Our engagements in the month of October, led to quite memorable interactions with some 3 teaching authorities. In the first case, the principal got attracted to my membership of the Kenya Institute of Management – KIM, which has lasted many years. “I would also like to join this institution,” said the principal.
Me: Why are you attracted to this membership?
Principal: I am a member of the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM) and simply want to improve my professional development in different, but related fields.
In the second incident, a class teacher who participated in our “CREATING THE FUTURE TODAY” seminar for their school’s form 3 and 4 classes, came up with some interesting observations, soon after the session. “I have listened to many speakers engaged in our school. Your approach is totally different from what we are used to,” revealed the teacher.
Me: Well (not sure whether the assertions were positive or negative)! What is the difference?
Teacher: You are very up-to-date. Your delivery approach is research based and deliberates on current challenges and respective solutions?
Me: Really?
Teacher: In fact, your approach doesn’t seem to be aligned to what you may have learnt from the school system.
Me: Well! The main difference is that I am a professional trainer or Change agent rather than just a speaker. The former understands the challenges, their causes and respective solutions.
Teacher! I would actually like to be a professional trainer like you. What does it take?
Me: That is quite interesting. Let us discuss it further, after you have read, “Career Dynamics in the 21st Century” and “Living Beyond Survival,” both of which are in your school Library.
The third engagement was with a deputy principal who was officially acting as the school principal. What happened to the principal? I wondered.
Acting Principal: After attaining 50 years, he just decided to retire from teaching.
Me! Any good reason?
Acting Principal: He was just tired of teaching and needed to pursue other interests, but left with his full retirement benefits.
Well, this latter discussion brought to mind an interesting observation after conducting our ” RE-CREATING THE FUTURE TODAY” seminar for teachers of one leading Muranga school, in August 2018. One teacher indicated in our evaluation forms that he was totally dispassionate about teaching and was going to leave the profession. Follow-up with the principal indicated that the said teacher was then aged 45 years and could probably leave after attaining 50 years. Nevertheless, he was still a good teacher, despite the attitude about the career.
The discussions with the 3 teachers and response from that of a Muranga school have kept recurring in my mind, every now and then. As a means of helping some educationists, it may be fair to share some helpful personal experiences that led towards Professional Training.
But first, my profile in our publications indicates that I am a founder member no 8 of the Professional Trainers Association of Kenya – PTAK, without giving further details of this body. The truth is that I was also, for 3 years, a founder board member of the same association as from 2009. How did this happen?
After experiencing a ‘calling’ into Management Training and Consulting in 2005, through a press advert, I became an accredited workplace trainer by the National Industrial Training Authority – NITA, in 2007. Alongside, I was invited to participate in the formation of a Professional Trainers body, under the auspices of NITA.
After lengthy deliberations on formulation details, the body was inaugurated in 2009. All work place trainers were to be accredited by the Professional Trainers Association of Kenya – PTAK for them to be approved by NITA. For this to happen, they each had to undergo a Trainer of Trainers – TOT seminar, which lasted 2 days. We researched and learnt from each other how to develop professional trainers in this country.
Personally, I was charged with not only developing content on course evaluation, training impact analysis and training reports, but also training on the same areas. After launching PTAK and it’s formative TOT program in 2009, our mission continued for a while. The training participants included University Professors, Lecturers and many individuals from different fields, who had interests in training in the work place.
However, after a year or so, NITA withdrew it’s support for PTAK, based on organizational politics and interests. Nevertheless, the Trainers body continued with it’s mission and has so far produced many professional trainers. Some have eventually ventured into other interests including politics, but are still great trainers.
Others like me have embraced varying empowerment strategies and more particularly the bottom up empowerment strategy that is still quite attractive to schools. Also, we are still consulted or engaged by PTAK whenever necessary. What is the importance of these insights?
Perhaps, there are educationists who could be interested in expanding their occupation to new levels. Further, there are those who would wish to leave classroom teaching and and still enjoy usage of the existing skills towards continued improvement of the welfare of the society. Perhaps, PTAK certification could probably build one’s brand even further, as it is still recognized by the market place. In any case, no situation is perfect; there is always room for improvement, isn’t it?
Rgds
Mwangi Wanjumbi (MKIM)
Personal Empowerment Coach,
Speaker/Trainer/Consultant on Strategy, Performance, Change Management and Leadership.
Seasoned Trainer of Trainers,
Competency Based Curriculum-CBC Architect,
Author of 1. KICD approved Career Dynamics in the 21st Century, 2. Living Beyond Survival:No More Tiptoeing in Life
- The 21st Century Student:Are You Creating The Future Today? Also, Retired 5 Year Monthly Strategy Columnist (2013 – 2018) for The SME Today Magazine Phone 254772516210
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