How to Build a Training Cadre: A Step-by-Step Process

Print
Related Pages

Meeting your organization’s many goals can be particularly challenging for one person or a few individuals to accomplish given other responsibilities. Building a training cadre is a key component of Professional Development (PD). This toolkit explains the need for a training cadre to sustain an organization’s professional development goals, and provides many resources to support your efforts.

ca·dre

Noun. A diverse group of professionals with a common vision and mission that supports the sustainability of a professional development infrastructure within organizations.

For more definitions, review the Glossary of Terms for Training Cadres [PDF – 134K].

Building a training cadre involves four phases:

Phase 1

Assessment

Phase 2

Recruitment

Phase 3

Action

Phase 4

Evaluation

Why Build a Training Cadre?

Building a training cadre is an important way to sustain a
professional development infrastructure and will help to:

  • Build an organization’s capacity to deliver knowledge and skills to staff.
  • Leverage resources throughout the organization.
  • Sustain efforts by having the ability to inform and train others on specific
    content.

Your initial tasks in building your cadre are to develop a structured process
to:

  • Establish a purpose that will unify your team members.
  • Ensure each person on your team understands his or her role and the
    overarching purpose of the team.

A structured process for forming a cadre is critical to establish criteria
for cadre membership.

What Makes a Strong Training Cadre?
Examples of Cadre Members
  • Administrators
  • Organizational staff
  • Partner representatives

A strong training cadre is made up of the following:

  • An effective leader.
  • A diverse, well-rounded group of individuals.
  • Demographics that represent your geographic region.
  • The right mixture of job functions to address your organization’s needs.

Tasks for the cadre leader are outlined in the following:
Training Cadre Leader Responsibilities [PDF – 144 KB].

Identify Barriers and Solutions
Icon of a question mark

Consider asking yourself and colleagues the following:

  • What are barriers to establishing a training cadre in your area?
  • What can be done to overcome these barriers?
Resources
Training and Professional Development

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Population Health, School Health Branch, acknowledges the following individuals for their subject matter expertise and assistance in developing the Training Cadre Resource toolkit:

  • Stephane McKissick, CDC
  • Holly Alperin, University of New Hampshire
  • Kate Holmes, Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health
  • Lisa Rakoz, Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction