The organization I work for is considering realigning the training department. Currently, training is a department of 1 (me), reporting to our Director of Quality.

The Director and I are trying to determine whether the training department should be a stand-alone department, part of Quality or part of HR. I'm interested in where other training departments fall within their respective organizations and the rationale for such alignment.

If it helps to know, I work for a non-profit healthcare orgainzation and am responsible for planning and managing the training and professional development opportunities for 900 staff. We are hoping to add a few training specialist positions over the next 2 years.


Thanks for your input.

Kathy T.

You have a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY here. The CEO/President or the highest rank that passes for power. There are many good reasons why, mostly obvious.

Nero

Stand alone shared service with a line directly to the key stakeholders in the company.

I will never understand why there is always so much hubub about where to put this. I know HR doesn't like to let it go, but training should be run like its own mini business inside the company. It's a service shared by everyone. It should stand alone along side the other shared services (or even, perhaps, above some of them...)

I agree.

There is no question in my mind that training should be:
- At a peer level with other organizational unit leaders, reporting directly to the CEO.
---or---
- If that is less realistic, then as a direct report to the highest ranking operations executive.
Quality and/or HR reporting structures tend to be much more tactically focused - training needs to be more strategically aligned with organizational objectives and operationally sponsored.

Eric

What makes up the bulk of the training you conduct. If it is softkills/management training I would want to fall within HR. As a single person dept myself I ma able to leverage the rest of the HR team to help me conduct training. If it's technical/job training I would want to be aligned with whoever could best influence participation by employees.