Tick box training isn't enough

I was once asked to advise on a situation where a member of staff had been assaulted in a residential childcare setting. She was suing her employers for failing to protect her. 

In their defence, her employers claimed that they had provided handling aggression training and that this should have been enough to protect her from harm. 

I would certainly agree that training was a step in the right direction, but to my mind it was not enough on its own. There had been no discussion of the issues in supervision or a team meeting, no opportunities to practise the techniques taught and therefore no consolidation of the learning. Without any such consolidation, the understanding gained can very quickly fade, reducing the training event to an expensive waste of time and money. And, as in this case, it can leave the member less than adequately equipped to rise to the challenges of the job.

After spending over 30 years providing training services, I am well aware that high-quality, well-targeted training can play a significant role in promoting learning and improving the quality of practice (and, importantly, boosting confidence). But it has to be recognised that it is part of a much bigger process that includes opportunities to consolidate that learning by embedding it in real-life practice. 

In the e-learning courses I have been developing in recent years, I highlight the need for blended learning. I make the point that learning resources need to be supplemented by opportunities to explore the issues and relate them directly to the specific practice context the participant is currently working in. 

What is also important is having a culture that not only supports, encourages and values learning, but also expects it. I have long been of the opinion that anyone who is not learning is not doing their job properly – learning needs to be seen as a core requirement for their professional role and not an optional extra. As professionals, we should be committed to doing the best job possible (albeit in very difficult circumstances much of the time), rather than settling for just good enough. That means taking the opportunity to learn and improve wherever we can. 

Sadly, I have come across many organisations who seem to assume that if they are providing training, they are fulfilling their duties by ticking that particular box. Whether the training actually makes any difference in terms of improved outcomes is clearly a matter of little or no concern to some managers. This reflects – and contributes to – a culture that is not tuned in to learning.

Thankfully, I have also come across a lot of people who fully appreciate the importance of learning. They understand that learning can not only produce better practice and improved outcomes, but also boost confidence and morale, help to keep stress and burnout at bay, increase job satisfaction and a sense of professional pride, encourage creativity and innovation, provide a firmer basis for teamwork, reduce sickness absence and staff turnover and thereby make working life a more pleasant and fulfilling experience. 

What needs to be remembered here is that this is not just about training – it is about learning. Training should be the icing on the cake when it comes to learning – most learning should come from genuinely reflective practice, reflective supervision and the benefits of being part of a  culture drawing out the lessons from actual practice.

In these days of staff shortages and recruitment and retention difficulties, a learning culture can be an invaluable advantage. People are more likely to stay where they feel they are being sufficiently well supported and valued to have their learning and development needs not only recognised but also addressed. Also, a learning culture can be a big draw to recruiting the best candidates: if people know that they are likely to be properly supported in their efforts to learn grow, develop and flourish, they are much more likely to see a vacancy as an attractive opportunity worth considering seriously.

By the same token, an employing organisation that has a reputation for paying little or no attention to learning is going to be a big turn off for potential applicants and a reason to start looking for other opportunities for those already in post.

Dr Neil Thompson is an independent writer and developer of e-learning resources and a visiting professor at the Open University. Details of his books and online learning subscription service can be found at www.NeilThompson.info