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Learn your Terms: Is Training similar to Education?

Education and Training: Are they similar?

Education aims at imparting knowledge. It passes to learners a set of facts, values, beliefs, and events related to a specific topic. This knowledge can be used for future reasoning, decision making and advancing in a careers.

Training, on the other hand, aims at equipping learners with the necessary skills for a specific role or job position.

For instance, a workplace hires competent employees but further training in that specific field can make them more effective in executing their roles.

Similarities between Education and Training

Both education and training need time, focus and energy. It takes a knowledgeable instructor or trainer to impart the right skills or knowledge to a student. In almost all cases they both require a monetary investment.

Both education and training allow instructors/trainers to provide their learners with the tools to tackle current and future issues.

So How does Training differ from Education?

These two words are commonly used interchangeably to the extent most people use them interchangeably.

However, the two terms are different in their meaning. Training focuses mainly on skills predicted to benefit a particular job while education enriches an individual with knowledge on a particular subject or course.

For instance, a doctor (with knowledge in medicine) knows which medicine cures which illness and understands the motions of a carpenter’s tools, but that does not mean his KNOWLEDGE enables him to construct a house.

In order to construct a home, the doctor must acquire the necessary carpentry SKILLS as opposed to academic knowledge. Below is how education and training differs;

Purpose

- The goal of training is to improve one's performance, capability, capacity, and productivity. There are various types of training for example technology training, quality, skills, professional and legal and team training, safety training. On the other hand, the purpose of education is to impart knowledge, to understand that knowledge in order to develop a sense of reasoning and judgment for future jobs and challenges.

Basis

: Training involves practical application while education involves both theoretical orientation and sometimes practical lessons. Training majorly takes place in workshops or workplaces while education is mainly carried out in learning facilities such as schools and colleges.

Timeline

- Generally education occurs over a longer period of time, usually throughout a semester or academic year, and in some cases, several years. Training, on the other hand, takes a shorter period of time because they involve more specific and focused topics.

Authorization

: Education is generally sought after and paid for by leaners in hopes of achieving career goals or in preparations of securing future employment while training normally occurs after one has been employed and is usually authorized and funded by the employer.

Methodology

: In training: The course delivery or modes of instruction will incorporate theory and practical skills sessions. To enhance learning outcomes, theory sessions will comprise a classroom-based lecture blended with discussions, scenario-based studies, case-study, video clips, and PowerPoint slides/learners' Guide or lesson former. On the other hand in education, the learners can engage in group discussions, lectures, assignments, industrial visits, and live events. It can also involve reading book, and times when learners are required to think read and write. Well those are the fundamental differences between training and education. And as you can see, the differences outrun the similarities which is a sign they aren’t the same.

Final thoughts

Education and training are both useful processes when it comes to shaping an individual’s path in life. Education prepares one for a career life while training ensures he/she keeps their job and climbs up the ladder.

In essence, through training, we are not looking to reshape the behaviour of an individual rather the point is to teach the employee or learner a set of skills so that they can then carry out tasks on their own.

When both are imparted correctly, one gets more competent in the academic field as well as their career path. Employers should embrace both in order to enhance the success of a company.