The Astro2020 Decadal Survey is now in full swing, with white paper submissions having gone in for scientific and state of the profession topics. We have written and submitted a “State of the Profession Consideration” paper arguing for the importance of hands-on training at telescopes for junior members of the research community. In “The Importance of Telescope Training in Data Interpretation” (Whelan+) we argue that some observing experience is crucial for researchers to interpret data accurately and to its maximal potential. This is particularly important as astronomy moves increasing towards a survey / data science model for studying the Universe. The white paper makes some general suggestions to allocate funding for on-site observing trips for junior researchers as well as funding support for both college/university observatories and small to mid-scale public facilities. Together these suggestions will work towards ensuring the next generation of astronomers have first-hand experience of the data collection process, providing context and base-knowledge for assessment and interpretation of survey data.