In a $200 billion marketplace saturated with vendors of all kinds, finding corporate training classes is easy. However, finding quality corporate training solutions that align with your business goals and enable your talent to gain needed skills, takes more than a mere internet key word search. There are five factors you can use to ensure you get more than just a class with a good title, but that you secure an effective training solution for your team.
The Society for Human Resource Management shares that once the goals are known, then you can design the targeted learning solution. Those goals can include “…better performance, productivity, quality or customer satisfaction, to name a few.”
From the Needs Analysis, the potential training company should provide you with recommendations for your team’s learning approach. The courses available may include classes targeted to a specific knowledge areas like Emotional Intelligence, Managing Meetings, or Managing Stakeholders. Or, the recommendations may include standardizing your company’s talent bench with a focus on industry certifications including Project Management, Business Analysis, or Agile.
As a conscientious departmental or training manager, you need a training partner who can right size the solution to fit your team. An existing class can be customized to reflect your corporate culture while still delivering industry best practices.
Just as the training company should work with you to analyze your team’s learning needs, as a Training Manager or People Leader, you should do some analysis work on their class options considering:
And keep in mind, the length of a catalog does not equate to a strong course selection. Weaker companies can take one set of content, and merely change the title to give an impression of more options to try and lure new business. The catalog should provide clear information on how the training company will serve your employees before, during, and after the actual class in addition to class descriptions and objectives.
When you are seeking best in class corporate training, make sure that the company provides professional biographies on their instructor team. Ask about meeting with the instructor to talk with them about your company culture and see if there’s a good fit.
Companies that provide high quality training to their employees reap many benefits including higher morale and longer talent retention. Research has shown that a “significant relationship was found between job training satisfaction and overall job satisfaction”. As part of your due diligence in selecting the best in class training for your team or company, look for these 5 things: Needs Analysis, Targeted and Customized Courses, Professional and Quality Training Materials, Relevant and Deep Course Catalog, and Qualified and Experienced Instructors.