| This article discusses some of the challenges | | | | success look like here and how would we |
| faced by those purchasing business training and | | | | measure it?" |
| issues confronting business training providers. If | | | | Challenges Faced by Business Training Providers |
| business is being done with integrity these are | | | | As Above |
| closely related as both purchasers (e.g. CEOs, HR | | | | Training providers face many of the same |
| managers or training managers) and training | | | | problems of those purchasing training. Doing things |
| providers want effective training that does the | | | | in less and less time, and with less budget is the |
| job. | | | | modern challenge. A good training provider will help |
| Challenges Faced When Purchasing Business | | | | clients find out what is needed, make good use of |
| Training | | | | pre and post course support to maximise limited |
| Not Sure What Training Is Needed | | | | contact time and help evaluate training success. |
| In order to determine what training is really | | | | Delegates Not "Bought-In" |
| needed a company should do a training needs | | | | Delegates turning up late or not wanting to learn |
| analysis (TNA) so as not to waste their time and | | | | is a problem for many trainers. This often |
| money. | | | | indicates an issue with the commissioning process |
| Not Enough Time | | | | as delegates have not bought-into the training as |
| People in businesses are busy and often do not | | | | something desirable. It may mean the TNA has |
| have much time for training. Training can be | | | | not been done correctly or the "internal sell" was |
| thought of as an investment and companies can | | | | handled clumsily. One solution is to establish |
| get the most out of training with focused aims | | | | learning aims in line with what delegates want at |
| and pre- and post-training support from providers. | | | | the start of training and make it clear that |
| Not Enough Money | | | | participation is optional. |
| Training need not be expensive. Using small | | | | Inadequate Facilities or Technology |
| companies with low overheads helps and | | | | A good training provider makes use of what they |
| government grants like Train to Gain in the UK | | | | have and has a low-tech plan B for when the |
| can help. Again being targeted with aims is useful. | | | | technology breaks down. |
| E-Learning may be cheaper but often does not do | | | | Delegates Tired or Bored |
| the job and lacks the essential "human touch". | | | | Keeping training interactive and experiential will |
| Not Enough Trust | | | | alleviate this problem. Use teaching appropriate for |
| How do you know if a trainer provider is any | | | | different learning styles and take regular breaks. |
| good? Ask for references from past clients and a | | | | No "Real-World Transfer" |
| free taster session with your own team to build | | | | Training has a bad reputation in many businesses |
| trust before embarking on a large scale training | | | | as people will often go on a course, then promptly |
| program. | | | | forget everything they have learned. It is |
| Not Sure If Training Works | | | | important to embed learning in real-world |
| It is important to measure return on investment | | | | applications and give participants ways to continue |
| of training by asking ahead of time, "What would | | | | learning after the contact time. |