So, You Need Training?

Whether you need, or think you might need training, there are plenty of decisions and choices to ponder. So let's try and take some of the guesswork out of your decision, writes Alan Bradbury, Senior Adobe Certified Instructor, Soho Editors.

First up, why do you need training? There can be a lot of reasons for this; you might have been asked to go on a course by your boss, or handed a training manual by your supervisor and been asked to learn something. You might have asked your boss if you could go on a course, or asked if you could read that manual. Maybe your job role has changed or expanded? Perhaps you might lack confidence or feel out of your depth? You may be hoping to expand your skill set and improve your career chances. You could simply wish to learn the new version of some software you are already using. Lots of reasons there, so be sure you know your reason, as it will affect how you learn, as we shall see.
When you are sure you know the reason for your training, then you can look at the best way to approach it. Do you really need to spend money on a course? Could you simply 'Google' what you needed to learn? Is there a book or video you could buy on the subject? Alternatively, a friend or colleague might offer to teach you, or you could even just try to 'wing it' and learn as you go. Beyond the cost, there is also the time and the convenience to consider. So be sure to think carefully about how quickly you need to learn, the budget you have available to make that happen, where you want to learn and how long you wish to spend learning.
To help with all of this, let's examine some of those decisions you might make.
If it's a simple single task you have to do, then of course you might be able to simply 'Google it' and find out what you need to know, but needless to say, this is not going to be ideal for more complex training requirements.
A colleague training you on something is a cheap option, but it isn't a free option; nor is it always the best one either. Quite apart from the fact that theirs and your time is money, you should bear in mind that people with the knowledge you require and the skills necessary to be able to impart that information succinctly do not grow on trees and you would be fortunate indeed to have a colleague who can tick all of these boxes. If you do, then great, but be sure that you really do. The same goes for books and videos to some extent.
Some books and training videos are great, but it can be a time consuming process to study them and it would be miraculous indeed if you could ask a book or a video a question and have it answer that question for you, to clarify something you were not sure about. Although to be fair, there are occasionally some distance and e-learning courses that do offer email or web support. Winging it is of course another option, and many do, but those who do, will know that apart from often being an exercise in frustration, not to mention often a lengthy process, one can never really be sure either if one is doing things correctly, or if there is even a better way one might do something.
So this leaves us with courses you actually attend, of varying lengths and levels.
Courses will do what their agenda says they will do and you can ask questions of the person presenting the course. But one rather less obvious difference with such courses is that the pressure is no longer on you to learn, but on the trainer to teach you, since in most cases the trainer is evaluated on his results. This difference is not to be underestimated, since it can often be an anxious time when you have to learn something, thus anything which serves to remove that anxiety can only serve to make things easier.
It's also worth noting that attending such a course allows one to garner the enthusiasm a trainer will impart, which is usually a lot more fun than staring at page one of a great big thick text book or manual!
So, what if you do decide to go on a training course? They can be quite pricey and there are a lot of them around, so how do you decide which one to go for? What makes one better than another?
Well, you should examine such a course closely and above all, you should ask questions...

• Is the course accredited?
• Is the training centre accredited?
• Is the trainer accredited and experienced?
• Do you get support, and if you do, how extensive is it?
• Do you get training materials?
• How many hours is the course? There's a big difference in the amount of hours of training you'll get on a three day course which starts at 11:00 as opposed to one which starts earlier. The same applies to finishing times.
• How many people are on such a course? There's a big difference in how much personal attention you'll receive on a course with five people as opposed to one with thirty people.
• How convenient is it to get to?
• Do they provide refreshments?
• Can they provide recommendations or testimonials?

Any training centre worth attending will be happy to answer questions such as these, and if they are not, then ask yourself another question - why not? The answers you get can really help with the decision; it should be apparent, for example, that if a course starts early in the morning and finishes late in the day, and lasts maybe three or four days, that could mean as much as forty percent more training time over a course which starts later and finishes sooner, a point easily missed when people look at how much value for money they are getting!
Of course, you may find that you can train yourself, or be one of the lucky few who has a knowledgeable colleague with the willingness, time and ability to do a great job training you, but if not, then be sure you choose your course carefully. They aren't all the same.

The article is also available to read in BFV online.

(IT/JP)