Learn2Engage Welcomes Guest Blogger, Rosa Espinal, Discussing the Latest Trends in the Training and Development Industry

Welcome to the Learn2Engage Guest Blogger ‘Show’!

This week, we welcome Rosa Espinal, Chapter President of ATD Central Florida and Professional Development Manager of CareerSource Central Florida.

Rosa has been in a training and development role since 1993.

When asked about the biggest change she has seen in the Training and Development industry, here’s what she had to say:

“I continue to be amazed at how far we have come. When I first started in L&D we were just learning about the Internet and training was in-person instructor led or via very basic type of computer-based training via floppy or compact discs (yes, I said floppy). Now we have gone from training being hours long to micro-segments; we are using artificial intelligence; and everything is in the cloud.

While I love the changes and the benefits they provide for learners and L&D folks alike, I do know that it could become overwhelming for someone like myself who has been in L&D for so long if you try to learn about everything out there and do everything. I recommend trying one new thing at a time and pacing yourself. You will be surprised at the results and eliminated stress.”

Next, we wanted to get Rosa’s take on the the biggest ‘pains’ companies seem to have when it comes to providing employees with proper training and the biggest ‘complaints’ employees have about classroom and/or online learning. Her comparative analysis is as follows:

Company pains: “In my opinion, having competent training staff who are passionate and skilled at facilitation may be a problem. As I stated earlier, some of us were thrown into training and often not given guidance or a mentor or provided education opportunities. This can hinder employees from optimal learning. Another pain is the company culture. If the organization makes personal and professional development part of its culture, employees will be more open and engaged in the process.”

Employee pains: “The biggest complaints I have always heard (these are not new) are that training is boring or not engaging. I believe this is due to the person delivering the instruction not being a competent facilitator. Many people are thrown into training – it is not a passion for them. This is not the case for me, I love empowering others – helping them reach milestones they did not think they could. I love watching people learn something new, apply it and then excel and/or teach someone else. Even though this is my passion, I still make it a point to learn more and become better at the profession I have chosen, because I want to ensure my delivery is not what keeps someone from learning.”

Rosa’s analysis was ‘spot on’! We would love to know how you recommend making training more engaging for learners!

“More thought must go into the design process. You must think about the learners’ experience as well as the learning outcomes. When you marry those two, your learners will be engaged in the learning and you will have successful outcomes.”

Excellent advice! We want to thank our Guest Blogger, Rosa Espinal, Chapter President of ATD Central Florida for visiting today. Our final question is about ATD, and how she sees ATD helping more and more companies (and their employees) in the future, with their Training needs. Here’s what she had to say:

“I love this question! There are so many ways that local ATD chapters as well as the national ATD organization can help organizations. The local chapters are a great resource for new and experienced L&D professionals but can also be a great resource for SME’s, Supervisors and other leaders.

The chapters offer several types of professional development, which is not always just for L&D peeps! For example, our chapter offers sessions related to coaching and leaderships skills that can be perfect for any front-line leader in any organization not just an L&D professional. The chapters are also a great resource when an organization is looking for local talent or training vendors.

On the national level, ATD offers many educational options via local and international conferences as well as online learning. These educational options are also not only geared towards L&D professionals.”

You can learn more about ATD Central Florida at https://tdcentralflorida.wildapricot.org/

Thank you so much for joining us for this Guest Blog session! If you are in the Training and Development industry, and would like to become a Guest Blogger on our ‘show’, reach out at info@learn2engage.info

Until next time…

About Our Guest Blogger

Rosa Espinal-Perry is an L&D professional with over 20 years of experience in industries such as banking, telecommunications, retail and hospitality. She is a problem solver who leverages basic principles of instructional design and gamification along with technology to create engaging learning experiences for her learners. She currently is a Professional Development Manager at CareerSource Central Florida and has previously worked for Vistana Signature Experiences, Staples, BellSouth and Continental National Bank of Miami. 

Rosa brings out of the box ideas to her work, ensuring learners – not the content – are the stars. She has created many learning programs from the ground up for various organizations that provided career advancement and increased productivity and/or revenue throughout her career. Rosa is a life-long learner and very active in her local ATD Chapter, ATD Central Florida, and is currently the 2018 Chapter President. She has also spoken at the ATD Chapter leader conference in 2015 and 2016. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s in management with a concentration in Human Resources from American Public University.