Training Design

Ability to design the training by combining theoretical and practical parts

One of the most important things to have clear when being an in-company tutor is the training path that is going to be followed.

In this sense, the in-company tutor needs to be able to create and provide a training programme that is in line with the requirements of the apprenticeship and fosters the implementation of theoretical knowledge in a practical environment as it is the company.

To achieve this, the in-company tutor will need to develop the training programme for the apprentice, according to the requirements of the company, but also bearing in mind it is focused on the working process of the company. This means, the plan needs to be actually useful for the apprentice when it comes to working in the specific company, not just a general idea of what “working” is. The plan should match the specific actions that the apprentice will be performing as part of the apprenticeship with the specific knowledge that may have been previously acquired. A good example is, for example, including in the training design content related to exporting. If the company where the apprentice is going to work is a fruit company, delivering a training focused on the exporting of objects and not food will not be useful.

As mentioned, the training should always combine theory and practice, making sure they are based on one another; most of the times, the apprentice will not be able to make a practical exercise without learning about the theory first, but until the apprentice has not carried out the practical activity, the theory will not be fully understood.

It is also relevant when designing the training to take into account the need to collaborate with the sending organization. This will facilitate the understanding of the academic content that the student has previously received, avoiding potential repetitions or gaps between the current knowledge of the student and the expectations of the tutor. (Cámara de Comercio, Industria y Servicios Zaragoza, 2015)

Exercise: Design the training programme

In the following exercise, you can see an example of training programme for our sample company, FOODCOM. Take a look at it and evaluate if, according to your opinion, there is a correct combination of learning and practice in it. (Generalitat Valenciana, N/D)

Once you have evaluated the example of training programme, you can discuss with the group and see if all of you came up with the same conclusions.

Which parts of the programme would you change? Do you think there is anything missing in the training programme?

Exercise: Training programme example
CONTENT
PROCESS Detection of user demands and needs. Elaboration of export proposals. Classification of export options. Market selection. Application of input market analysis techniques. Control of work e-mail. Implementation of auxiliary techniques in the department. Combination of techniques for the elaboration of market research.	ATTITUDE Attendance and punctuality. Compliance with safety standards at work. Respect and correct treatment. Responsibility. Adequate execution of the different types of tasks entrusted.
METHODOLOGY
The methodology should be focused on the way the company works. The company’s trainer or his colleagues or assistants should show the activity to be carried out and the methods, techniques, equipment and material to execute it, and let the student check on his own how the task to be performed is executed. In each activity, the student must dedicate enough time to be able to finish it properly and for a reasonable length of time until it can “master” that task.
COORDINATION
The communication channels between the company’s instructor and the Dual Vocational Training tutor at the educational centre will not be necessary. The company is not obliged to collaborate with the educational centre to carry out the follow-up of each of the students. The company’s instructor will issue a weekly report and a final report for each student where the activities carried out by them will be shown together with their assessments.
CONTENT DISTRIBUTION
Many of the contents will be worked on simultaneously, so it is difficult to detail a specific time frame in which specific hours or dates are allocated to master a particular task, so that the student is progressively integrated into all the activities that the company develops, acquiring the necessary skill to be able to perform these activities independently.

Discussion topic

Apart from discussing the results of the previous exercise, another interesting point of discussion in this skill could be the following:

Is it really necessary to provide a combined training of practice and theory?

Ability to choose relevant content and methodology

Still talking about the training programme to be developed, another important question to be made by the in-company tutor is the training methodology that is going to be followed. (Cámara de Comercio, Industria y Servicios Zaragoza, 2015)

An interesting methodology to follow is called the “Four step method”. It is based in four actions:

1. PREPARE

The first step comes by preparing yourself. You should gather information about the apprentice, in order to learn about the previous experience and knowledge, and to set which skills are already owned. Through this preparation, you will avoid making “useless work”, because you will not repeat training parts the apprentice is already familiar with, and you will not provide a training impossible to understand because the apprentice does not have the required background.

Of course, when talking about preparation it is also included the work location. You should have a space ready for the apprentice, making sure all materials that may be needed are available. Another interesting way of preparing yourself as in-company tutor is to divide the training programme in small, simple steps, and to test yourself said steps, to make sure they are understandable.

2. DEMONSTRATE

The second step in the methodology is to demonstrate the apprentice the whole activity. By this we mean, it is important to show the apprentice, on a real-time basis, which is the exact activity they are going to do, going through all the steps included in it, just like any professional would do it.  With this, you are demonstrating the apprentice what is expected they will end up being able to do, and you are also giving them a practical class so that they have a guide when doing it.

This demonstration should be done in two phases: first, doing the whole think like any staff member, going through the steps one after the other, so that the trainee can see the thing as a whole. And later, dividing the process in little steps, showing the apprentice how are they done, explaining why it is done that way, and answering any potential questions. This is especially relevant if there are any activities in which labour security is important.

3. IMITATE

In the third step, imitate, the apprentice will carry out the activity that has been shown in the previous step. The trainer should be next to the apprentice, supervising the activity but without making any comments, and intervening only if absolutely necessary (for example, if the apprentice does not know how to continue, or if you feel his safety may be endangered). However, when intervening, it is important to only give instructions to the apprentice and let him be the one to carry them out, instead of taking over. Also, you should not reprimand the apprentice, remember they are learning!

When the apprentice is “imitating” the work done in this step of the methodology, it is also very useful to make them explain what they are doing. This way, you will make sure they are understanding the process, not just copying something they had seen, which in turn will assure they are able to do it well in the future. If the comments or explanations do not seem like enough, you can ask the student to dig deeper on it, but only if it is necessary.

Once the apprentice has finished, you should explain which things could have been done in a better way, or in a different way. And finally, the apprentice will repeat the process again, without stopping and without commenting, like any other staff member would do. Anyway, once you reach this last part of step three, remember that most probably the apprentice will not do a perfect job, or a fast enough job. After all, they are learning!

4. PRACTICE

The last step, practice, comes with you stepping aside and letting the apprentice try out by himself. If they are doing the work alone, they will feel “pressured” to do it by themselves, and this way they will increase their security and independence in the work. You should remain available for the trainee to ask you questions and solve doubts, but not directly next to him.

Still, not being next to the apprentice does not mean not supervising the work done.  You should make sure the work is being done properly, correcting the apprentice if necessary, and trying to avoid mistakes. Anyway, as previously said, do not reprimand the apprentice, your comments should always be constructive!

To finalise the methodology, make sure to talk to the apprentice and analyse the work they have done, asking them if they believe they have learnt everything needed, and if they think there is anything that should have been better or differently explained.

Anyway, selecting a methodology that is relevant for your needs means that maybe not all things will work well in all situations. If this methodology works for you, that’s great! But if not, do not hesitate to look for alternative methods that will ensure the trainee is learning the adequate content required, and getting the expected practice.

Exercise: Filling your Methodology

Now that we have gone through the Four-step Methodology theory, we can give it a try and see how it would work on real life! In the following exercise, you should fill in the template of the methodology with information that would be useful in your own, personal case.

Just in case, we have set some examples based on our FOODCOM example from previous units of this module. Once you finish, you can discuss with the rest of the group the way you filled each of the steps in the methodology; maybe they give you some ideas that could work for your company as well!

Exercise: Four-step Methodology

1. PREPARE

Example: produce a list of the activities that the apprentice will have to do. Gather some information about food industry for the apprentice.

2. DEMONSTRATE

Example: show the apprentice how to carry out a market research in a new country, step by step.

3. IMITATE

Example: let the apprentice carry out the market research in a different country from the one you showed, by himself, but standing next to him just in case.

4. PRACTICE

Example: the apprentice will carry out a complete market research without you by his side.

Discussion topic

Apart from discussing the results of the previous exercise, another interesting point of discussion in this skill could be the following:

Do your think the Four-Step Methodology is useful for all apprenticeship cases? What would you do different? Would you add/remove any of the steps?

Ability to design a training program based on learning needs of apprentices

When we are talking about WBL programmes or apprenticeship programmes, one of the main things to bear in mind is that they are always focused on assuring the apprentice is getting a training that is coherent with their studies and future professional career. This means, they are usually centred on the learning needs of the apprentice and the professional needs of the company. Usually, when carrying out an apprenticeship program, the in-company tutor will be closely in touch with the academic tutor to make sure the apprentice who is going to participate effectively applies for the role required, but also to ensure the theory and the practice learnt will be connected and reciprocal.

However, once the apprentice is clear, the relation with the academic tutor is clear, and the content is clear, as in-company tutor you need to remember one thing: each person is a world. This means, not everyone learns the same way, and most probably the apprentice you have by your side on year 1 will have nothing to do with the apprentice on year 2. Bearing this in mind, the programme created for an apprenticeship should always be personalised to trainees, making sure it takes into account different aspects:

• The actual knowledge of the trainee: the theoretical and practical knowledge already owned by the trainee always need to be taken into account, otherwise as mentioned in previous parts of this module you may end up giving repeated information.
• Avoid generic knowledge: generic knowledge is usually known knowledge. This means, some apprentices will already know those generic things you are thinking of including in the programme. If they are not mandatory or essential, avoid them.
• Make sure to actually check what the apprentice is doing in the academic centre: this way you will realise in which areas you do not need dig deeper, and which areas are in much need of digging.

Anyway, at the end it all comes down to one thing: make sure the programme provided is personalized to trainees, avoiding providing generic knowledge that some apprentices may already have. Some interesting ways to do so are, for example, the use of specific tests to evaluate the actual knowledge of the trainee, or the creation of a case scenario in which the trainee has to go through all the steps in a specific work of the company.

Exercise: Looking for programme flaws

The following exercise shows different cases of training programmes for apprenticeship done in companies. For each of them, you can discuss with the group if you believe they took into account the needs of the apprentices, and which things could have been improved.

Discussion topic

Apart from discussing the results of the previous exercise, another interesting point of discussion in this skill could be the following:

Should the programmes produced by in-company tutors be based on the needs of the apprentices, or solely on the needs of the companies?