This article published on LinkedIn discusses how you can tell a good training provider from a bad one.
Google the words ‘how to choose a training provider’ and last time I checked you come up with over 4 million hits, that is a lot of advice readily available!
So why then does this decision remain an on-going thorn-in-the-side for many Training Managers?
Let’s be honest, training is never a small item in any company’s budget. And it is because of this reason that you need to tread carefully when deciding on a training provider as you want and need to get the most out of every single training investment.
The burning question is how can you be certain that you really are choosing the right training provider?
I recently read in an article that more than R900 billion is spent annually on training worldwide, and even though your company’s training bill is only a small fraction of this spend, you need to make sure that every investment is a wise one but this is often easier said than done.
Many Training Managers have been ‘burned’ by their training decisions for a variety of reasons and these experiences can make you hesitant about your choices, you second guess yourself which means that you end up missing opportunities and in the long run you actually land up adding additional training expenses.”
In my opinion, sadly accreditation with a SETA does not necessarily mean a guarantee of quality. A training provider can have the most fantastic policies and procedures in place and the course can be aligned to unit standards, but at the end of the day, this may not be what addresses the learning needs of your employees. It is what actually happens in the training room that counts and this more often than not boils down to the experience and expertise of the Course Leader.
One fundamental question that many Training Managers often forget to ask potential facilitators is in relation to their most recent experiences because academic qualifications are important of course but they are only one piece of the proverbial pie. We all know that industry changes at such a rapid rate, so if all you do, day in and day out is facilitate training courses, how can you stay up-to-date with what is actually going on in the workplace? The honest answer is you can’t.
This means that the training can easily miss the mark and the reality is that many facilitators fall into a comfortable presentation pattern that does little to address specific training needs; you get their ‘canned’ presentation, one that they could basically do in their sleep!
Now for the Alusani® sales pitch:-) I realised early on when I started this company that we had to work quite differently from the sea of training providers to really stand out from the crowd. So, all of our Course Leaders are seasoned experts who currently work in their chosen fields. This makes such a big difference in terms of the actual training experience and skills transfer as our Course Leaders are always 100% up-to-date with the very latest thinking and techniques.
We go through a rigorous Course Leader selection process. Many of them are leaders in their respective fields; they are regular contributors to articles and journals both here in SA as well as internationally. They are often asked to participate and speak at international conferences as subject matter experts. This expertise makes all of our training courses unique and very different from what conventional training providers offer.
For more info about our courses, please email imogen@alusani.co.za.
