Jan 12, 2024
The learning engine: How to build a peer-to-peer training program that scales
As a leader, one of the biggest challenges you face is scaling development. How do you ensure every employee has access to the learning they need to grow, without an infinite training budget? The answer is likely already within your organization. Your most credible, relevant, and effective teachers are often your own people.
This is the power of an employee-to-employee (or peer-to-peer) learning program. It’s a model that some of the world's most innovative companies, like Google, have used to build a robust culture of learning. Their famed "g2g" (Googler-to-Googler) network, a volunteer army of over 6,000 employees, runs 80% of all their internal training.
This isn't about "doing more with less." It's about creating a self-sustaining engine for growth. Here’s how you can build one in your own organization.
It starts with culture, not a mandate
Before you design a single course, you must commit to the right mindset. A peer-learning program will fail if it's seen as a cost-cutting measure or if participation is forced. Its success is directly tied to a wider organizational culture that genuinely values curiosity and shared knowledge.
The foundation of a successful program rests on two core beliefs:
Trust: You must trust that your employees are smart, motivated, and have valuable expertise to share. You also trust them to be passionate learners.
Support: A learning culture requires strong leadership sponsorship. When leaders champion the idea that learning is a vital part of work—not something that happens when you have "free time"—employees will follow.
Your blueprint for launching a peer-learning program
Building an internal learning engine is a strategic initiative. Here at Nelson Workshops, we guide our partners through a proven framework that turns passionate employees into impactful teachers.
Step 1: Identify and Recruit Your Internal Champions
Your first step is to find the right people to facilitate. This is about more than just finding subject matter experts. Look for two key traits:
Expertise: They must have deep knowledge in a valuable area, whether it's a technical skill like Python, a professional skill like negotiation, or a leadership capability.
Passion: This is the non-negotiable ingredient. A true passion for teaching and helping others grow is what separates a good facilitator from a great one. The best internal trainers are those who want to do it, not those who are told to do it.
Action Tip: Start with a call for volunteers rather than nominations. You might be surprised who raises their hand. Interview candidates to assess their motivation and passion for sharing their knowledge.
Step 2: Equip Them for Success with Facilitation Skills
Being an expert in a topic is not the same as being an expert teacher. This is the most critical step and where many internal programs falter. You must invest in developing the facilitation skills of your champions.
This is where a professional "Train-the-Trainer" program becomes invaluable. Your internal experts need to learn:
How to structure a learning experience.
How to engage a room (virtual or in-person).
How to ask powerful questions and manage group dynamics.
How to give and receive constructive feedback.
At Nelson Workshops, this is one of our core specialties. We partner with organizations to transform their internal experts into confident, engaging facilitators who can create real learning moments for their peers.
Step 3: Provide Ongoing Structure and Recognition
Once your champions are trained, build a system to support them for the long term.
Provide Actionable Feedback: Create a simple process for learners to provide feedback to facilitators, so they can continuously improve.
Recognize and Reward: Acknowledging the incredible contribution of your volunteers is essential. This can be through public recognition from leadership, integration into performance reviews, or special events for your teaching community. This reinforces the cultural value of their work.
Your partner in building a learning engine
Launching an employee-to-employee learning program is one of the most powerful investments you can make in your people and your organization's future. It creates a scalable, relevant, and highly credible way to upskill your entire workforce.
But you don’t have to do it alone. Nelson Workshops can be your strategic partner in this journey. We help you design the program, build the frameworks, and deliver world-class "Train-the-Trainer" workshops that give your internal champions the skills and confidence they need to succeed.
Ready to unlock the powerful teaching potential that already exists on your team? Let's connect and discuss how we can build your learning engine, together.