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Purpose – Corporate trainers' credibility has been universally ignored by researchers and its significance has remained elusive across cultures. Thus, the purpose of this present paper is to examine variations of trainers' credibility determinants in Canada and Morocco. Design/methodology/approach – A comparative qualitative study with in-depth interviews and the grounded theory approach were adopted to carry out the research. Participants in the study consisted of 60 civil servants employed in various governmental departments in Canada and Morocco. Findings – A framework identifying distinct categories based on common determinants of trainers' credibility was constructed for each respective country. These categories were attributed the following designations: qualifications, perceived competence, perceived justice and perceived confidence for the Canadian sample; and qualifications, perceived competence, and personal attributes for the Moroccan sample. Similarities surfaced regarding some of the determinants in both cultures such as qualifications, and competence. However, Canadian respondents emphasized trainers' performance, fairness and confidence, while Moroccan trainees valued wisdom (hikma), honesty (sidk), trust (amanah) and the trainer as a role model. Practical implications – The findings indicate that cultural values ought to be considered in trainers' credibility in efforts to enhance the level of comprehension regarding credibility determinants that could impact training success and effectiveness. It is also recommended that organizations consider taking into account the determinants of credibility during the selection process of trainers who will be primarily tasked with delivering corporate training to employees locally or in various cultural settings. Originality/value – The paper provides groundbreaking insights as it is the first study to investigate trainers' credibility across cultures by resorting to an emic approach to provide a cross-cultural perspective on the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]