IATA Training makes the case for turning aviation's subject-matter experts into actual trainers

An IATA Knowledge Hub piece argues that aviation organisations are structurally exposed to knowledge loss because so much of what employees know is tacit — estimated, citing Polanyi and Sen's 2009 research, at roughly 80% of an organisation's total knowledge — and that promoting a technical expert to train others does not automatically give them the ability to transfer that knowledge effectively. It sets out five specific competencies it says a subject-matter expert needs to become an effective trainer: keeping the session learner-centred rather than content-centred, using deliberate engagement techniques, adapting and staying self-aware in the room, actively integrating feedback, and contributing to a wider learning culture rather than treating training as a one-off event. The piece leans on workforce-retention research to make the business case rather than just the pedagogical one: it cites a LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report finding that organisations with embedded learning cultures see 7.2 times higher employee engagement, 57% retention and 23% internal mobility, alongside separate McKinsey research showing learning-focused organisations retain staff at rates five percentage points above average. It also cites Udemy data that 65% of Gen Z employees prioritise continuous development, framing trainer development as a retention tool for a specific incoming workforce cohort rather than a generic training nice-to-have. IATA Training's own course list — covering instructional design, instructional techniques and sector-specific train-the-trainer programmes across cargo, dangerous goods, ground operations, flight operations, safety and security — is offered as the practical route into building these skills.