Everything you Ever Needed to Know about Training (3rd edition)

Citation

Cattell, A. (2004), "Everything you Ever Needed to Know about Training (3rd edition)", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 128-128. https://doi.org/10.1108/00197850410532168

This book is advertised as a fully revised edition that includes new text on blended learning and personal coaching (both topic areas on which Kaye Thorne has previously written books). The authors are freelance training consultants and this text is based on their years of experience in training and development. Thorne and Mackey state that the book has been researched and revised to reflect changes in approach to training and development as regards responding to changing business context, globalisation and technology. As such “there is a real need for those involved in training to identify exactly what value they are adding and what their contribution as a business partner is”. The intended readership includes “those who help others to learn”, namely trainers/training managers, line managers, training consultants or lecturers in Further or Higher Education. This is very much a practitioner’s text and is more appropriate to those who are relatively new to the field or are seeking to develop their skills.

The book consists of ten chapters, and as might be predicted the topics of how people learn and the training cycle of identifying client needs, designing, delivering and evaluating training and training interventions form a substantial part of the book. Each chapter outlines simple, commonsense approaches and includes useful and useable checklists and question and answer boxes to aid the readers understanding. To the experienced practitioner these may serve as a useful reminder of previous learning, to the new practitioner they provide an aide memoir of the appropriate stages and steps to take. A particularly useful element of the chapter on Delivery was the section on dealing with the unexpected as regards problem solving and handling delegates’ resistance or reluctance.

Trainer skills, development and professionalism are specifically dealt with in chapters covering:

• being professional,

• sources of inspiration and creativity,

• training as a career, and

• training as a business.

Again, the essence is simplicity and suggested should be easy to put into practice. Whilst academic frameworks and theory are notably absent throughout the book, pragmatism and ease of application are offered in abundance.

The two most readable chapters are those devoted to blended and e‐learning, and the changing role of the trainer. The former offers amongst other things some pithy advice on integrating online and traditional learning, definitions, design and staffing implications, working virtually and the benefits and future of blended learning. Whilst during short passages of time both technology and approaches can rapidly change the chapter gives a skilfully summarised current state of play. The latter neatly sums up the changing role of the trainer in relation to the equally changing requirements of organizations and learners. The roles of the trainer as personal coach, mentor, facilitator, consultant, change agent, assessor, author, distance learning designer and conference organizer are all examined and commented upon as regards development of new and different skill sets.

Whilst the text is straightforward and easy to follow, the structure/order of the chapters in sequential terms does not always seem to have the same flow. As a dip in dip out resource the book has definite merits for those new to or interested in the field as it gives a wealth of sound advice obviously based on the experience of the authors. The book is written in the “how to” genre and as such is of limited use to those looking for deeper understanding and theoretical grounding. The Appendices to the text contain some usable survey and evaluation questionnaires and sample course and personal development material. They also contain web site addresses for professional associations and bodies and publications and journals. The book represents relatively good value in relation to its price.