“TRAINING THE TRAINER” – KEY ELEMENT TO OVERCOME WORK FORCE SKILL GAPS

·         Skill gap potentially put the brakes on any robust economic growth.

·         These trainers will need to be proficient in :-

1.      Hard skills or subject specific skills

2.      Industry Experience

3.      Aptitude and attitude for training to handle diverse audiences.

4.      Awareness on principle of teachings

·         The training of the trainer in teaching skills and methodology is a key element to overcome the skill gap and the swiftness with which this is done will be critical in determining Indian’s competitiveness in the global market.

·         There is a fundamental difference between conventional teaching and professional training. Conventional teaching style is based on the dominant instructional paradigm that provides instructions to students where as training the professionals employs the learning paradigm to produce learning in the students. 

·         Primary mission – The instructional paradigm has the focus on the teacher whose primary mission is to provide instruction to student through lectures, this traditional teaching is automatic, teaching fragment part without understanding the whole.

·         Student learning is cumulative and linear resulting in the creation of competitive, individualistic trainer centered environment. Teacher here have a position of authority and students have a natural tendency of follow the instructions.

·         Professional corporate trainers enjoy no such luxury and have to deal with strong mature audience having their own experience and perceptions. Here trainer’s ability to succeed relies on their ability to build strong relationship with their learners.

·         In corporate they have to depend to upon learning paradigm that views trainers as facilitators to develop learner competencies and talents rather than experts who merely lecture.

·         Good practice means eliciting learner discovery by employing a holistic methodology to create an environment of collaborative activity amongst students.

·         A student centric approach ensures that learning is constructed and created in the classroom providing a deeper global understanding based on interacting frame works as opposed to fragmented vision generated by a teacher centered approach which is soon forgotten by students.

·         An opportunity to get hands on teaching practice during the programme is what differentiates the best from the rest.

·         Professional trainers are expected to be experts on diverse topic like communication skills, business writing etiquette, public speaking and presentation skills.