A few weeks ago, there was a question in one of the SMPS listserves about staff training, whether it was better to use in-house people as trainers or bring others in, and whether it was better to go offsite for training or keep it in the office.
In the current issue (January 2010, page 20) of Structural Engineering & Design, Lisa Willard, PE, and Brian Quinn, PE, wrote,
"Many times, engineers like to play around with the program and try to get a feel for it on their own. They might read through the manual or ask others in the office for suggestions.
"Using these methods, an engineer might become competent with the program over time. But, direct instruction from a trainer could allow the engineer to use the program to a higher level in a shorter time frame and be more proficient in its use. Very likely, time and money could be saved by having the trainer demonstrate the most effective ways to use the program upfront."
I think this really makes the case for formal training -- whether the subject is technical or marketing-related, and whether the staff is technical or marketers. After all, if a project requires the use of a specific program, don't you want staff to be effective -- and productive -- as quickly as possible?
I believe that Willard and Quinn also make the case for offsite training, because training onsite is subject to all sorts of interruptions. Ten people may each have only one question, which will require only a moment to answer, but that still adds up to ten interruptions of the training session. And if a client happens to pay a surprise visit, you know that someone will be walking out of the training session to see the client. Clients come first -- they pay the bills!
Finally, and (I believe) most important, is the fact that having a trainer in the room means that no question goes unanswered, that every misunderstanding is cleared up before anyone can memorize something that is wrong, and that everything done right is confirmed and validated so that ONLY correct information is firmly impressed into memory.