Developing Staff

There is training and then there is staff development.  The difference is the end result, and while all training is staff development, all staff development is not training.  Training is something that is provided to staff to give them the content knowledge they need to understand a strategy or a point of view.  Training can also include simulations and practices with peers that are also in the training.  Amherst College shares:

“Training is an educational process. People can learn new information, re-learn and reinforce existing knowledge and skills, and most importantly have time to think and consider what new options can help them improve their effectiveness at work. Effective trainings convey relevant and useful information that inform participants and develop skills and behaviors that can be transferred back to the workplace.

The goal of training is to create an impact that lasts beyond the end time of the training itself. The focus is on creating specific action steps and commitments that focus people’s attention on incorporating their new skills and ideas back at work.

Training can be offered as skill development for individuals and groups. In general, trainings involve presentation and learning of content as a means for enhancing skill development and improving workplace behaviors.” What is Training and Development?

Staff development on the other hand is a process the endeavors to build the capacity to achieve and sustain a “new desired state that benefits the individual and the community and the world around them.  Staff development can be for an individual and a team to promote high quality program through exemplary performance. 

When working with afterschool professionals and seeking to help them be the positive role models and mentors that youth need and they desire to be, it is essential that we have a mix of both training and staff development to ensure that they will ultimately be successful. 

Check out the C4K video on The Arc of Staff Development to learn more about the full range of staff development. let us know what you think by emailing us at support@consultfourkids.com