Training officers assist with the upgrading of the skills of employees, to contribute to improving the production levels and efficiency of workers and organizations. One of the first tasks of a training officer is to assess these potential abilities and channel them into appropriate career lines.
It is no good trying to force a person who is good at menial work into a stress-filled job where he is forced to come up with solutions to problems about which he knows nothing. A good training officer is able to place employees in positions which totally suit their talents, character and intellect and to move anyone who is incompetent in their current position and is lost, for example, in the business world in which they have been forced to work.
Training officers assist line management in identifying and solving performance problems of workers in industrial, commercial or government organizations through training and development interventions.
They meet with management and study each job in its setting and context to determine the needs of those that require training for employees. They then develop various training interventions ranging from courses to individual development opportunities. This includes the structuring of course content and learning opportunities to develop competencies in learners.
Training officers also conduct specialized training sessions, on-the-job learning opportunities and manage learnership programmes. Finally training officers evaluate their training efforts by measuring the progress of learners and improvement in organization performance.
Training and development managers supervise training. Increasingly, management recognizes that training offers a way of developing skills, enhancing productivity and quality of work, and building loyalty to the firm. In addition, advances in learning theory have provided insights into how adults learn, and how training can be organized most effectively for them.
Training specialists plan, organize, and direct a wide range of training activities. Trainers conduct orientation sessions and arrange on-the-job training for new employees. They help rank-and-file workers maintain and improve their job skills, and possibly prepare for jobs requiring greater skill.
Satisfying Aspects
- pleasant working conditions
- minimum of overtime
- satisfaction of knowing that those you train will probably be happier and more productive
- working with people
Demanding aspects
- possibility that a new training program might not succeed
- stressful necessity to undergo new and refresher training courses all the time
- constantly having to prove yourself
- competition for jobs in this field is strong
Requirements
- tact and adaptability
- ability to act diplomatically in difficult situations
- language ability
- willing to work as part of a team
- able to detect problem areas and offer solutions
- creativity and initiative
- intelligence and self-control
- capable of organizing, planning, motivating and controlling people
- good communication skills
School Subjects
National Senior Certificate meeting degree requirements for a degree course
National Senior Certificate meeting diploma requirements for a diploma course
Each institution will have its own minimum entry requirements.
Compulsory Subjects: depends on course to be undertaken
Recommended Subjects: Languages, Physical Sciences
Training
Degree: BA or BAdmin or BCom - most universities
Diploma: N.Dip: Personnel Management - most universities of technology
For those with a BA degree and wanting to specialize, UJ offers a two-year part-time and one-year full-time honours course in HRD (Human Resource Development). For people with a three-year tertiary qualification, UJ offers a Diploma in Human Resource Development on a full-time, part-time or distance education basis. UJ also offers a Certificate in Training and a Master Certificate in Training and Development.
Government departments, however, demand an appropriate recognized three-year BA degree, four years' approved experience, completion of an aptitude test and successful completion of a training course. Newcomers are assigned to a leader, who initiates them and gives them purposeful and intensive training.
Employer
- industry
- commerce
- mines
- municipalities and government departments
- non-governmental organizations
- self-employment, as an independent consultant