Developing Qualifications and Keeping it simple in training

Developing Qualifications and Keeping it simple in training – Providing work-related training is different to educating scholars. While it is compulsory for scholars to attend classes to become successful, the success of work-related training is dependent on the aspirations, knowledge level and attitude of trainees. Training providers go to great lengths to accommodate trainees when developing a new qualification.

As soon as employers start talking about acquiring additional training for staff, many will get cold feet. Memories of long days in big, smelly class-rooms with old, boring teachers suddenly come back. Apart from a quick flash-back about a first-love, very few will admit they treasure nice memories of this time. But attending school is compulsory and once they have found a job, many believe that the need for additional training is overrated.

This puts extra pressure on training providers when they develop a new qualification. They are not only expected to educate trainees about new and relevant matters, according to the standards set by the Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA, but they also have to make sure that they keep trainees interested and entertained.

The development of a qualification involves much more than putting new content together based on the requirements set by the HWSETA and the expectations expressed by the employers. Society has evolved so quickly, and technology has been accepted so widely, that education today is completely different from several years ago. Gone are the days when many books had to be read, locations and translations had to be rehearsed by rote, etc. Trainees, these days, have access to bigger and better information sources and should be encouraged to make use of them. It is for this reason that trainers are no longer referred to as 'lecturers' but are called 'assessors'. Today's trainees also prefer a greater balance between theory and demonstrations, as well the use of visuals and presentations rather than reading long boring articles.

Assessors also should have first-hand knowledge of what is being spoken about, as many trainees may have had to deal with some of the issues already or are perhaps familiar with the consequences when things go wrong. Balancing first-hand experience with today's training philosophies is extremely difficult, as it demands a lot of knowledge as well as communication skills.

With the world becoming smaller and South Africa aiming for being more respected internationally, industries in South Africa can expect rules and regulations, standards and expectations to be raised almost every day. What was acceptable only a year ago, might suddenly have become outdated.

It is for this reason that training providers are expected to improve and upgrade their programmes regularly. Being tasked with the improving training in the Health and Safety sector, HWSETA assesses each programme regularly. It pushes training providers to have the financial, administrative and physical resources in place as well as policies and procedures for staff selection, appraisal and development. Most importantly, providers are expected to have policies and procedures in place for learner entry, guidance and support: this should be backed up by an acceptable quality management system. This requires significant time, effort, dedication and resources hence good quality training doesn't come cheap.

All these expectations mean that developing a qualification these days is a time-intensive, costly and demanding exercise that seems to never end. Training providers who claim differently are ignoring the fact that the world never stops changing. The internet alone currently holds 2.15 billion document pages. While this number remains pretty stable, outdated documents are replaced by new information every minute. Wouldn't you like to be trained based on the latest information available?