Transitioning to HR: Seeking Advice on Soft Skills Training and Part-Time Opportunities in Mumbai

Hello everybody, I was working for about 15 years as an EA to senior directors. But now I am planning to switch my career into HR. Presently, I am pursuing my PGHR (last semester remaining) through correspondence. I am fairly strong in my communication skills (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills.

Soft Skills Training: A New Interest

Soft skills training seemed to be an area of interest. But I had certain queries which I list below and request your replies:

1. **Which reputed institutes in Mumbai offer such courses that could provide me with certification as a soft skills trainer?**

2. **What are the career prospects in today's industry in terms of demand vs. supply?**

3. **I have a small kid and hence cannot commit to a full-time job for at least a year. However, I am willing to acquire the necessary practical training and also undertake some part-time assignments to gain the required experience. Where and whom can I approach for the same?**

4. **Two institutes I approached for information on their TTT course mentioned that I could join them on a part-time basis after successfully completing the course. Their websites list different types of courses in which they provide training, such as personality development, communication, presentation skills, etc. However, I felt they are primarily focused on English language courses. This made me wonder whether these classes even have the required student enrollment to conduct the training. If someone knows, please enlighten me on the realistic picture of these institutes. Will joining them as a part-time trainer benefit me in the long run?**

I apologize for the long post, but I wanted to address most of my doubts in one post.

Regards,
Dhwani Rajagopal

Thank you for your detailed reply. Your blogs are very inspirational. Could you please recommend reputed private institutions that conduct TTT programs in Mumbai? Also, what would be the ideal content of a TTT module? In the meantime, I am also trying to get relevant information from ISTD.

Thanks,
Dhwani

Thank you both for your appreciative feedback about my blogs. I am glad that you find them very useful. Dhwani, I am afraid I would not be in a position to give you my recommendations about institutes providing a good TTT program in Mumbai because I have not had first-hand experience of the same, nor do I have any feedback from participants who have attended the same.

Key Components of an Effective TTT Program

In my view, an effective TTT should cover the following broad topics:

- Overview of training and the trainer's role and importance
- Skill sets and attitude of an effective trainer
- Training needs analysis
- Designing a training program and customizing it as per client needs
- Delivering an effective training session
- Designing a variety of training activities and effectively executing them
- Importance and relevance of debriefing after activities or exercises
- Managing and handling the audience and answering questions
- Evaluating the training

Best Wishes

I tried to hunt for reputed institutes that offer certification for TTT courses in Mumbai but hardly found any. The only one I found advertises a lot in leading newspapers and has many branches, but they have a fixed module (I wanted to learn more about content development). They claim to be a highly sought-after institute in BPO training and Spoken English. However, I have no way of getting any reviews on their program and the benefits afterward.

Then there is this trainer from a small, fairly new training and development enterprise who has offered to customize the course and provide one-on-one coaching. I tried to find information about this trainer and discovered that she had headed customer service and sales departments in reputed companies. What I appreciated about her was that she was upfront and did not paint a rosy picture like most institutes do. She mentioned that they only deal with SMEs and have a decent number of assignments, if not many. She also suggested that I could get associated with such institutes (including hers) on a freelance basis and start working on small assignments initially.

I do not want to pursue online courses.

My Query

Now, my query is - what should I do? I am confused. Please help. I do not want to learn just for the sake of obtaining a fancy certificate. I want to start working immediately, even if it's on a very small scale, and gradually gain the necessary exposure.

Regards

Thanks a lot for your advice. I too was planning to go ahead with the second strategy. I will definitely keep you posted. Regards and thanks once again for taking the time to read and advise fresh seekers like us.

In the last couple of months, I have been browsing Cite HR frequently. Most of the threads were found to be woefully short of details. Your thread began with a clear requirement, and it is unfortunate that you could not get satisfactory replies. Some very useful tips have been provided by Mr. B. Jacob, and I am glad that you have decided on a particular strategy. Can I add two more suggestions?

Exploring Soft Skills and TTT on Cite HR

In the field of soft skills and TTT, Cite HR offers a gamut of postings. If you type your query, you will be flooded with many threads on soft skills and TTT. Please go through them. As you go through, you will come across diversified views and finer details. DOs and Don'ts, presentations, quotes, etc., will put you straight away on an informal learning course. Your exposure to the subject and knowledge enrichment will start in right earnest without delay.

Searching for Consultants and Freelancers

If you go through another search, say for consultants and freelancers, you will get contact details. Many have posted their resumes. You can have a look at them to know from which institutes they got the additional qualification. So, in the coming one year, you can learn a lot by visiting Cite HR and also by contributing from your experience. So, this one year is a God-sent opportunity!

After nearly four decades of working in other fields, I am also an HR aspirant!

Best of Luck,

V. Raghunathan
Navi Mumbai