I used to be a member of a full-time training unit, with L&D manager and admin team.
Since then I’ve worked a variety of contracts with organisations that no longer maintain an L&D unit,
instead, they engage associates, contractors or outside events to deliver their training needs.
I don’t own a car any more but I’ll rent a car or a van depending on what’s needed when, and return it to the rental company. It feels like organisations are more likely to ‘rent and return’ a trainer for particular jobs now.
The huge change is that now there’s a wealth of online DIY learning opportunities – videos, podcasts instruction manuals and ebooks, webinars etc.
And subject matter experts (who, if they’re lucky, will get a train the trainer course) may be tasked with passing on their knowledge to their peers.
So are corporate trainers obsolete – or the concept of the trainer as full-time employee?
Will we all eventually be freelancers?