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 has to come up with solutions to problems about which he knows nothing. A good training officer is able to place employees in positions which 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 had to work.
Training officers assist line management in identifying and solving performance problems of workers in industrial, commercial or government organisations 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 specialised 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 organisation performance.
Training and development managers supervise training. Increasingly, management recognises 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 organised most effectively for them.
Training specialists plan, organise, 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.