Train your own trainers: building internal training capability

We have always believed that some of the best training within a business can come from the people already working in it.

They understand the jobs. They know the systems, the customers, the processes and the little things that never quite make it into an off-the-shelf training course. More importantly, they understand what good performance actually looks like within their organisation.

That is why one of our aims at Emblem has always been to help businesses take greater ownership of their own training.

That does not mean never using an external training provider again. There will always be subjects where external expertise, specialist qualifications or independent delivery are needed. It means developing enough internal capability to recognise when training can be created and delivered by your own people, and giving those people the skills to do it well.

Your subject matter experts already know the business

Most organisations have people who naturally become the person everyone goes to.

They might be an experienced manager, supervisor, technical specialist or someone who has simply become exceptionally good at what they do. When somebody new joins the team, they are often the person asked to show them the ropes.

That knowledge is incredibly valuable.

An external training provider can spend time learning about your organisation, interviewing subject matter experts and understanding your processes. Good bespoke training should do exactly that. But the people within your business already live that context every day.

Developing those people as internal trainers gives organisations an opportunity to keep that knowledge within the business and use it to develop others.

Being an expert does not automatically make someone a trainer

I learnt this one myself. When I first started delivering training, I knew my subject. I quickly discovered that knowing something and being able to teach it effectively are very different things.

A subject matter expert may know exactly how to complete a process but struggle to break it down for somebody encountering it for the first time. An experienced manager may be brilliant at their job but have never considered learning objectives, inclusive teaching, different learning needs or how to check whether somebody has actually understood what they have been shown.

These are skills that can be developed. A train the trainer programme or teaching qualification such as the Level 3 Award in Education and Training (AET) can give internal trainers the foundations behind what they may already be doing instinctively.

It helps move internal training away from simply passing information from one person to another and towards properly planned learning.

Owning your training does not mean building everything from scratch

This is an important distinction. Building internal training capability does not mean handing somebody an authoring tool and expecting them to become an instructional designer overnight. There are lots of different ways businesses can take greater control of their learning and development.

An organisation might have its own trainers delivering face-to-face training, while working with a learning designer to develop the materials. Subject matter experts might provide the technical knowledge for a custom eLearning course, while somebody else handles the learning design, accessibility and digital development.

A business might also choose to develop a small internal learning and development team capable of identifying training needs, creating resources and supporting managers to deliver learning themselves.

The right model depends on the organisation, its people and the amount of training it needs.

The barriers to developing internal trainers

Of course, there is a reason businesses outsource training.

Time is a huge one.

People who would make excellent workplace trainers usually already have a job to do. Giving them responsibility for training without giving them the time to plan, prepare and develop can quickly turn a good idea into another task squeezed into an already busy week.

Cost matters too. A lot!

Training several employees at once requires investment, particularly for smaller organisations. There can also be costs associated with developing learning materials, implementing an LMS or learning platform and giving people time away from their usual responsibilities.

But internal capability is also an investment that can continue to deliver value.

Instead of purchasing the same generic course repeatedly, organisations can develop people who understand how to train colleagues effectively and who can continue using those skills across induction, onboarding, compliance training, skills development and everyday workplace learning.

Training your trainers together

There can be another advantage to developing several internal trainers at the same time.

They develop a shared approach. Rather than different departments interpreting training differently, colleagues can discuss how learning should work within their organisation, share ideas and consider how they can apply what they are learning to their own teams.

This is one of the reasons we offer team discounts for our Level 3 Award in Education and Training when two or more people from the same organisation join a cohort.

They still get the benefit of learning alongside people from other businesses and sectors, but they also have somebody within their own organisation going through the same experience.

For larger organisations, bespoke AET cohorts and train the trainer programmes can take this further by developing a group of internal trainers together.

Internal trainers still need the right tools

Qualifying or developing internal trainers is only one part of the picture.

If we want people to deliver good workplace training, we also need to give them good materials to work with.

A passionate trainer can do an enormous amount, but badly structured slides, inaccessible resources, generic scenarios and unclear learning objectives make their job unnecessarily difficult.

This is where learning design and trainer development need to work together.

The subject matter expert brings the knowledge. Learning designers can help turn that expertise into structured, accessible learning. The trainer then brings it to life for the people who actually need it.

For me, that combination is far more powerful than expecting an off-the-shelf course to understand every organisation it lands in.

Building internal training capability takes time

Businesses do not need to bring all of their training in-house overnight.

Start with the areas where internal knowledge matters most. Identify the people who already support and develop others. Give them the training, time and resources they need to become confident trainers, then build from there.

Over time, that can create something much more valuable than a collection of courses.

It creates people within the organisation who understand how learning works, know how to share their expertise and can help others develop.

There will always be a place for external training. We just don't think businesses should have to outsource everything.

Your people know your organisation better than anyone else. Giving them the skills to train others means some of that expertise can stay exactly where it belongs.

Develop your internal trainers with Emblem

Our Level 3 Award in Education and Training is designed for aspiring trainers, managers, team leaders and subject matter experts who want to develop the skills to train others effectively.

The programme combines interactive eLearning, optional live online workshops and expert tutor support. Team discounts are available when two or more colleagues join the same cohort, with bespoke cohort options also available for organisations.

[Find out more about the Level 3 Award in Education and Training →]