This paper examines the key considerations for selecting and preparing training sites and choosing qualified trainers within an organization. The author argues that both short-term staffing needs and long-term cultural alignment must guide these decisions. The paper outlines how training site location, physical environment, and equipment choices reinforce organizational values, and explains why selecting trainers with long tenure, cultural knowledge, technical expertise, and interpersonal skills is essential for effective employee onboarding and development planning.
If promoted to program manager of the training department, responsibility for selecting and preparing a training site and choosing trainers would require careful attention to both short-term and long-term organizational objectives. In the short term, it is necessary to staff these positions with competent people who can remain in their roles for a significant period, preventing the organization from immediately dedicating additional resources to training replacement staff. In the long term, however, the organization must train individuals to align with company culture and ethics, enabling them to build sustained careers that ultimately support the organization's strategic goals.
Both objectives must inform the selection and preparation of the training site itself. Ideally, the site should be located in relatively close proximity to the actual department in which these employees will work. Such proximity is valuable because it enables new employees to see where they will be stationed and understand the ramifications this environment will have on their job performance. The training site should also maintain a professional appearance and reflect the organization's values and company culture as much as possible.
Visual reflections of organizational values are essential in the training environment. The room should be decorated with signage and symbols that emphasize company culture—whether that culture is aggressive, laid-back, environmentally conscious, or otherwise. As the initial entry point to the organization, the training site does more than teach job tasks; it socializes employees into the company's mores and ethical framework.
Training effectively represents the first step in employee development planning, which is "helping your employees shape the future direction of their careers" (Lipman, 2013). Signage regarding ethics should be prominently displayed within the training facilities. Additionally, the training site should provide the same type of equipment (or as close as possible) that employees will use in their actual roles, allowing them to familiarize themselves with tools and address any concerns before beginning work.
The same considerations apply when selecting individuals to conduct training sessions. It is generally advisable to choose people who have worked with the organization for a significant amount of time (Cloud & Neely, 2014, p. 49). Such individuals are not only proficient at their jobs but also knowledgeable about the mores and ethics the company employs. Moreover, they frequently embody these characteristics—important for newly hired employees to observe.
Company culture and organizational ethics are not merely mantras and jargon displayed on training room walls. They are living principles that guide employee actions and demeanor during daily work. Selecting trainers who understand these organizational intricacies and actually exemplify them in practice can help reinforce these principles for new hires, enabling them to internalize and adopt them more effectively.
"Technical expertise and interpersonal skills required"
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