Corporate trainer

A corporate trainer is a skilled professional who specializes in delivering effective training and development programs to employees within an organization. Corporate trainers play a vital role in enhancing employee skills, knowledge, and performance, thereby contributing to the achievement of business goals and objectives. They create engaging and impactful training experiences that empower employees to excel in their roles and contribute to the overall success of the company.

Corporate trainers typically do the following tasks:

• Collaborate with department heads and senior management to identify training needs and objectives.
• Design, develop, and customize training programs to address specific skill gaps, job roles, and organizational goals.
• Create training materials, presentations, e-learning modules, and interactive activities to facilitate learning.
• Deliver training sessions through various methods, including in-person workshops, virtual sessions, webinars, and self-paced courses.
• Adapt training content and delivery methods to cater to different learning styles and preferences.
• Provide engaging and interactive training experiences that encourage active participation and knowledge retention.
• Foster a positive and inclusive learning environment that motivates employees to learn and develop.
• Incorporate real-world examples, case studies, and practical exercises to make training relevant and applicable.
• Monitor and evaluate training sessions to assess participant engagement and understanding.
• Collect and analyze feedback from training participants to continuously improve training content and delivery.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts and stakeholders to ensure training content is accurate and up to date.
• Stay informed about industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies in training and development.
• Assist employees in creating personalized development plans to support their professional growth.
• Provide one-on-one coaching and support to employees seeking additional guidance.
• Collaborate with internal trainers and facilitators to maintain consistency in training delivery.
• Collaborate with training managers to align training initiatives with organizational objectives.
• Maintain training records, attendance, and evaluations for reporting and compliance purposes.
• Continuously enhance personal knowledge and skills in instructional design and training techniques.

The following job titles also refer to corporate trainer:

in-company trainer
skills development coach
workplace training specialist
professional development coach
corporate education professional
trainer in corporate sector
trainer of corporate employees
corporate training specialist
skill development trainer
skill development coach
corporate professional trainer
educational planner

Corporate trainers typically work in office settings and conduct training sessions on-site or through virtual platforms. They interact with employees from various departments and levels within the organization. The work may involve flexibility in working hours to accommodate training schedules and employee availability.

A bachelor’s degree in human resources, education, business, or a related field is common for corporate trainer roles. Strong communication and presentation skills are essential, along with a solid understanding of adult learning principles. Previous experience in training delivery, public speaking, or related roles is valuable. Professional certifications in training and development, such as Certified Professional Trainer (CPT) or Training and Development Specialist (TDS), can enhance a corporate trainer’s credentials.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Corporate trainer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to corporate trainer.

business coach
further education teacher
corporate training manager
digital literacy teacher
public speaking coach

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of corporate trainer.

• Assessment processes: Various evaluation techniques, theories, and tools applicable in the assessment of students, participants in a programme, and employees. Different assessment strategies such as initial, formative, summative and self- assessment are used for varying purposes.
• Training subject expertise: The topic, content and methods of the training, acquired by doing research and following training courses.
• Adult education: Instruction targeted at adult students, both in a recreational and in an academic context, for self-improvement purposes, or to better equip the students for the labour market.
• Curriculum objectives: The goals identified in curricula and defined learning outcomes.

These skills are necessary for the role of corporate trainer.

• Coach employees: Maintain and improve employees’ performance by coaching individuals or groups how to optimise specific methods, skills or abilities, using adapted coaching styles and methods. Tutor newly recruited employees and assist them in the learning of new business systems.
• Use a computer: Utilise computer equipment or digital devices to facilitate quality control, data management, and communication. Follow instructions given by a computer programme, create computer files or documents.
• Prepare lesson content: Prepare content to be taught in class in accordance with curriculum objectives by drafting exercises, researching up-to-date examples etc.
• Monitor developments in field of expertise: Keep up with new research, regulations, and other significant changes, labour market related or otherwise, occurring within the field of specialisation.
• Apply teaching strategies: Employ various approaches, learning styles, and channels to instruct students, such as communicating content in terms they can understand, organising talking points for clarity, and repeating arguments when necessary. Use a wide range of teaching devices and methodologies appropriate to the class content, the learners’ level, goals, and priorities.
• Adapt teaching to target group: Instruct students in the most fitting manner in regards to the teaching context or the age group, such as a formal versus an informal teaching context, and teaching peers as opposed to children.
• Demonstrate when teaching: Present to others examples of your experience, skills, and competences that are appropriate to specific learning content to help students in their learning.
• Adapt instruction to labour market: Identify developments in the labour market and recognise their relevance to the training of students.
• Give constructive feedback: Provide founded feedback through both criticism and praise in a respectful, clear, and consistent manner. Highlight achievements as well as mistakes and set up methods of formative assessment to evaluate work.
• Teach corporate skills: Teach the skills necessary for operating in an organisation to the employees of an institution. Educate them on general or technical skills, ranging from computer skills to interpersonal skills.
• Provide lesson materials: Ensure that the necessary materials for teaching a class, such as visual aids, are prepared, up-to-date, and present in the instruction space.
• Apply intercultural teaching strategies: Ensure that the content, methods, materials and the general learning experience is inclusive for all students and takes into account the expectations and experiences of learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. Explore individual and social stereotypes and develop cross-cultural teaching strategies.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of corporate trainer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Customer service: Processes and principles related to the customer, client, service user and to personal services; these may include procedures to evaluate customer’s or service user’s satisfaction.
• Communication: Exchanging and conveying information, ideas, concepts, thoughts, and feelings through the use of a shared system of words, signs, and semiotic rules via a medium.
• Organisational policies: The policies to achieve set of goals and targets regarding the development and maintenance of an organisation.
• Financial management: The field of finance that concerns the practical process analysis and tools for designating financial resources. It encompasses the structure of businesses, the investment sources, and the value increase of corporations due to managerial decision-making.
• Marketing management: The academic discipline and function in an organisation which focuses on the market research, market development, and the creation of marketing campaigns to raise awareness on the company’s services and products.
• Project management: Understand project management and the activities which comprise this area. Know the variables implied in project management such as time, resources, requirements, deadlines, and responding to unexpected events.
• Teamwork principles: The cooperation between people characterised by a unified commitment to achieving a given goal, participating equally, maintaining open communication, facilitating effective usage of ideas etc.
• Conflict management: The practices concerning the resolution of conflicts or disputes in an organisation or institution. It encompasses reducing the negative aspects of a conflict and increasing the positive outcomes of it by learning from the errors made.
• Leadership principles: Set of traits and values which guide the actions of a leader with her/his employees and the company and provide direction throughout her/his career. These principles are also an important tool for self-evaluation to identify strengths and weaknesses, and seek self-improvement.
• Human resource management: The function in an organisation concerned with the recruitment of employees and the optimisation of employee performance.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of corporate trainer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Deliver online training: Provide training by using online technologies, adapting the learning materials, using e-learning methods and communicating online. Instruct virtual classrooms.
• Develop a coaching style: Develop a style for coaching individuals or groups that ensures all participants are at ease, and are able to acquire the necessary skills and competences provided in the coaching in a positive and productive manner.
• Observe student’s progress: Follow up on students’ learning progress and assess their achievements and needs.
• Teach public speaking principles: Instruct clients or students in the theory and practice of speaking in front of an audience in a captivating manner. Provide coaching in public speaking subjects, such as diction, breathing techniques, analysis of the space, and speech research and preparation.
• Promote education course: Advertise and market the programme or class to potential students and the education organisation with the aim of maximising registration numbers and allocated budget.
• Advise on efficiency improvements: Analyse information and details of processes and products in order to advise on possible efficiency improvements that could be implemented and would signify a better use of resources.
• Keep personal administration: File and organise personal administration documents comprehensively.
• Work with virtual learning environments: Incorporate the use of online learning environments and platforms into the process of instruction.
• Teach digital literacy: Instruct students in the theory and practice of (basic) digital and computer competency, such as typing efficiently, working with basic online technologies, and checking email. This also includes coaching students in the proper use of computer hardware equipment and software programmes.

2424 – Training and staff development professionals

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References

1. Corporate trainer – ESCO
2. Training and Development Specialists : Occupational Outlook Handbook – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. How to Become a Corporate Trainer? | Indeed.com
4. Featured image: Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash