19-Jan-10 3:00 PM CST

From Trainer to Workplace Learning and Performance Professional: A Review

Last Friday, January 15^th, marked the beginning of the A New Year, A New You and A New Austin ASTD initiative with the first lunch program of 2010. Eighty attendees joined our speaker, John Gillis, as he set the stage for our profession’s future where we evolve from being trainers into workplace learning and performance (WLP) professionals. John began the program with a review of our profession, where we’ve been and where we’re going. His analysis of our many roles, multiple responsibilities, and the ever-changing lingo of our profession was eye-opening.

This analysis led to a discussion regarding contemporary understanding of our field, specifically the competencies of a WLP professional as identified by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). John provided context for the competency study and the associated framework (for more information please visit http://www.astd.org/content/research/competency/), and he spent most of the presentation covering the framework’s areas of expertise, which are:

· Designing Learning

· Delivering Training

· Measuring and Evaluation

· Human Performance Improvement

· Facilitating Organizational Change

· Managing the Learning Function

· Coaching

· Career Planning and Talent Management

· Managing Organizational Knowledge

Attendees were given an opportunity to think about their own professional development needs related to these areas of expertise, and attendees were encouraged to set their professional development goals for the year. To assist them in reaching these goals, John outlined how the areas of expertise are directly linked to all of the 2010 monthly programs such as next month’s program, Project Management for Learning and Performance Professionals.

The program was a success and many attendees stayed afterwards to chat and connect with each other. There were others who took the opportunity to visit the committee fair to find out more about the programs and services offered by Austin ASTD. Many chose to get further involved in the WLP community by signing up to volunteer for various committees.

For those members unable to make it to our first event, be on the lookout for a copy of the presentation to be posted to the website. Don’t forget to clear your schedule now for an exciting year of programs as we assist you in keeping your 2010 professional resolutions.

Melissa Reaves

VP of Programs