Looking at the Environment:

Trainer Profile

The person(s) responsible for leading the training session may go by any one of a number of names: teacher, instructor, professor, trainer, etc. While it’s important to know what this individual will be called, for the purposes of this document this person will be referred to as a trainer.

Trainer(s) for a program are an important part of the learning environment. When hiring or selecting trainers for a course or program, consider the following questions:

1. Expectations of the learner audience

What kinds of trainers will the learners be expecting? Experienced adult educators? School teachers? Technical professionals? Male or female, young(er) or old(er)?
Determine the community’s most recent experience with adult training. On the whole, was the experience positive or negative?

2. Preferred subject matter expertise

In which field(s) should the trainer have considerable expertise?
What minimum background is required?

3. Preferred (or required) language facility

Must the trainer be fluent in the language understood by the learner audience?
If not, will a translator be adequate and available?

4. Preferred formal education

Are the educational credentials of the trainer important to this learner audience? If so, what breadth and depth of formal education is preferred?
What minimum formal education is required by the training contract?

5. Preferred training experience

How important is it that the trainer have recent and/or extensive experience as a trainer?
How important is it that the trainer have past experience with this (or a similar) learner audience?
If the training must be delivered remotely, what experience does the trainer have with online delivery?

6. Preferred soft-skills strengths

What soft-skills (empathy, patience, flexibility, good listening skills etc.) are required?

7. Required trainer support

If the available trainer(s) lack subject matter expertise, training experience, language facility or soft skills, how will s/he be supported in this teaching assignment?

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