What Does A Skills Trainer Do? (Tools And Responsibilities)

Updated 30 September 2022

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A skills trainer helps people gain varied skills to help them better perform their specific tasks. These professionals may work as an employee of an organisation or train individuals as a freelancer. Learning about this position can help you decide if it is an opportunity you want to pursue. In this article, we learn what does a skills trainer do, find out what their responsibilities are and review some requirements to become one.

What does a skills trainer do?

The answer to the question, "What does a skills trainer do?", lies in their ability to train people to help them learn or enhance certain skills. Teachers, mentors and coaches are some examples of skills trainers who share knowledge of a particular subject with other individuals. They possess excellent communication skills and maintain a positive and productive environment that supports learning. Skills trainers work in schools, universities and organisations to enhance the skills of students and employees and make them more employable. With their help, an individual may learn how to deal with customers, give presentations or manage projects.

Skills trainers also work on helping the participants develop expertise by teaching them how to use certain tools. These professionals facilitate learning through their interactive teaching methods that focus on a participant's comprehensive personal development.

Key responsibilities of a skills trainer

From a school to a company, a skills trainer may work in different environments. Their common responsibilities include conducting training sessions and developing self-awareness among training participants. What does a skills trainer do, here are some key responsibilities:

Groom personalities of participants and improve their soft and hard skills.

Identify weaknesses and strengths of candidates.
Prepare a plan of action to determine areas where candidates can improve.
Conduct training sessions by employing practical applications.
Prepare and conduct routine mock tests.
Formulate learning and development strategies and roadmaps.
Collaborate with project teams and trainers to develop training courses.
Implement inventive techniques for effective and interactive training.
Collect data to assess the effectiveness of training sessions.
Demonstrate excellent management and interpersonal skills.
Take part in team meetings and performance review meetings.

Tools for skills trainers

A skills trainer may use the following software programs and tools to keep training sessions interactive:

Slideshow presentation software: Most skills trainers use visual tools to better conduct their training sessions. These software programs help them present photos, videos and text to describe several concepts to the participants.
Audio recording: Skills trainers sometimes share audio lessons in the form of podcasts. The participants may store these lessons on a device and play them to revise the course material.
Video recording: Some skills trainers may film their sessions and share them with the students who may have missed a class. They also upload these video lessons online for efficient distribution.
Word processing software: These software programs help skills trainers to document their training sessions. With these tools, they can write the lessons, take notes and create tutorials.
Online courses: There are many skills trainers who have already prepared several training sessions. They may offer these sessions as online courses for students.

Functions of a skills trainer

A skills trainer has a role of a facilitator, so their training methods focus on making the participants learn easily. They are adept at organising and presenting information in a way that the participants use it to expand their knowledge. Here are some functions of a skills trainer:

Providing expertise

A skills trainer is the source of information for participants. The trainer's expertise ensures that the participants receive credible information. Their expertise also helps solve many complex problems of the participants effectively.

Motivating participants

A proficient skills trainer is a great motivator who inspires participants. They realise the importance of fostering enthusiasm among them. These professionals also employ strategies that increase participation and involvement.

Managing and presenting sessions

The trainer manages the participants in a way that encourages them to work as a team. These professionals also prepare and organise training materials. They also possess excellent presentation skills that help them keep their lessons interactive.

Maintaining discipline

Skills trainers maintain discipline by adhering to course timelines. To do that, they deliver materials and conduct classes on time. They are proficient in prioritising tasks to maintain a disciplined routine.

Mediating discussions

During a training session, some discussions or interactions may cause arguments. In such times, they act as mediators who know how to efficiently reduce tension. They are skilled in keeping the sessions respectful and making participants focus solely on learning.

Showing empathy

Showing empathy means understanding how others feel and possessing sensitivity towards their emotions. It allows a skills trainer to recognise the fears and doubts of the participants. Empathy enables these professionals to share their set of challenges to make the participants feel comfortable and put them at ease.

Related: Different High Income Skills

Common skills for a skills trainer

To become a skills trainer, it is essential to analyse how your training may help students, job candidates and employers. These professionals create comprehensive training curriculums apart from presenting the sessions. Empathy and patience are important qualities of a skills trainer who teaches people from varied social and cultural backgrounds. Here are some other common skills of a skills trainer:

Communication skills

Effective communication is knowing how to communicate with others in different settings or situations. These skills allow you to understand others and others understand you. Actively listening in conversations, giving and receiving critical feedback and public speaking are some elements of communication skills. These skills also allow you to adapt your style of communication to your audience. A good skills trainer knows how to communicate using various techniques, like face-to-face interactions and e-mail or telephonic conversations.

Evaluation skills

A skills trainer has excellent evaluation skills that help them assess the learning objectives of participants by creating a range of assessment techniques and instruments. They know how to assess the progress of the participants and use it for the benefit of the participants. These skills allow a skills trainer to also evaluate the achievements and attitudes of the participants. Diagnosis is an important element of evaluation, which helps a skills trainer to identify a participant's learning issues and prepare a strategy that addresses these challenges.

Teaching skills

A trainer uses teaching skills to interact with participants, help them learn difficult topics easily and prepare lesson plans for them. They create a conducive learning environment to facilitate the development of participants. Critical thinking, patience, organisation and conflict resolution are some key elements of teaching skills. Strong teaching skills enable a skills trainer to set realistic goals, deliver clarity in communication, be adaptable, promote curiosity and make learning fun. A good trainer focuses on setting examples for participants to follow and serves as a source of inspiration.

Creative thinking

Creative thinking allows skills trainers to develop innovative ideas and create novel solutions for problems. This type of thinking helps the trainer to remain open-minded, welcome new ideas from different people and think unconventionally. Creativity in a skills trainer enables them to enhance their problem-solving capabilities, boost their confidence and identify new opportunities. With the help of these skills, a trainer also promotes diversity of thoughts in their training sessions. Creativity also allows these professionals to brainstorm, which promotes innovation.

Tips for effective skills training

Here are some tips you may follow to effectively conduct skills training sessions:

Determine what you want to share with the participants.
Keep your language simple, clear and engaging.
Cover diverse topics to explain complex concepts.
Use practical examples to add relevancy to your sessions.
Have positive body language and keep an empathetic tone.
Keep the sessions interactive and encourage participation.
Avoid rigidity in your execution and keep methods of training flexible.

Work environment for a skills trainer

There are many settings in which a skills trainer works, like schools, colleges, corporations and non-profit organisations. These professionals also work as freelancers, giving training online or at their own coaching centres. When an individual hires them for training sessions, they may visit their place of residence to give lessons in person. Teachers, company trainers, motivational speakers and personal coaches are some common types of skills trainers. A typical day for a skills trainer includes teaching participants, hosting workshops, writing study materials and speaking at conferences.

Requirements to become a skills trainer

An individual goes through an extensive training process to become a skills trainer. This training has different levels, depending on an individual's area of expertise. Experienced skills trainers have proficiency in particular topics and also possess a deep understanding of an industry. For example, a business skills trainer possesses an in-depth knowledge of the principles of business to teach participants how to network efficiently. They employ their communication skills to teach the participants using both verbal communication and visual aids.

There are many companies who do not ask for formal education when hiring a skills trainer, but having a bachelor's degree in education, human resources or business administration can prove to be rewarding. These courses are a great way to better understand how to prepare training sessions or how to present this information to participants. Many skills trainers pursue instructional technology courses to master software tools and learn about various educational theories.