What is a Facilitator?

A Facilitator is someone who plans, designs, and leads a group event. A Facilitator does not teach on a topic instead he or she guides learners through a learning event by prompting learners to look into themselves in order to learn through their personal understanding and experiences.

Purpose of the Course

This course will assist those wishing to facilitate or who are already facilitating learning through various training methods. By completing this course you will be formally recognised as a Training Facilitator which will increase your employability in the training environment depending on your area of expertise.

On completion of this course you will be found competent to perform the following functions:

• Plan and prepare for a learning event – You will learn how to analyse learners to determine their needs and requirements e.g. learning barriers, literacy and numeracy levels, previous experience in the field of study, culture, special needs, etc. You will also be able to identify your needs in order to deliver the training e.g. resources, locations, etc. As a Facilitator, you will also need to prepare training material to suit the purpose of the intended training course that you will be facilitating, as well as ensuring that the learning environment meets legislative requirements.
• Facilitate learning in a learning environment – You will learn how to ensure that your facilitation approach promotes open interaction and meets the expected learning outcomes of the program while ensuring a quality learning experience. It is important that you know how to encourage learners to draw on their own experiences for understanding and problem-solving. You will learn about the power of group work while still identifying and meeting individual learner needs.
• Evaluate the success of the learning that has taken place – It is important to understand why feedback and learner criticism is important in order for you to critically review your facilitation techniques, learning program content and whether the intended course outcomes have been met successfully. You will learn how to use the feedback to build on your strengths and improve your weaknesses as a Facilitator for future training events.

How will this course benefit your Professional Development?

This course will teach you how to be an efficient and effective Facilitator both in a classroom as well as in everyday situations with work colleagues or the general public. As a subject matter expert, it is important that you know how to share your knowledge and experience with others and improve their understanding of the topic.

Some SETAs require you to register as a Facilitator before you can teach any SETA accredited training courses. By completing this course you will be eligible for registration with some SETAs. You will also improve your employability by becoming a qualified Facilitator in your area of expertise!

It is important to realise that being a Facilitator is not for everyone and we recommend that you possess the following qualities if you would like to enroll for this course:

• Confidence – As A Facilitator you will have to stand up and teach in front of a group of people. You will also need to be able to read your audience in order to keep all your learners interested and engaged.
• Humility – A good Facilitator understands that teaching is not about them it’s about their learners. A classroom is not the place to build Facilitator ego but learner confidence.
• Flexibility – A Facilitator needs to be able to think in his/her feet. What works for one group may not necessarily work for the next group. Facilitation is not a one size fits all exercise. It is therefore important to be flexible in your techniques and such changes might have to change at very short notice.
• Curiosity – You need to show interest in your learner’s backgrounds, working environments and personal interest in order to best engage them and facilitate their learning. If you aren’t interested in learning how will you successfully captivate your learners?
• Experience – You need to possess the relevant experience in order to relate them to learner problems and further guide their learners by these means. There is nothing worse sitting in a classroom where the Facilitator delivers a course by reading the entire course from a PowerPoint presentation.

What happens after I have completed the Facilitator Course?

On completion of the course, you will be uploaded against Unit Standard 117871 with the ETDP SETA. Following this, you will be a qualified Facilitator and will be able to facilitate training as per your area of expertise. You will be able to register as a Facilitator with some SETAs as per their requirements. We strongly advise that you enroll for the Assessor Course following your Facilitator Course as this is the requirement of most training companies as well as various SETAs. This will increase your employability in the training sector.