Training Options in a Recession

st recessions many companies have taken thetraining companies with the resources and
short-term soft options of cutting back on trainingexperience to manage your training requirements
and freezing graduate recruitment. However, theon an end to end basis. Obviously company
companies that actually analysed what happenedspecific training such as new product launches
as economies came out of previous recessionsneeds to be kept in-house. But sales skills training
found that these options greatly impacted theirand management training programs are good
ability to respond to the up take in demand forexamples of self-contained units that could be
their services and products.outsourced providing the contextual elements of
However, companies do have to respond to atraining, such as sales role plays that are specific
reduction in orders, so what options are availableto your company, are incorporated. This is a
with regards to training? Well, as with manyfundamental issue, ensuring that training is still
departments in the good times, the trainingrelevant to your workforce and your customers
function in companies has grown over the lasteven if it is delivered by an outside organization.
few years in terms of the number of peopleMany elements of training budgets that are
employed, budgets allocated and the scope ofcurrently subject to potential overrun can be
work undertaken. So at this point in the economicdelivered at a fixed price to the business, with
cycle a review of the training department withjust in time training, without the large current
Tom Peter’s mantra of “stick tooverheads. This is especially true if you are a
the knitting” in mind may reap dividends.pan-European company requiring training in multiple
Is your company in the training business or, at itslanguages, with all the issues around translation of
core, a focused organization providing productsmaterials and sourcing trainers with the required
and services efficiency to your customers? Arelanguage capabilities. This approach can also be
there elements of the trainingvery effective for smaller companies. Some SME
department’s remit that are unnecessarycompanies have even outsourced all of their
in the short term? What are the core trainingtraining requirements to independent training
competences that will provide you with thecompanies with the skills, experience and
necessary launch-pad as the economy begins toresources to fully meet their needs.
grow? Which areas of the business do you needTo adopt this approach effectively both the
to focus on to provide the best return onoutsourced training provider and your company
investment for your training budgets? Are thereneed to work as partners, and the training
other options that could be considered to providecompany should be seen as your training arm,
training without the large, on-going budgets thatwith their trainers fully understanding your values
many training departments now consume?and philosophy. The commitment needed from
One approach is to consider outsourcing specificboth parties means that this is not a quick fix, but
training programs to independent professionalan ongoing working relationship.