This Labor Day we want to take a moment and appreciate your work as a social change trainer or educator.
The work you do is essential for the movement’s success.
That may sound like a stretch, but I mean it.
A lot of the organizational leaders I’ve spoken with lately are struggling.
The circumstances we are in are hard enough, but you also need to find the right people and help them work together to effectively build power.
It’s hard to find people that already have skills and commitment that align with your unique vision and mission.
That’s why both training and education are critical.
In short, education = why and training = how. |
The folks I’ve spoken with and supported have a variety of titles, but these are two essential functions of their role.
You might be a Director, an Organizer, a Labor Educator, or a Technical Assistance Provider, but one way or another you are using training and education to create change inside and outside your organization.
The Difference Between Training and Education
While related, training and education serve different purposes.
Here’s how I think about the difference between the two.
Training shares how to accomplish a particular result based on previous experience and allows learners to use and adapt to their own situation.
Education demonstrates why your strategy is worthwhile to sustain hope in spite of the many challenges you’ll confront along the way.
In short, education = why and training = how.
At the beginning of my career, I discounted the “how” thinking that “why” was all that mattered.
Lately, I think my writing spends a bit too much time on “how” and neglects “why.”
The reality is both are essential tools for any organizational leader.
Because as you build an organization the “how” and the “why” must expand as you incorporate new people.
To do that effectively requires a particular type of labor that isn’t always seen or appreciated.
That’s why this Labor Day we celebrate you, our reader, for bravely using training and education to create change.
And now a question for you.
I shared my definition of training and education, what about yours?
Let us know in the comments.
