Examiner Training Contacts Forum eBook

IOWA DIVISION OF BANKING SPEED TO COMPETENCY

Why did we make changes to our training process? • We experienced a lot of turnover due to retirements, started hiring a lot of new people, and needed them to become productive as quickly as possible, so they could relieve stress on others from a training and exam standpoint. • Concerned that staff were starting to become box checkers, losing the ability to think outside of the box, ask the appropriate follow-up questions, and knowing when to dig deeper. Seemed to be more focused on documenting the box, then understanding the information. • Received feedback that our staff was not getting the same training experience. • Regional managers had talked about great training ideas for years, but never had the time to implement things. • Keeping the “this is the way we have always done it mindset” was not going to produce the results we needed. Fundamental Elements • We hire great people; our starting salary makes that easier at $70k+. • We expose people to things quickly and often, with support of others as needed. • We have two Regional Mentor’s in each region, which are responsible for monitoring the training efforts in their region. • PICK THE RIGHT TRAINERS!!! • We spend a lot of time training trainers. o Explained this training approach to the whole staff, at regional meetings. Makes everyone aware of what we are doing and why we are doing it. o Chief examiner and regional mentors meet quarterly to discuss what is working, what isn’t, and reinforce or go over new training methods. o Provide several people to be CSBS instructors, giving them a lot of practice teaching and they are also taught how to be instructors. o Learning Conference used to be a great way to stay up on the latest training methods. • Created the Chief Examiner position to allow someone to focus on training efforts. • We make training a priority in the schedule. Training Approach #1 Teach the thought process through questions. • Trainees can be overwhelmed by new terms, new information, etc., so focus on teaching them your thought process through a series of questions. Where do you go first and why? Where do you next and why? What does this information tell you? Once they become comfortable with the process, they can properly evaluate the information. • Ask questions – wait for responses, you will either help them build confidence by confirming their answers or find additional training opportunities if they don’t understand something. #2 Utilize progressive and repetitive drills. • Start by “holding trainees’ hand” through the drill, walking them through it, as the drills continue and get progressively more complex reduce coaching to a minimum. Primarily providing support on new areas. #3 Tell the “story” – from the trainer and trainee perspective. • Trainer – use stories, but get to the point, provide details, and have the learning lessons in mind. • Trainee