As a learning and development (L&D) leader, your job role is focused on developing others. This means ensuring that employees have access to job-relevant learning to help improve their performance and, as a result, business outcomes. It’s a tall order, and with limited time and resources, it’s all too common for training professionals to neglect their own development.

However, without training and development, L&D teams can quickly run into numerous obstacles, from a lack of team alignment to communication breakdowns and gaps in skills and capabilities.

Here, we’ll consider the benefits of L&D team development, as well as best practices to make the most of your group training experience.

The Importance of Training Team Development

Ongoing Training Industry research has found that the most important process capability of great training organizations is strategic alignment, which refers to aligning training initiatives to key business goals.

Strategic alignment is already a prominent challenge for learning leaders, with just under 14% of training professionals feeling like they excel at strategic alignment, despite considering it the most important training management responsibility. What’s more? If your training team isn’t aligned, achieving strategic alignment across the businesses you serve becomes even more difficult.

Developing your training team can help improve alignment, giving each team member the tools they need to support business goals.

Here are a few ways in which group training can support training team alignment:

• A Common Language: Without a common language, miscommunications can arise and slow down progress toward key goals. Targeted team development opportunities can help build a common language around a specific functional area (e.g., measurement, learning tech, onboarding, etc.), whereas comprehensive programs, such as certifications, can help build a more foundational shared language around training and development as a function.
• A Shared Framework: Group development gives training teams a common framework from which they can approach different training processes. For instance, the Training Process Framework, developed by Training Industry, is designed to help training managers visualize and understand all of the processes associated with training management.
• Bridging Skills Gaps: As training teams often include L&D professionals from different experience levels and professional backgrounds, group development can act as a “level-setting” exercise, providing a shared baseline of understanding around key L&D concepts and processes. Group training can also help bridge any specific skills gaps the team is facing, such as artificial intelligence (AI) adoption.

It’s worth noting that many businesses set aside a budget for professional development, and those dollars go to waste if your team doesn’t use them. If your company doesn’t currently have a budget allocated for professional development, there are ways to make the case to your employer. Start by clearly outlining how the group training experience is aligned with key business priorities.

Team development also offers practical benefits, such as saving time, money and effort in planning and delivery. Many organizations that provide professional development for learning teams offer discounts for group enrollment. These providers often assist with registration, helping your team select courses that fit their timeline, budget and specific needs. For example, Training Industry has professional development consultants who will work closely with your team to ensure their learning aligns with business goals, meets individual development needs and stays within the allocated budget and timeline for completion.

5  Considerations for Impactful Training Team Development

Now that we’ve established why training team development is a worthwhile investment, let’s look at five considerations for an effective group learning experience.

1.     Consider a credential.

Credentialing is one option for a more comprehensive team development experience. Earning a credential offers L&D teams the foundational skills and knowledge they need to thrive in their roles and may be a worthwhile option for teams looking to develop their skills across multiple training competencies and skills.

For example, the Certified Professional in Training Management (CPTM™) credential is designed to develop learning leaders of all experience levels across the eight process capabilities our research identified for great training. There are multiple certifications available for training professionals, so it’s important to do your research beforehand to identify which program is the best fit.

In addition to standardizing competencies and capabilities across the team, credentials can help validate expertise in key areas of training and development. This ensures the L&D team is aligned with industry best practices and prepared to tackle future challenges, as well as paving the way for your team to demonstrate expertise with stakeholders by providing an external

2.     Consider training delivery options.

When considering training delivery options, it’s important to select a format that best suits your L&D team’s needs and logistical constraints.

One option is an in-person L&D summit or “off-site,” where the training team comes together, typically in a preselected location or venue, to engage in professional development. A typical off-site lasts a few business days and can include a variety of workshops and activities. In this way, an off-site event is not only an opportunity for uninterrupted development but also for team building.

However, if your team is dispersed across different locations or operates globally, a virtual delivery option may be more practical. Virtual learning provides flexibility, allowing your team to participate in training without the need for travel, ensuring that everyone can participate.

You might also consider a multimodal option, with both in-person and virtual components. Consider which delivery option works best for your team both logistically and in terms of meeting your defined goals.

3.     Consider different needs.

Again, many L&D teams have team members from different experience levels and areas of expertise. Determine whether it’s best for everyone to participate in the same program or if different team members would benefit from tailored training experiences. Sending some team members through one program and others through a different one can help address different skills gaps across the team.

To identify those needs, consider asking your team to complete a training team assessment to uncover gaps in skills and competencies, as well as your team’s unique strengths. This will offer a clearer understanding of what programs would be a good fit for your team’s development.

Many organizations offer training team assessments, some of which are free and some of which are paid.

4.     Consider reinforcement options.

We know that training isn’t a one-and-done endeavor. Before going through a group training session, determine how you will reinforce key concepts and lessons learned.

Here are a few suggestions for reinforcement post-training:

• Conduct a Debrief: Have team members come together to share what they’ve learned after the training, as well as to digest the learning experience overall. You can use this opportunity to align individual learnings with team objectives and identify any gaps or areas that need further exploration.
• Create Action Plans: Team members can develop individual action plans that outline how they will apply the training concepts to their work. They can review these plans regularly with their manager or during L&D team meetings to ensure progress and accountability.
• Provide Ongoing Resources: Share follow-up resources, such as articles, videos or job aids, to reinforce the training content. If needed, consider scheduling periodic refresher sessions to keep the concepts top of mind.

5.     Consider your timeline and associated costs.

When planning a team development experience, it’s also important to consider how long the training will take and the associated cost of time away from daily work responsibilities.

While it may feel challenging to pause regular work to focus on training, it’s important to view it as a long-term investment. After all, by enhancing your training team’s skills and overall alignment, you are ultimately positioning them to drive better business outcomes.

For organizations facing pressing deadlines or other high-priority projects, it’s possible to stagger your L&D team’s participation in training. This way, critical work continues uninterrupted while still allowing everyone to benefit from group training over time.

Conclusion

Prioritizing your L&D team’s development can feel challenging, especially when determining the right type of experience to meet their unique needs.

However, by thoughtfully considering the five factors outlined above, group training is more likely to improve alignment, address skills gaps and set both the training function — and the business — up for long-term success.

Help your team develop with the Certified Professional in Training Management (CPTM™) program. Download the CPTM team brochure to learn more about research-based best practices that will transform how your organization manages corporate training.