A Day in the Life of a Training Co-ordinator
Emma Parnell is training coordinator at Atkins. “I came from a customer service background and was given the opportunity to be on the training team. I loved the interaction with people and the chance to be innovative.”
Emma previously worked as a training coordinator at RHM, which became Premier Foods earlier this year. She was placed in both roles by Hays Human Resources.
“My day to day role involves arranging training courses for employees, visiting venues, and meeting with external trainers and suppliers. Colleagues contact me to find out what course they should attend, and I book and rearrange all the courses we run”, she said. “I also send out invitations to courses, and on the day, ensure the room is set up and the trainers have all the equipment they need for a course- including any handouts and stationery.“
Emma works in a training team of 7 people. “I liaise with line managers and head of departments to ascertain training needs and to see whether any new courses need to be created.” Emma comments, “Training coordinators need excellent organizational skills, and attention to detail- to make sure that everyone turns up to the right course at the right time in the right place! You also need to be confident as the role involves interaction with people at various levels.”
“The best part of my role is organising the team building courses as they can be great fun! In a previous role, I helped organise a course which involved designing a calendar with a different picture to represent each month of the year – the team had to run around Windsor finding anything from Christmas trees to represent December, to Easter Eggs for April- in an hour! I also love interacting with people and giving them advice about which course is right for them.” Emma works in the Group Informations System team at Atkins. “Its great to find out about the new technologies out there. There is so much innovation in training. You have to ask yourself though, whether new software will actually save time and money. Sometimes the simplest techniques work best in training.”
“The worst part of the role is when something goes wrong. When an external trainer cancels at the last minute, for example, there is a lot of administration in rearranging courses and making sure people know the changes. But with good planning this rarely happens!”
Emma concludes, “The next step in my career would be as a trainer. As a training coordinator, you already have a clear understanding of the business and an understanding of what the business requires. You are also exposed to the skills set a trainer needs- a high level of confidence, and the ability to troubleshoot, which means being ready to answer any question when it is posed at you.”
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Note to Editor:
Hays Human Resources is the UK’s leading HR recruitment consultancy. With a network 25 regional offices we can offer local knowledge combined with specialist expertise, we offer unrivalled experience and expertise in recruiting HR professionals. Hays Human Resources has dedicated teams focused on Senior Appointments, Learning and Development, Permanent and Interim positions across Commercial, Professional and Public Services.
Hays Human Resources is a subdivision of Hays Plc, the FTSE 250 Company which employs 7,753 staff operating from 376 offices in 25 countries across 17 specialisms. Hays Plc placed circa 68,000 candidates into permanent jobs and paid circa 46,000 temporary workers weekly during the year ending 30 June 07.
For further press information please contact:
Charlotte Wright
Hays Human Resources
T. 0207 222 6100
E. charlotte.wright@hays.com
