| September 2006 |
| By Jeff Cohen |
How I Got Started
My first training job was coincidental: I was an IT project manager, and I went to a client to teach them how to operate our software. Five years later, that remains the most interesting trip I’ve ever taken. The client was a federal prison; the users were convicts trying to earn a buck and to establish job skills to use after release. That trip convinced me that I enjoy teaching what I know about computers to other people. After that, I moved into a typical helpdesk/client training position at a small software company. The nice part of that job was the mix – half of each month answering phone support calls, and the other half traveling across the U.S. to new clients, setting up software and teaching five days in a row for several weeks. I became a real road-warrior: suitcase always packed, frequent flier privileges and favorite hotel chains.
Technical Training at the Bank
Today, I work in a small bank (300 employees), and there are some very unique parts of this job. Although we have several international branches in Europe and Africa, all of our training is done in New York. I’ve unpacked my suitcase for now and I work hours that allow me to spend time with my children every evening. I am responsible for all of our technical training, but I work in the Human Resources department, because that is where our learning area is based. Our HR department actually helps the employees and looks after them in their career development.
My favorite part of work is classroom instruction. I conduct new-hire tech orientation every two weeks, to teach new staff how to use Outlook and navigate our Intranet. I teach tellers how to make deposits, withdrawals, transfers and cash advances. I have a whole new appreciation for where my cash and checks go after I drop them into the bank. I’ve learned a lot about credit cards and mortgages, because I’ve taught that software to our staff. My most popular class is the series on Excel – everybody in our bank uses Excel but everyone learns something new in every class.
I’ve also developed e-learning programs for Information Security and I am currently working with our soft-skills trainer on developing custom e-learning for some of our business skills classes.
Most months, I teach six days and work at my desk for the remainder. My job involves writing user documentation, and I use MS Word constantly. I use an online survey tool to measure the effectiveness of our classes, and report the results to management. I use an HRIS (Human Resources Information System) to track course attendance and e-learning completion. I chase after people that haven’t completed required training and send certificates to people that complete optional training.
I coordinate the training facilities for our in-house training and for visiting vendors. I send individuals to outside training companies for more specialized training. Finally, helpdesk tickets involving a software question that the technicians cannot answer are routed to me, and I try my best to impress the IT staff, who wonder why I don’t work in their department.
Impact on the Company Culture
Our bank invests a lot of time and money into learning and development, both soft-skills and tech training. We have three people (out of three hundred) devoted completely to training. The advantage is customized training for each department in the bank. Practice examples make sense to the students, because they come from real life. A loan officer gets different training than a call center representative. The hard part is that people are often too busy to attend training, and don’t take advantage of career development that we offer them for free on company time.
The Future of Tech Training
My next goal is to move into new technologies for e-learning. There are two types: synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous e-learning is a virtual classroom, where students all over the globe can see and hear the instructor and each other via internet connections. The class is at a traditional pace, except for the challenge of keeping students engaged without seeing them or knowing if they are goofing off. Asynchronous e-learning is an online course that students complete at their own pace: sometimes interactive, sometimes just a slide show with an exam at the end. Like all forms of education, these courses need a lot of skill to develop so that students can get the maximum benefit, even if they aren’t near an instructor.
Although I haven’t gotten a Masters degree in educational methodology, I hope to some day. Course development and training involve more than putting words into a manual and standing in front of a classroom. Each student has a different way of learning: some are visual, some like to read, some learn by listening and others by practicing. Reaching all of these students through an online course or classroom session is the biggest challenge of a very rewarding career.
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