In-house employee training programs are commonplace in today’s maritime industry. These programs use a variety of tools and techniques to deliver necessary training. One popular approach is “train-the-trainer” programs, in which in-house trainers maintain their primary and supervisory duties while conducting additional training for other employees. Most of the training material requires the in-house trainer to be trained by the company before training others.
On the surface, these programs seem like a simple and cost-effective approach. Through my experience, however, I have seen pitfalls and mistakes that can limit their success.
Here are three potential pitfalls and how to avoid them:
Be selective when choosing trainers: Make sure your trainer has the right personality to deliver quality. Not all mariners are good trainers. Some of the best boat handlers have the worst bedside manner, so it’s especially important to identify the right representatives of the company’s training goals. Make sure your trainers are competent and willing participants. If you mandate that all supervisors perform the training, be aware that you’re putting trust in all of those trainers to conduct the training properly, precisely, and to the level the company requires.
Ensure proper knowledge: Make sure your trainers are confident in the material they’re asked to teach. Certain vessel training is tied directly to vessel safety and boat drills, which is standard duty of the position and outside the scope of some train-the-trainer programs. In some cases, your trainers may be asked to provide subject matter outside their expertise. This can be tricky, so recognize the limits of your trainers. It’s not fair to expect them to become experts on material they may have only recently learned themselves.
Design incentives carefully: Make sure incentive programs are not the main purpose for participation but instead a way to recognize trainers for their efforts (and sometimes frustration) in providing the material thoroughly and comprehensively. Additional training duties should have incentives tied to them, but design incentive programs based on results, not just the number of employees trained or topics covered. Training incentive programs should be part of a larger incentive program tied to long-term success.
Remember, training and teaching are not for everyone. We often speak of how complacency kills when discussing safety. That same concern applies to training, so monitor your train-the-trainer program closely. Individual trainers may have a larger impact on your company’s success than you realize.
