Learning or Training

In the Winter 2011 edition of IT Now Jooli Atkins, Chair of the Learning and Development SG, discusses the perceived differences between these two terms and makes some very good points along the way.

She applies definitions as follows:

Learning describes what we are there to achieve. Training is one way in which we can achieve it.

Our role as learning and development professionals is to facilitate learning, to create an environment in which people can learn, whether that is in the classroom or online.

My favourite part of her article is where Jooli highlights the fact that learning is voluntary, we have no control over whether or not people learn. All we can do is to try to ensure that they have access to the right learning material at the right time and for the right reasons, and that is what we should focus on. I like this because I often encounter delegates who do not fully appreciate why they have been sent on training courses, and rather than pay attention to me they would rather spend their time reading their emails or texting their mates.

The other aspect of Jooli’s article that struck a chord was where she discusses the place that IT Training occupies in an organisation, as perceived by the Learning and Development department and the IT department. The former often do not see IT Training as something that they do and the latter do not see training as something that they do.

As IT Trainers Jooli suggests that we should shout more about the benefits that we can bring to organisations by making a difference in the way that IT and computing are used, rather than worrying about which department we are part of.

Interestingly, the next article in IT Now discusses the use of ITIL across organisations. One of the early points raised in the article is that “the shortest route to productivity lies with ensuring the workforce is capable of using the technology to its full potential”. Most of the clients that I have been involved with have made a significant investment in ensuring that their staff know how to use the latest version of Project Server or SharePoint that we have configured for them. However, there have been a few examples where this has not been the case, or the new technology has not received the full support and backing of senior management and the new tools have not been used to their full potential.