Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2024 - 31

I
often think the word " linear " simply means a straight
line, but it also refers to items in a sequence. While
some jobs do have a specific path for progression or
education (think: doctor, judge, architect), many careers do
not follow a sequence. It's less common for an employee
today to follow that straight line.
Although there are traditional training career paths, which
will be discussed in a moment, training careers can fall
into the nonlinear category. Training professionals often
make pivots and, to use a hiking term, take switchbacks
- whether intentional or not - along the way. This can
create a unique resume.
As Sheryl Sandberg, former chief operating officer of
Meta and founder of LeanIn stated, " If I had mapped out
my career ... I would have missed it. " Formal education
programs are a recent development to prepare
individuals for corporate training roles. Although K-12
programs have a long history of formal education
options, programs designed to train adults are still
evolving. Training programs now exist within a broader
human resources (HR) degree, but there are also
standalone programs related to educational leadership,
technology and learning design. However, not all training
professionals have formal training.
So, what are the possible roles within a training career?
I categorize them into four areas:
1. Instructional designer (ID): IDs use the source
material to design the content in an engaging, effective
final deliverable.
2. Facilitator or trainer: Trainers are the " face " of the
content and must understand how to transfer the
knowledge to the learner.
3. Support functions:
* Coordinators provide administrative support. They
may send out completion reports to managers
on assigned training, provide certificates to
learners or submit continuing education credits for
professional certifications.
* Analysts focus on the metrics and reporting that show
the value and return on investment (ROI) of training.
They work with raw data, usually gathered from
learning platforms.
* System administrators are in the systems (learning
management
system
(LMS)
or
the learning
experience platform (LXP)) every day, adding new
courses, uploading SCORM files and managing
registrations and cancellations.
4. Leaders (team lead, manager, director,
vice
president, chief learning officer): The leader in
a training function is responsible for the strategy,
thought leadership, team structure, direction,
budget, system selection/ownership and project
management of the team's output.
There could be any combination of these roles on
a team. There may be a combined ID/trainer role -
someone who designs the training and then delivers
it. Or there may be a manager who is also a facilitator.
Sketch out a career profile that
tells a comprehensive story.
Turn to the next page.
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - SPRING 2024 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
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Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2024