I had a thought about training recently and seeing as I was reviewing my own courses and training, I began to wonder how good it actually is. Much of what I learnt in college is now forgotten. This suggests to me that I may not have found it useful to learn or learnt it properly.

It also got me thinking about the training materials that we tend to use with people. I wondered how genuinely effective they are. What I do find is they can tend to suffer from is a lack of practice material. Even courses such as the excellent ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) need to develop and produce well-rounded individuals and explores areas such as IT uses and telephones in relation to IT.

I wholeheartedly support this principle but sometimes this can prevent a user from getting what is required from training, the ability to perform a task.

This is what a training course should do. I know myself from 3 day or five day courses, that a lot of that could have been jettisoned in favour of more focus on the core elements and on practice. Often the trainer can be more conscious of how much they have to get through rather than allowing meaningful practice time.

A trainer is a fantastic resource on a training course. In theory they have the ability to make the course accessible to the trainee. They are also an expert who can help a user improve their skills. What they can’t do is learn for the trainee. Learning like everything else needs practice. Practice is an essential part of learning. By not helping a trainee to avail of that skill and expertise they may not be helping them as much as they could.

So the next time you look at a course ask the question: How much practice will I get on your course?

A habit as they say takes 21 days. And any habit requires lots of practice. Why not start the habit off on the right foot?