How To Set Up A Training Program
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Marie Maring, Līva Pētersone-Kļaviņa, Mantautas Krukauskas, Anna Tarnowska and Marek Maciejewski
How to identify and approach a suitable trainer
One of the biggest challenges when setting up a training programme in the music industry is to find the right trainer — especially if you are working with a trainer for the first time or do not have an established network.
To support this step, we have created an interactive, questionnaire-based tool that divides the process into manageable steps:
Do you already have someone in mind, otherwise do you know someone who can recommend a trainer or speaker?
Or are you starting completely from scratch?
If you really do not know where to begin, the tool suggests concrete next steps and points you toward relevant institutions and networks where suitable trainers can be found, based on your answers.
To make outreach easier, we have included:
A curated list of trainer networks and institutions
A ready-to-use email template for trainer requests
A short checklist for recruiting and preparing trainers
All materials are available below.
This step helps you move from uncertainty to action and build a training team that fits your goals and audience.
📌 Additional content: Questionnaire, List of Institutions & Networks, Email Template, Checklist: How to recruit and prepare trainers
Participants and goal: How to define who the training is for – and set the goal of the training
If you are designing a training programme for the music sector, whether it is a short in-person workshop, a multi-week online course, or a self-paced video content, start by identifying either a concrete challenge in the music industry or a group that clearly needs support. Both considerations are valid and often interlinked.
Once a real need is defined, translate it into an achievable training goal. Align this goal with the right group of participants. Consider: Who would benefit most? What knowledge or tools do they lack? What should they be able to do after the training?
Make sure that the format and duration fit/serve the training goal. A short webinar might introduce a topic; a longer course can support skill-building or project delivery.
Involve members of your target group in the process early – for example, by co-creating the agenda. Their input ensures relevance and helps build trust and engagement.
Be specific when describing participants: career stage, field of work, motivation, and learning preferences. Use personas to guide your design and communication.
Test your training with a small group and improve it based on feedback. This loop boosts usability, especially when adapting to different formats or local settings.
This revised section is based on our work in local testbeds and includes practical examples. A step-by-step overview is available in the infographic below.
📌 Additional Content Format: Infographic
Develop a curriculum: Turn your training idea into a structured plan
Developing a curriculum can feel overwhelming — especially if you’re short on time or have no background in instructional design. That’s why we created a simple but effective curriculum template to guide you step by step.
Instead of just listing content, the template starts with the basics:
What’s the purpose of your training?
What should participants learn — knowledge, practical skills, or soft skills?
To answer these questions meaningfully, we spoke with local music companies in advance to understand which skills they value in their current teams and what they look for when hiring new staff. This helped us identify key competencies relevant for lateral entrants — such as communication skills, adaptability, and basic industry knowledge — and align our training goals accordingly.
The template then helps you match learning outcomes with content, methods, and session formats. Whether you're planning presentations, group work, networking elements, or interactive exercises — you can assign formats accordingly and build a coherent flow. It also includes a visual agenda builder, where you can plan time slots, session types, and responsibilities — and track the current status of each item for easier coordination.
This structure proved essential during our piloting: it saved time, brought clarity tot he process and made expectations transparent for everyone involved — from trainers and partners to participants. To help measure success, the template can also be used to plan simple evaluation formats — from quick feedback loops to practical exercises aligned with your learning goals.
Implementation
Implementing a training programme in the music industry requires a clear action plan, good preparation, and the flexibility to adapt as you go. Across our piloting, we identified four key phases: Preparation, structuring, launch, and adjustment. Each phase plays a crucial role in ensuring that the programme is relevant, effective, and well-received.
In the preparation phase, it is essential to train instructors, align the team on goals and methods, and make sure everyone understands the content and structure. During structuring, practical elements such as equipment, guest speakers, and access to digital tools need to be arranged. At launch, programmes should stick to the curriculum while remaining responsive to participant needs and learning dynamics. Finally, in the adjustment phase, feedback is gathered and used to refine content, methods, and pacing.
Thanks to the piloting, we introduced several improvements: flexible session planning, hybrid (online and in-person) delivery, and more tailored mentoring support. These adjustments addressed real participant needs, whether they were newcomers to the industry, changing careers, or seeking technical skills.
Participants consistently valued:
The diversity of learning formats and hands-on experience
Input from real industry professionals
Clear structure and guidance throughout the programme
Opportunities to network, build peer communities, and continue learning informally
A training programme not only delivers knowledge, it helps build lasting communities and makes a visible impact in the local music and cultural scenes.
The curriculum tool had a direct and visible impact on the design and delivery of our local lateral entry programme. It helped structure the three-day format in a way that balanced input, interaction, and clarity — even for participants with little prior knowledge of the music industry. The structured agenda contributed to a well-paced programme flow and made it easier to navigate diverse content. Participants responded positively, especially to the clarity and logic of the programme’s structure: “You really made the most of the three days — great structure and order of topics. Top sequencing of programme content.” “I really enjoyed it overall — especially how clearly the different professional roles in the industry were explained.” This feedback confirms that a clear curriculum design supports both orientation and engagement — and helps make learning more accessible for new or transitioning professionals in the music ecosystem.
Evaluation - How to learn from what you’ve built — and improve what comes next
Once your training programme is complete, it’s time to evaluate. Evaluation is more than a final report — it’s about understanding what worked, what didn’t, and why. A well-structured evaluation helps improve future editions, shows the value of your programme to stakeholders, and highlights its broader impact.
We recommend a three-phase approach:
Set clear evaluation goals – What do you want to learn? Where do you want to improve?
Choose the right evaluation model – For example, Kirkpatrick’s model or quick feedback tools like online surveys or learning diaries.
Define indicators and questions – What does success look like, and how can it be measured?
During piloting, we found that a mix of methods worked best: structured surveys, informal feedback, and impact stories. Public sharing of highlights (photos, quotes, videos) helped build visibility and trust. Participants appreciated being heard — and their input led to immediate improvements in session content, format, and delivery.
Evaluation also revealed unexpected strengths: informal peer communities formed during the programmes, creating long-term value beyond the official course. These social dynamics are a powerful, often overlooked, outcome.
Recommended Tools:
Donald L. Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model
The WIND ROSE method for post-training evaluation
Learning diary (for self-evaluation)
Online surveys
Fast feedback loops