In this Q&A podcast, I speak with Geri McArdle, facilitator of ATD’s Essentials of Being a Successful Training Coordinator. 

Geri has been a practitioner in the human resource field for 25 years. She has published nine books on human productivity and numerous research journal articles in the area of human resource development and training. What’s more, most of her career she has served as a training coordinator herself, and is excited to be facilitating this workshop.

She’s excited because the role of training coordinator, which wears many hats, is finally being recognized by the industry. Indeed, it’s an exciting role one in any organization. It can be a little overwhelming, though. So, I asked Geri to share where people should start. A good place, she says, is with identifying the anatomy of the training coordinator. In other words, what does a training coordinator do? The short answer, of course, is everything. 

In fact, the anatomy outlines all of the skills, knowledge, capabilities, roles, and responsibilities of the training coordinator. For example, as a coordinator, you get the opportunity to touch many of the various roles within training: instructional design, assessment and evaluation, managing operations and project timelines, and occasionally executing some of the training itself. On top of that, you get to interact with employees before, during, and after training. 

There is a complexity and all-encompassing nature to the role of training coordinator that stems from the fact that they aren’t just dealing with one project, Geri explains. There are always new projects coming that existing efforts need to consider, and new projects need to reflect and work in step with learning initiatives already in place. What’s more, this role works with a broad community of people, inside and outside of training—from learners, to managers, to IT support and technology experts, to graphics and print material designers, to outside vendors and consultants. The list goes on. 

Bottom line, coordinators have to figure out where and how every person, every tool, every process, and every learning activity or resource “plugs in” to the system, says Geri. 

It should come as no surprise that all of this can be very chaotic and bit overpowering. That’s why ATD is launching Essentials of Being a Successful Training Coordinator. In this three-part interactive course, participants will be introduced to and practice applying the key actions and outputs required to successfully support the efforts of a training team to execute learning events. Case study analysis during the course will prepare participants to apply the concepts of basic instructional design and training delivery, project management, and event logistics for when they return to work. 

For more insight into the training coordinator role and what to expect in the ATD Essentials workshop, listen to the complete podcast.