Reply to: Would you train your key skills to a permanent staff

[LondonManc]

I agree with this, and I consider an add value for the client and for us.
We can't handle everything in "our back", and could end in a disaster.

What does that mean?

[Bee]

I've always handed knowledge over. Never done me any harm at all. You are not indespensible. If you behave as though you are, expect short contracts.

I agree with this, and I consider an add value for the client and for us.
We can't handle everything in "our back", and could end in a disaster.

[NickFitz]

I think I may have found a flaw in the plan.

Yeah, I got out of it as soon as I could in favour of working full-time in assembly language

[WTFH]

I don't think even knowing what you are doing is a key requirement. Training is a skill in itself... Its one thing to help the bloke across the desk a bit with understanding something. Quite another to hold formal training.

Yes, training is a skill and a very useful one. Being a good trainer does not mean you fully understand the subject matter, but that you can present it in a way that others can learn.


My comments were referring more to the OP's first post.

[Chuck]

it's basically empathy, communication, and people skills.

I think I may have found a flaw in the plan.

[dx4100]

If you're not that good at your claimed skill set, do NOT train the Client. They will pick up your failings very quickly - either in the training sessions or shortly after when they start to examine what you've done.


If you do know what you're doing, then train them in what they need to know for them to be useful where they are. Do a good job at that and you'll be invited back for the tough stuff.

I don't think even knowing what you are doing is a key requirement. Training is a skill in itself... Its one thing to help the bloke across the desk a bit with understanding something. Quite another to hold formal training.

I stay well clear of any gig that says - mentor junior staff. As well as it sounding like a permie job, its not something I want to do be doing as it basically means train my staff.

[WTFH]

If you're not that good at your claimed skill set, do NOT train the Client. They will pick up your failings very quickly - either in the training sessions or shortly after when they start to examine what you've done.


If you do know what you're doing, then train them in what they need to know for them to be useful where they are. Do a good job at that and you'll be invited back for the tough stuff.


The attitude of "I won't train someone else to do my job" is a permie one.
You want to be a contractor? Do your best to work yourself OUT of a job by delivering working solutions, properly documented, that you can walk away from.
People lower down the food chain can then do that stuff while you move on to the more difficult/higher value work. When you are doing higher value work, you get to invoice at a higher rate.

[LondonManc]

I did that (or something very similar) back in the 1980s, and it doesn't seem to have changed much. The most important components are:

1. Level 1 Job Analysis - break the job down into individual tasks (what to do);
   
   
2. Level 2 Job Analysis - for each output of Level 1, break the task down into a series of simple steps (how to do it).

You make the Level 2 stuff as detailed as you can imagine; one of the example documents we had was the task of slicing lemons for use in a bar, and rather than just saying "slice the lemon" it was "pick up the knife by the handle; place the sharp side of the knife on the top of the lemon" levels of detail. This is because of one of the other key points: no matter how blindingly obvious something may be, there will inevitably be a trainee at some point who doesn't know about it, and for whatever reason can't work it out for themselves.

And that's really what the rest of the course is about: how to present this stuff to people who struggle to cope, or who maybe don't even care that much, in such a way that it sticks. Once you have the structured training materials you've generated with the Level 1 and Level 2 analyses, it's basically empathy, communication, and people skills.

It was a pretty interesting course, though I've never really made use of it since I moved on from the government-funded training centre I was, very briefly, working in at the time. But it was the sole benefit I ever derived from a policy of the government of the day, so thanks Maggie

No doubt about it. In the late 90s I saw a user tapping the screen with the mouse. When the trainer asked why, the reply was "you told me to click the icon with the mouse"....

Nearly beat the Tippex on the screen in the early 90s

[NickFitz]

Go on a course on how to deliver training courses - something like this -> Train the Trainer Instructional Techniques - City and Guilds 7331 in Training Techniques

I did that (or something very similar) back in the 1980s, and it doesn't seem to have changed much. The most important components are:

1. Level 1 Job Analysis - break the job down into individual tasks (what to do);
   
   
2. Level 2 Job Analysis - for each output of Level 1, break the task down into a series of simple steps (how to do it).

You make the Level 2 stuff as detailed as you can imagine; one of the example documents we had was the task of slicing lemons for use in a bar, and rather than just saying "slice the lemon" it was "pick up the knife by the handle; place the sharp side of the knife on the top of the lemon" levels of detail. This is because of one of the other key points: no matter how blindingly obvious something may be, there will inevitably be a trainee at some point who doesn't know about it, and for whatever reason can't work it out for themselves.

And that's really what the rest of the course is about: how to present this stuff to people who struggle to cope, or who maybe don't even care that much, in such a way that it sticks. Once you have the structured training materials you've generated with the Level 1 and Level 2 analyses, it's basically empathy, communication, and people skills.

It was a pretty interesting course, though I've never really made use of it since I moved on from the government-funded training centre I was, very briefly, working in at the time. But it was the sole benefit I ever derived from a policy of the government of the day, so thanks Maggie

[NickFitz]

But seriously folks… if they're looking for enough of the basics to keep them ticking along for the times where they don't really need an advanced-level consultant, I don't see any problem. In reality, the easy stuff for you will still be fairly hard for them, so they'll still need you when things get complicated.

If they really want their staff to develop mad skillz then, as everybody else says, you'll find that developing and delivering formal training courses is a pretty lucrative way to go. Even better, said staff will then leave for a better-paid job elsewhere using their new-found knowledge, and you get to train their replacements. And so the cycle repeats. Kerching!

[NickFitz]

…skills which I've learned after years of research and experience…won't be any requirment for me in a company for more than a month or two.

So it took you years to learn something the average permie can pick up in about eight weeks?

[fullyautomatix]

I have trained many IT staff at client companies when I have had to handover after project completion. My skillset is niche but I have prepared training materials and done classroom training knowing very well that they will never acquire the same level of expertise as I have by delivering many complex solutions over the years. So I am not so worried about any competition but as long as you have billed for the training and the end client is happy, you will leave the client reasonably satisfied and many a times they get in touch with more work.

[BrilloPad]

NLyUK was not happy when asked to train up that Eastern European girl.

[LondonManc]

AYCOTBAC????

You're a business with highly skilled, niche resources. Behave like one.

Go on a course on how to deliver training courses - something like this -> Train the Trainer Instructional Techniques - City and Guilds 7331 in Training Techniques

Create training courses, run them. As someone said, create multiple level courses, such as taster, beginner, intermediate and advanced. Have prerequisites for each course (typically how to use a PC for the first, right up to the intermediate course being a prerequisite for the advanced course). Hire a training facility for the course if you need to. You've just been given the ideal opportunity to become the market leader in the supply of niche training. Grasp it or don't; that's for your business to decide.

[Willapp]

Yes and I would imagine that if they were a bit more crafty about it - "Could you just show Mike this..." and "Angela had a few question on that..." they could possibly get the same information out albeit over a longer time period. By being up-front and asking for dedicated training they've made their objectives clear (which is fine), but they should really be prepared to step up and pay for it.