Anyone who has ever been involved in selecting training providers will know that it can be a stressful and confusing task. How do you know that you have the best option from the thousands of training providers out there? Are they going to deliver great training and offer the best value for you and your company?
We have put together 5 top tips for you to consider when making any selections based on how we select training providers and trainers. We aim to only work with the best and the below ensures that we weed out the weak.
T – Track record
Who have they worked with and how recently? Will they understand the culture of your business? Can they “talk the talk” when dealing with delegates? If you want a sales trainer then make sure he or she has a successful sales background.
Work with training providers will understand your business and the culture. Would an Investment bank want a trainer who has only ever worked in the public sector and vice versa? Probably not.
Always ask for the trainers’ cv and/or profile so you can check out their history. Also, ask for at least two clients references and then contact them.
Don’t just ask if the training was good; ask them what the provider was like to work with, how was their customer service, did they have good ideas, were they flexible?
R – Relationship
When you first approach the training provider or trainer how did they respond?
Are the sales people pushy? Are they responsive? Do they provide a personal touch and are willing to go the extra mile for you?
You need to measure this and make sure you work with training providers you can trust and if required build long-term relationships with.
Consider your organisation’s culture. A trainers personality must fit with yours and the same can be said for any technology or software.
A – Accounts
Carry out due diligence on the organisation.
Review the financial history of the training provider. Use credit checking agencies and review the information stored on companies house.
It’s not always possible to do this with non-limited companies or individual trainers or contractors. With these people ask for a record of previous years accounts or basic profit and loss figures.
If you have concerns about the financial standing of a provider then reduce your risk by negotiating payment after the event.
Some training providers insist on payment upfront, however, terms can always be adjusted. The last thing you want is to pay upfront and never receive the training.
I – Innovative
By this we mean how does the training provider think and approach any training solution?
Do they just offer a basic solution or are they always looking to offer new ideas and solutions that will help you achieve your objectives?
What technology or resources would they suggest?
If they are a technology provider, e.g. e-learning, then ask for their development roadmaps so you get an idea of where the company will be in the future, especially if you are potentially signing up for a multi-year licence or contract.
Remember, providers don’t need to be offering fancy technology unless its necessary but they need to have a proactive forward-thinking approach and always look to improve what they offer.
N – (k)now how
Ok, the acronym doesn’t exactly work in this section but we tried!
How much knowledge does the trainer or training provider have in the subject they are training your staff in?
Too many providers and trainers offer a wide range of training subjects so make sure the trainers know their subject matter. Try and work with training providers who specialise in the training you are looking for.
So if you need sales training then approach specialist sales training companies, if you need PRINCE2 go to PRINCE2 specialists. There are plenty of providers out there who will say yes they can and end up delivering training on topics they are not experts are at. This is how we choose our providers and trainers. We have a large number of Optimus approved providers so we only ever select experienced expertise.
We hope that the above tips were useful for you. If you have any extra tips you would recommend or any stories about when you chose training providers then please let us know.
Also, check out our guide on How to Choose a Managed Learning Service
