Page 93 - Learning-while-working-Success-stories-on-workplace-learning-in-Europe
P. 93

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
   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98