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In-company trainers as key drivers of quality 87
constraints and preferences for organising training according to company size
need to be taken into consideration. Small businesses place a higher value
in a learning environment that makes direct interpersonal contact possible,
where learning is embedded in the working setting and tasks, which could
be secured through blended learning (Cedefop, 2009b, p. 57).
7.5. Raising the quality of in-company training
In most European Union Member States, possessing a formal qualification is
not a requirement for becoming a trainer in an enterprise, though mandatory
qualification will occur in certain sectors, particularly where health and
safety regulations are prominent. Some countries have established quality
standards for training providers that might affect the qualification requirements
of full-time trainers and training consultants and raise current standards of
practice by establishing clear competence criteria. Professional standards,
accreditation systems and registers of training practitioners contribute
to raising the status of in-company trainers and aiming to ensure quality
training in companies.
The potential benefits associated with nationally agreed or sector-specific
core competences for trainers are:
(a) identifying a legitimate set of core competences that provide the ground
for delineating continuing training programmes for trainers;
b) setting reference lines for the self-assessment of professional effective-
ness and identifying professional development needs;
c) establishing competence-based recruitment processes for trainers and
for contracting training providers;
d) setting the ground for validating and recognising learning acquired
on-the-job;
e) professionalising further training providers through benchmarks for
assessing performance and prioritising areas for individual trainer and
institution development;
f) contributing to the long-term quality of training and ensuring a maximum
return on training investment;
g) improving the visibility and the professional identity of trainers and
opening career progression routes (Volmari et al., 2009; Cedefop,
2010c).
Since many in-company trainers have developed their training competences
on-the-job, the validation of prior learning has been integrated in certification