Transitioning from HR to Soft Skills Training: How Can I Overcome Experience Barriers?

Hi,

I am an MBA in HR with 2+ years of experience as an HR generalist. However, I would like to transition into training and development, specifically soft skills and behavioral training. How can I enter this field when most companies require trainers with previous experience? Additionally, do I need to complete a certification course to become a certified trainer? Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

As an HR generalist, you have an idea of training, so that can serve as your experience. Also, there is a course you can do - Certified Training Practice (CTP) offered by the Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD) in the UK. You can visit their website for more info: [www.cipd.co.uk](http://www.cipd.co.uk).

My personal experience (on taking up a training profile) has been that if possible, one should experience the trainee side more often to understand where it hurts the most.

Being in an HR Generalist profile will help you understand many such things very easily. You need to observe HOW and WHY people behave the way they do. Behavioral training cannot be generalized for all types of people and applicable at all times. It needs to be custom-framed for each organization, considering the strong influence of the prevailing work culture and habits. To gain that understanding, one needs to spend a stable period in an organization, make observations, translate them into personal learning, step into others' shoes to empathize, identify job demands, recognize needs, and devise solutions accordingly. This solution should then be transformed into a training program that you can deliver because you have experienced the system rather than just copying solutions from the internet.

Summary:

1. Continue gaining experience in your field.
2. Observe behaviors.
3. Analyze HOW and WHY of behaviors.
4. Identify the solution.

Moreover, it is beneficial to obtain certification in training and development. One should also cultivate the skill of delivering training effectively.

Cheers

Hi Nandita,

For pursuing a career in training & development, you need to have experience. I do agree with Raj that you should attend as much training as you can. Then, try to find out the problems that general employees face. Watch how they work, behave, and react, etc.

Other than that, you can do a diploma course from ISTD (Indian Society for Training & Development) in Delhi. It provides distance courses in Training & Development and has more than 18 centers in India. This is the best government-recognized center for a diploma in training.

If you want to do any course, then don't waste your money on other institutes.

Hi,

To begin, find a mentor and engage in numerous free programs. This is the best way to start. Once you feel confident in your delivery, you can explore various diplomas, especially if your goal is to become a trainer. Avoid investing your time and money in any "train the trainer" programs at the outset. These programs will be more beneficial once you have gained experience in actual training sessions.

Regards