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Some people have said that a training consultant is a person who “trains the trainer, but this is far too simple a definition for a much more complex role.

It is not unusual to hear a training consultant called the one who trains the trainer. This touches on one part of the role of a training consultant. They often do train the people that will run the training departments of an organization. This is really only part of their job, however, and not the most important part of it.

A training consultant really helps develop the training program for the organization. In the business world each year almost 71 billion dollars is spent on training. As more and more business application demand complex IT, this figure is likely to increase. Training within an organization is geared for new employees, but it is also now needed more for long term employees as well. This is to fine tune skills or teach new ones in a changing environment or with the introduction of a new IT system.

The training consultant’s job is to give advice to the business training department on how to organize and structure this training to maximize its efficiency. The training consultant’s work involves much evaluation. If a training program is in place, the training consultant can evaluate how well it is working and if none exists, they can help plan what is needed. This function involves measurement of results. This ability to evaluate the effectiveness of training is very important to insure the best use of training dollars and man hours.

In some cases, training might not even be the best answer to a particular problem. The good training consultant can detect what training is unnecessary and as well as where an organization is deficient. The total evaluation of a training program covers everything from the course materials to the proficiency level of the actual instructors.

It is true that many training consultants train the trainers, but the field has expanded well beyond this. The increased demand for conformity in training and certification to establish levels of expertise has created a whole new area for training consultants. They are now required to see the big picture and must show the leadership to take training into the new era of the more highly skilled labor force. All the time in the world devoted to training is worthless unless the training accomplishes the goal of making the organization more efficient and profitable.

Aazdak Alisimo writes about issues surrounding training and the services provided by training consultants for ProfessionalTrainingConsultants.com.

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