We’re in the service industry with 250 HQ employees and 11,000+ employees in our field organization. Currently, our 2 major training functions report to different departments. Industry specific training (what we call “technical” training) reports to Operations, while the soft-skills and OD training reports to a VP in the HR department. Both training functions have designers at HQ and trainers in the field who share a common skill set; they just have very different audiences and intended outcomes.

One proposal under consideration is to merge both functions and bring them under the VP of Training, who reports to the SVP of HR

To help us better understand how other companies structure their training function, I’d like to know more about the following:

1.How is your training department organized?
2.What does the reporting structure look like?
3.Pros/cons to your organizational structure?

If you require more information from me, please post your contact info and I’ll email/call you offline.

Many thanks!

-Kris

Kris-

Are structure is similar to yours in that we have "soft skills" within HR and "tech skills" embedded within our business divisions. Our tech trainers report up to ops for the divisions.
We are also considering moving everything within HR, but our concern is that we will lose some of the partnerships we have within the functions. The tech trainers are more intimately involved in the day to day workings of their divisions and the loss of that partnership would be pretty significant.
Our other option is for us (HR) to do a better job of partnering with our tech trainers and working together in a matrix group.We just had our second "training summit" for all internal trainers.
For now that is what we have and it seems to be working pretty well.

I have seen both scenarios (tech training and OD trng depts split and together).

The situation where we had training departments together was MUCH stronger, focused, and training (format, design, and delivery) was more consistent. When the training depts were split, but would still hit the same audience - confusing the end user. As one dept, a more common and uniform development and rollout schedule was developed to make it easier on SME's and audience learning time.

Also provided more opportunity for the training employees to grow and develop new and different skills if desired!

I would think if your organization wants to work toward HR as a Strategic Business Partner to the organization as a whole it should combine all the training functions within HR reporting to the VP of HR (or reporting to the head of it's O/D area if one exists). The integration should then focus on creating its HR Competency Model for training functions and bridge the gaps among all trainers so they have the ability to partner at any level and all levels of the organization. This will result in the most value to the organization's overall profitability.