How to Outsource Training:
As a training provider for over 14 years, we know how we’d outsource training to the best training provider, so we’d thought we’d share that with you. Here are 17 top tips for how you can do training outsourcing to the best training provider:
#1 Outsource Training – Show Me Your Testimonials
“An excellent course. I learned so much. Great trainer. I’d use them again”, Account Director at FMCG Company.
This is a typical testimonial on most training providers’ websites. Why don’t they show their names so that you can contact them directly on Linkedin?
Checkout: Review our written testimonials or video testimonials.
#2 ‘Proper’ Learning Objectives?
Be wary of a training provider that has not written clear learning objectives for their training course. The most popular and reliable way of writing a learning objective is: ‘By the end of this training course the Learner will be able to…’ Every training course should have a clear list of learning objectives that you understand, doesn’t promise the earth, and meets your needs.
If you type into Google ‘training courses’ a top UK training provider will appear. They do not share their learning objectives for each training course. Only the modules, who it is for, cost, etc., but not what you learn. A bit odd!
Checkout: Our Time Management Learning Objectives.
#3 Outsource Training – Understand Their Qualifications
Some people value qualifications and others place more weight on value for money or track record. We’d encourage you to understand both the company’s qualifications and the trainers’ qualifications.
#4Contact Us and We’ll Tell You the Costs
As my Mum says, ‘If you have to ask the price you can’t afford it!’. This might be true. Personally, we like the information upfront. If they don’t share their costs on their website, move on. Even if you want something bespoke, at least you’d like to be able to gauge their costs.
Checkout: Our costs are shown on our training course outlines.
#5 Outsource Training – ‘A Jack of All Trades and Master of None’
Some training providers provide everything, from first aid training to leadership skills. We would prefer to outsource to a training provider that either specialises in an industry or a skill because either you know that they understand your industry or that they are experts in their chosen skill.
Checkout: We specialise in the UK Grocery Industry. All of our trainers are either ex-supermarket or ex-supplier.
#6 Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Ask your training providers how they can assure you that the learning objectives will be achieved. And what happens if they do not achieve the learning objectives.
#7 Outsource Training – Trust Formula
There are 4 parts to the trust formula, which means that people you trust have ticked all 4 parts and people that you don’t trust will be lacking in one, or more, parts. Credibility is one of those parts. Some of the questions to ask are; How long have they been in business? Where do they share their knowledge to demonstrate that they are a thought leader in training? What accreditations have they received?
Checkout: Established in 2002. CPD accredited. Our blog shows that we have written for most UK Grocery industry-leading magazines, training zone – the leading online L&D website with 250,000 members, and we have been shown on the BBC as industry experts.
#8 An Independent View of the Training Provider
Challenge your potential training providers to share an independent view from an expert in the industry. There is nothing like ‘people in the know’ that can tell you whether a company is good or not.
Checkout: Charles Jennings, the Founder of the 70:20:10 Learning Model, shares his thoughts on our knowledge.
#9 Outsource Training – 80% is Forgotten < 30 Days
The science behind the statement ‘80% of Learning is Forgotten in Less than 30 Days’ has been around a long time, and we know intuitively that this is true because if you have been on a one-day training course your retention will be minimal. Each training provider should have devised a proven method for overcoming this key problem in the training industry.
Checkout: Our unique training method has been designed, refined, and refined again – Sticky Learning ®
Click the image below for a higher resolution.
#10 Achieving Your Return on Investment
Clients have told us that this is key for them. Most training is only evaluated at level 1, called, ‘The Happy Sheet’. In the training world, we know this as the reaction level. The most popular model for evaluating training is Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation. Developed in 1953 this evaluation model has stood the test of time, yet rarely used.
Checkout: Our 5 level evaluation is based on Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation and adds one further level called, ‘Sponsor’s objectives’, so that the sponsor has a direct input into the evaluation.
#11 Outsource Training – The 70:20:10 Learning Model
The 70:20:10 learning model is talked about a lot in the training industry. In essence Charles Jennings, the founder said that training happens in the classroom, by learning from others, and by doing. And we all know that intuitively this makes sense because we learn from the people around us and by just doing. Every training provider should be helping their clients to make this happen, not just classroom training, but what we call ‘Blended Learning’.
Checkout: The Sticky Learning ® unique training method include ‘Sticky Pieces‘ that Learners do at their desks in between training days.
#12 ‘Rocking-Up’ to a Training Course
We’ve all seen it, the trainer asks at the start of the training day, ‘Why are you here?’, and the answer that often comes back, ‘My boss told me to come’. Each training provider must have a means to get beyond this problem and avoid someone arriving at training not knowing why they are there.
Checkout: Each Learner must complete the 1/2 day Learning To Learn training course where they are taught to identify their ‘Individual Learning Objective’ before any course, and the importance of getting support from their line manager.
#13 Outsource Training -What Did You Do with the Slides?
If you are like most people, on the training day, you make notes on the slide you receive. You then keep the deck as your recollection of your training. If you are like most people you then had a desk tidy-up some months later and begrudgingly binned the slides. A good training provider has a solution to this problem.
Checkout: We don’t hand out slides. We teach Learners how to capture their notes to maximise their learning in Learning To Learn.
#14 Supporting the Learner Between Training Days
Most training providers will offer email and telephone support knowing that less than 10% of Learners will use it. Supporting Learners is essential outside of formal training because without it they are most likely not to put their learning into practice.
Checkout: Our support comprises of –
- Email and telephone support.
- Sticky Pieces to complete at their desk and reply back to use to tell us that they have done it.
- Line Manager’s Learning To learn, which encourages the Line Manager to support the Learner.
- A Knowledge Vault. Many shelves of resources online with each cupboard dedicated to a skill and then each shelf dedicated to a learning objective of that skill.
- Individual Coaching is a recommended option for every Learner because it helps them achieve even more with the learning.
#15 Outsource Training – 7 Questions to Ask…
Checkout: This article, ‘7 Questions to Ask Your Current Training Provider‘, will help you to ask the right questions of your potential training providers.
#16 ‘Free Pastries On Our Training Courses’
Writes one leading training provider on their website. Imagine the highs and lows of the day as the caffeine and sugar kicks in and out.
Checkout: We encourage our Learners to drink only water. Plus, we provide plain popcorn because it is an energy food that releases energy slowly avoiding the highs and lows that sugar causes.
#17 Outsource Training – Behavioural Change = Habits
So, we know that we forget most of what we have learnt pretty quickly and we probably also know that unless we use the learning, it goes. Challenge your training providers on their expertise in creating habits because we know that if a Learner creates a habit using the new skills then they are likely to use it for life.
Checkout: We have challenged ourselves to understand habit formation from BJ Fogg’s work on habits, who is regarded as the father of habit research. Our Sticky Pieces follow his research on habit formation.
