each situation

22. Uses a systematic internal consulting process

Chapter Tools:

• Competency checklist for training managers

• Development plan template

Chapter 7:  Competencies of the Training Coordinator

• Identify competencies required of a training coordinator

• Identify how to use the competency checklists

• Create a training coordinator development plan

• Training coordinator competencies

·         Planning

1.      Identifies solutions to organizational problems

2.      Sets objectives for training events

3.      Helps line managers and supervisors identify training needs

4.      Develops resources

5.      Buys packaged training programs

6.      Maintains corporate library

7.      Schedules training

8.      Evaluates the success of training efforts

·         Administrative

9.      Coordinates off-site facility arrangements

10.  Runs trainee registration and confirmation systems

11.  Monitors tuition reimbursement programs

12.  Identifies training costs

13.  Prepares training rooms for instruction

14.  Orders and inventories supplies

15.  Maintains audiovisual equipment

·         Liaison

16.  Hires external consultants

17.  Coaches subject matter experts as trainers

18.  Markets training internally

·         Why are they needed?

Chapter Tools:

• Competency checklist for training coordinators

• Development plan template

Chapter 8:  Being a department of one

• Sort priorities

• Make a training plan

Chapter Tools:

• Department of one checklist

Chapter 9: How to develop internal certificate programs using real-world competencies

• List the reasons to develop a certificate program in your organization

• Distinguish benefits of internal and external certifying authorities

• Identify the difference between certificates and certification

• Learn how to use developed competencies to plan a certificate program

• Learn how to demonstrate competence, understanding versus performing

• Plan how to introduce training competencies in the organization

• Learn how to use competencies, self, peer and supervisory assessments

• Develop feedback and development processes

• Gain agreement on a certificate program

• Identify cautions about using certificate programs

Chapter tools:

• Certificate program development steps

 Resources

• Sample competency assessments and development plans

• Glossary

• Bibliography

• About the Author

• Index

• How to use the CD-ROM