Have you ever wondered how learning is different from training? We often encounter such trivial questions with no prominent answer to address the question. From a broader perspective, those two seem interchangeable; hard to point out the difference but when we dive deeper into the subject, we will observe that we are dealing with two different things and how they complement each other.
Let’s delve into the details of the same.
The Process Of Learning
At the very core of the learning process resides the desire of a person to gather knowledge about any given agenda or topic. The internal inquisitiveness drives the learning zeal rather than an external force or command. The innate quest to know more about a particular stream, agenda, phenomenon, etc. fuels the learning process. The process of learning entails the absorption and retention of information with context. It could be to achieve a particular goal or just to quench the knowledge thirst.
Learning is more about the whole experience of boosting your knowledge, which later will be applied to unknown and unforeseen circumstances. Learning results in enhanced skills and increased knowledge. Since learning is about absorbing important information, the way the knowledge is imparted has a lot of impact on how efficiently the learning takes place. In short, it is linked to the process of training, how well you are trained influences, how well you learn.
The Process Of Training & Development
What comes to your mind when you hear the word training and development? Well, the first thought is that of a strict curriculum and an instructor to facilitate the same. The process of training involves communicating relevant information and knowledge through the means of speech, written manuals, presentations and other such techniques in a manner that instructs the trainee and helps fulfill the objective. Training is more process-oriented and focuses on skill up-gradation using contextual knowledge sharing.
Corporations use training methods to boost productivity by focusing on delivering important information regarding job roles. After joining a corporation, every new employee goes through a rigorous training process that helps them to be aware of their organization, objectives, day-to-day operations, departmental functioning, tools required to do the job, etc. The end goal is to teach the individual how to perform their job and the process they need to follow for optimum results. The process of training and development is more goals oriented.
Comparing the two
Now that we have established what both the processes are, let us compare and find out how they differ from each other. At the center of our discussion is the force of motivation that differentiates both the processes. When we talk about learning it is propelled by the inner motivation of the individual rather than the force of an external curriculum.
Training and development, on the other hand, are external forces that guide the process of learning a particular skill through a robust curriculum and discipline with an end goal of personal skill development. The process of learning is more knowledge-oriented whereas the process of training is more skill-oriented.
Training is mostly used by corporations to impart individuals with skills that will help to do the job or complete the objective. Learning, on the other hand, is the absorption of information that can be used in multiple contexts and scenarios based on individual understanding.
The process of training and development has a standard way of imparting relevant knowledge whereas the process of learning is subjective and depends upon the individual capacity to absorb and retain information. Even if a group of individuals is trained using the same instructor and information their learning curve might be different depending on their strengths and weaknesses.
