Posted by Lora Boiago on Sep 23, 2013 2:39:00 PM

training consultantsContract Training Consultants: Helping Them Join Your Team

When rolling out a major company-wide training program, most organizations turn to contract training consultants.  Upon bringing these training consultants on board, a company expects to see positive results and achievement of specified goals.  The best results come when those contract training consultants are seamlessly integrated into the organization.  Integration is achieved when the training consultant understands and shares the organization's culture and values, when they are accepted by staff as being valuable members of the team and when they are made an integral part of the company infrastructure.

How do you accomplish this?  It takes commitment from both the organization and the trainers to make it work well.  Here are some things that your organization can do to make the relationship more successful:

  • Clearly define the roles.  Before you begin searching for a contract training consultant, prepare a written description of the role you expect the trainer to play and what you expect the trainer to accomplish.  Similarly, prepare a written description of how individual members of your staff will interact with the trainer and what their specific roles are in relation to the training initiative.  This document will serve as a guide for all parties involved to ensure clarity and transparency throughout the training process.  
  • Carefully select trainers before contracting.  Selecting the right contract training consultant to meet your organization's needs is crucial for success.  Review and verify their credentials to ensure their education, experience and skills are transferable to the specific goals you are trying to achieve.  Interview them to gauge whether their values are consistent with your organization's values.  Remember that successful integration into your organization depends in part on the contract trainer's commitment to making the relationship work; seek to uncover the trainer's level of commitment during this screening process.
  • Understand the trainer is a learner first.  Too often trainers are thrown into the thick of things without being given the adequate information needed to execute an effective training program.  Prior to having a training consultant stand in front of a class, he/she must fully understand the organizational culture, participants learning styles and the nuances of their role.  This should all be included in the on-boarding process.
  • Establish the contract training consultant as a credible member of the team.  Effective teams understand, internalize and leverage the importance of their individual roles, and that of each team member, when creating a game plan to reaching the organization's goals.  Clearly express to your staff and the contract training consultant what the trainer will be responsible for and what the staff is responsible for and your expectations for team-based performance.  When introducing the training consultant to your team, use familiar organizational terminology, such as ‘team member’ or ‘associate’ when describing the trainers’ position. 

Finding a contract training consultant with the appropriate skill-set needed to properly deliver training and deliver results can be an overwhelming challenge for any organization.  If this is the case for your company, consider seeking guidance from a firm like TrainingFolks.  TrainingFolks is experienced at seeking, screening and delivering contract training consultants for organizations as they undertake large-scale change initiatives.  Our organization manages the day-to-day nuances involved in recruiting a team so that your organization can remain focused on an already overwhelming project.

Topics: training consultant, training consultants, contract trainers, contract trainer, contract training consultants, TrainingFolks

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