Train staff in core skills

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Research shows there has been a shift from training to learning and organisations are encouraging the individual learner to take more responsibility for his or her learning. Many training needs are obvious and emerge as a clear consequence of the nature of the business with the introduction of new systems, technology and processes.

The job of training and learning professionals is to deliver interventions in their organisation so that these categories of needs are met effectively. This requires good management of resources - time and money - and a good feel for the way that the organisation works. Many different players are responsible for driving and delivering people development so it is important that those with an overall responsibility for training build and maintain good relationships with these players.

It is important to work with those responsible for training to ensure that they have the skills to identify gaps in performance, can assess skills needed to help individuals make career progression and can link the training requirements to succession planning and the organisation's overall training strategy.

This really means encouraging workplace learning. In particular, it means a much bigger role for line managers in supporting their staff in their personal development. Nearly eight in ten organisations are also using coaching to support learning in the workplace and almost half of these are training line managers in coaching skills.

Full details of CIPD's latest research, 'People development in practice - the changing role of the trainer', and accompanying case studies can be found at: www.cipd.co.uk/helpingpeoplelearn.