A training manager is in charge of a company’s ongoing training and educational programs. The initial training programs for new employees, as well as ongoing staff training and education, are common responsibilities for training managers. In many cases, a training manager is also in charge of establishing benchmarks for evaluating the effectiveness of the company’s educational programs, as well as policies for accepting and paying for third-party training courses. In addition, those in training management are in charge of identifying industry trends and regulatory compliance issues that necessitate employee training and retraining.
While not all employers require new hires to complete a standardized training program, many do. A training manager collaborates with supervisors, managers, and key employees to create and implement training programs that help new hires learn their jobs and, ideally, the industry in which they work quickly. In addition to training specific to an employee’s job responsibilities, the company may also provide general policy and procedure training. While many businesses have an employee handbook that outlines employee rights and responsibilities as well as specific policies, the company may also develop an assessment program to see if the employee truly understands the company’s standards.
A training manager may be in charge of identifying the need for additional education and training within an organization in some cases. This person can seek out educational resources for employees to address these deficits working with management and listening to their concerns about areas where employees are underperforming. The training manager, for example, might suggest to management that some employees be required to take specific continuing education courses or attend seminars at industry conventions. If it appears that such education has become the industry standard, some employees may be asked to return to higher education, including graduate school.
Many companies provide tuition reimbursement to their employees. A company training manager may be in charge of overseeing such a program in some cases. This person may be required to develop criteria for determining whether or not a particular educational course or program complies with the company’s tuition reimbursement policies. The percentage of reimbursement allowed under the program, as well as establishing minimum performance standards, may be other areas of concern. Depending on the employer’s reimbursement goals, the training manager may also decide to limit the subject matter of reimbursable educational courses, such as limiting them to industry-specific topics or allowing a wide range of courses.