How to choose a service provider for corporate training

When company management and the HR director determine to invest in the staff and organize a project to upgrade the skills of all employees, it is already a serious investment in their attractiveness as an employer in the market, as well as an additional advantageous difference from competitors.

I would like to emphasize that the development of the staff today a priori takes place with the help of a service provider, in a convenient form, with certification and, consequently, the subsequent promotion of the grads. Without verifying the fact of mastering the material (preferably oral certification) it is draining the budget, and a useless and thankless task. Based on many years of practice, I can say with confidence that a responsible approach to training is possible only if the training takes place according to an individual program and with mandatory certification. But first things first.

First of all, a training needs analysis should be conducted in the company. For example, you have implemented RPA robots, with which staff need to communicate as quickly as possible. Therefore, for a start, it is better to determine the current indicators of knowledge and skills, and then to develop a program for their upgrade. Compare the set result with the desire and ability to achieve it.

Feedback can be collected by testing, communication between the leader / mentor of each individual team and its representatives.

Any interaction and communication with the team for its development and motivation always gives a good effect.

Corporate training can be carried out using mobile programs (for example, now there are many offers on the market for installing LMS in a smartphone), intramural and extramural methods with the involvement of a coach. But the most effective way is to attract an experienced service provider who will offer training courses on new technologies, taking into account their maximum approximation for the specifics of each company. A separate organization is unique in its kind. For example, even within the same industry, the requirements, culture and approach can be very different. Therefore, immediately exclude options such as the "one-stop template course for all." It's like a perfect suit that a tailor sews not according to patterns, but on the shoulders and body of a particular person.

Corporate learning programs for a specific client are what reliable providers of educational programs usually offer. Attention should be paid to the portfolio of projects and the experts (trainers) themselves. At the initial stage of the selection of the contractor, I advise you to conduct the interview, «scan» speakers to the level of reliability. It is important that the proposed strategy be adapted to suit your company and its needs.

Pay particular attention to the technical composition: architects, programmers with experience in product development, methodology and analysts with knowledge of IT solutions should also have confirmed certificates.
The training program itself should consist of individual practical courses, recommendations for their completion, feedback from teachers, possibility of recording webinars, creation of working files. Learning material with practical use, developed according to the principle of useful knowledge, is the very content that guarantees employee involvement in the process.

An adaptive training program should be always built on the basis of project cases carried out by the teacher in his practice (real projects). A teacher who only teaches is often too academic, not too practical.

The training schedule, user support at all stages, tracking results - the supplier provides you with each of these points in the most detailed form. An individual approach implies the preparation of a course using such project management tools as maintaining a plan, status meetings, the possibility of making changes that do not affect the labor costs and timing of preparation (adaptation for the company) of the course.

You should also have a choice of staff certification options. Based on the data received (for example, feedback from team leaders), the provider offers testing, an oral internal examination, interviews with course participants following the training or another option. Think over the form in which the learning outcomes will be formalized - in the form of certificates or government documents. I also advise you to talk to the staff about this point, to get information about preferences in advance.