Checklist for HR professionals: How sustainable is a training concept?

To HR managers and learning experts: How do you select suitable trainers for further training? As soon as the goal of a training session is determined, a suitable trainer can be sought. Whether in-house or external, a good training concept is above all one thing: sustainably successful. Find out now how you can recognize such a concept!

Are good trainers hard to find?

New goals in human resources mean new measures: As soon as it becomes apparent that internal training should be expanded or changed, a question forms in the mind: How do I find the right trainer? Formally, there are various offers here, but as an HR manager, you should first answer a few questions when choosing a trainer:

In-house or external?

In-house trainers seem to be the "safe" option for many companies – and the easier one. But often, in-house solutions are more of an emergency solution because external trainers do not bring enough commitment to the company. External trainers, on the other hand, are often better trained and bring more experience with them. Again and again, the question is: What is the more important criterion?

Company commitment or a wide range of experience?

The range of experience and, above all, content is a point that many HR managers underestimate when choosing a trainer. A long-standing external trainer and their team have usually spent several years developing content. This focus on content is often not possible for an in-house trainer.

What are our criteria for a trainer in the first place?

You should ask yourself this question before concrete negotiations start. Not only must the price be right: from the content alignment to methods to personal charisma – the list of criteria is long.

A trainer and coach should definitely bring along some qualities: Infectious enthusiasm is an absolute must! Technical competence must not be missing either, of course, but this is much more difficult to measure: The trainer's experience is an indicator, but no guarantee for excellent training.

What goal does my company pursue with the training?

Therefore, first make it clear to yourself what goals your company has that should be achieved through the training. A certain aspect is probably to be promoted – and lead to greater success for employees or managers in the long term.

Long-term success: Sustainability is a quality criterion of further training

One of the most important criteria for new trainers or coaches is the sustainability of learning success. Direct improvements during the training or shortly after are a great experience for trainers and participants. But if a few months later there is hardly any change to be felt, the training was not worth it for the company.

💡 Sustainable training concepts only unfold their value fully when quality, transfer, and digital support are systematically planned, and companies simultaneously calculate the underlying e-learning costs realistically and manage them strategically.

How do I recognize a sustainable training concept? We at blink.it are in daily contact with trainers and coaches and have gotten to know quite a few training concepts over the years. That's why we have summarized the most important criteria for sustainably successful training for you:

Checklist: How to recognize a sustainable training concept

1. Personal connection between trainer/coach and participants

2. High practical share with clear calls to action

3. Opportunity for exchange with other learners

4. Drawing on personal experiences in daily work

5. Regular activation of training content over weeks or months

6. Short, focused learning units in microlearning format

7. Involvement of all relevant groups of people

Perhaps this classification is already enough for you when choosing the next trainer or coach for your company. To make the individual points clearer, we will explain them to you again briefly:

1. Personal connection between trainer/coach and participant

Didactically sensible training is tailored to the learning objectives and competencies of the participants. Therefore, it is important that the trainer can understand the challenges from the perspective of the participants and motivate them to grow beyond themselves.

Info: Would you like to make your online course even more motivating? Then find out now how to convince with the first content: More motivation in online courses – Why the first content counts

2. High share of exercises with clear calls to action

Practice makes perfect – as old as this saying is, its true core is shown in many training courses. A high number of exercises alone is not enough – the call to action must be clearly and distinctly present so that the participant also puts the theory into practice.

3. Opportunity for exchange with other participants

In general, the trainer or coach should offer a good measure of different forms of learning. Social learning (exchange with others) should not be forgotten. Find out more now about the different forms of learning in the Think-Read-Talk-Do model: How does learning with the TRDT model work?

4. Drawing on personal experiences in daily work

The interlocking of training and daily work is essential: after all, the participant should also implement what they have learned in their job. Training is good when it is clear at all times how what has been learned is helpful in practice.

5. Regular activation of training content over months

This point is also crucial for the success of training – and yet is often neglected. Already in school, we learn that "bulimia learning" is by no means sustainable and that we should not learn for an exam, but for our long-term memory. We have to bring up and practice new content again and again – this applies to adults even more than to children.

6. Short, focused learning units in microlearning format

This aspect also applies to adults at least as much as to children: our attention span already decreases sharply after just a few minutes. In addition, we tend to be more willing to invest five minutes a day than a whole hour once a week – and the effect is also higher with such short, focused learning units!

7. Involvement of all relevant groups of people

A final point that HR managers and trainers should not neglect for a completely successful training session: it is best to think together about who in the company (or outside!) has contact points with the content of the training. Involve managers and make sure that no one feels excluded.

Successfully into the future with digital skills

In addition to these seven criteria for a good training concept, the topic of digital competence is an important approach in the initial discussion with the trainer. Because you do not recognize good training by the mere existence of digital methods!

Trainers should also fit the orientation of the company here. After all, further training is strongly future-oriented and should also be up to date accordingly. A classic face-to-face trainer with methods from the last century can be technically very sound – but such a concept probably no longer fits the demands of the participants. Content remains, but people change and with them their methods.

But stop! That doesn't mean a good trainer should automatically pursue a pure online concept. With this assumption, we wouldn't need human training at all at some point. A good trainer recognizes the requirements of the company and offers online AND offline methods depending on the situation.

From classic face-to-face trainer to "blended trainer"

There are many different blended learning models with which you can link online and offline training in your company: Depending on the starting point and goals of the company, a "blended trainer" offers some face-to-face events (e.g. individual coaching or classic seminars) and some online impulses that the participants can work through self-directed.

You or the trainer or coach can perfectly fulfill the above-mentioned goal of sustainability of training with blended learning: short, focused learning units are difficult in face-to-face training, but they work perfectly online. The regular activation of training content can also be best implemented online. Personal relationships between trainer and participants, on the other hand, work best in person.

The central advantages of blended learning for your company:

• Increased learning effect

• Increased measurability

• Low loss of working hours

• Location-independent learning

• High transfer into daily work

In addition to the criteria from the checklist for a sustainable training concept, you can recognize a professional blended trainer by additional competencies:

Checklist Part 2: What distinguishes a good blended trainer

• A flexible concept that is adapted to the requirements of your company

• Selected methods that pay off on the learning objectives of the participants

• A learning-ready and experimental atmosphere in the training

• A wide repertoire of online and offline didactics (depending on the training format)

• The technical requirements are adapted to the participants of the training

Questions for trainers and coaches during the introduction

You have now learned about some criteria for a sustainable training concept and competencies of a good blended trainer. But how do you recognize whether a trainer or coach meets these requirements? Finally, we will show you possible questions that you can ask in the initial conversation to fulfill the criteria mentioned!

Conclusion

A sustainable training concept is only truly successful when learning success, transfer into daily work, and economic viability are thought of together.

Sustainability in training means more than motivating training or modern methods. The decisive factor is that learning objectives are clearly defined, content is taught in a practical way, and participants remain active over a longer period of time. Personal connection, microlearning impulses, blended learning, and regular reflection are key components here.

At the same time, every training concept should also be classified strategically: What effect is to be achieved, how is the transfer measured, and how does the training fit into the company's learning strategy in the long term?

Anyone who asks these questions early on will recognize more quickly whether a trainer is just delivering an event or actually offering a sustainable system. In this way, further training does not become a one-off measure, but an effective part of corporate development.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

How do I recognize a sustainable training concept?

A sustainable training concept combines practical exercises, regular learning impulses, exchange with other participants, and a clear transfer into daily work. The goal is long-term behavioral change instead of short-term knowledge growth.

What questions should I ask a trainer before hiring them?

Ask about transfer support, the inclusion of practical examples, the methods used, the activation of participants between dates, and the integration of face-to-face and online learning.

Why does blended learning play an important role in sustainable training concepts?

Blended learning enables short digital learning impulses between face-to-face appointments and thus supports the continuous transfer of knowledge as well as the application in daily work.

What role does microlearning play for sustainable training?

Short, focused learning units facilitate the regular repetition and application of new content. As a result, knowledge and skills are better retained in the long term.