TIPS FOR ENGAGING CONTRACT TRAINING CONSULTANTS
When your learning and development initiative timelines are tight, and your team is working at capacity, engaging contract training consultants can keep your projects on track. It’s a good idea to find a training company partner before you have an urgent training need. To ensure the success of your project, here are tips for engaging with contract training consultants.
Outline the project and required skills
When you contact the training consulting firm, be sure you have a detailed description of the project and the skills you need. The more specific you can be, the better able they will be to find the right training consultant for your requirements.
Clearly define the role and expectations
Prepare a comprehensive description of the training consultant’s role in the project, including the responsibilities and expected outcomes. In addition, ensure each team member – whether an internal or external resource – understands his/her own role, the role of others, so everyone is clear on how they will interact throughout the project.
Integrate them in the team
While the training consultant is not an employee, the person will be working closely with other team members. It is best to choose someone who understands and respects your company’s values and culture – you can ask these questions during the interview process. Make it clear the training consultant is an important part of the project team.
Provide background on the training initiative
To do the best job possible the training consultant needs to understand the business need being addressed by the training, including goals, objectives and performance gaps. You may even want to hire a training consultant with experience in performing a needs assessment to assist with this important step in the project.
Engaging with contract training consultants can offer your company numerous benefits:
Reduced costs – When you outsource your training needs, this resource is a variable cost applied to the project rather than a fixed cost. While the hourly rate may be higher, your company is not paying all the associated employee costs, and the expense can be tracked directly against the project.
Access to unique skills – If you need expertise such as microlearning or gamification on a project, or knowledge of a particular subject area you can find a person with this experience without having to hire a full-time employee.
Focused resource – Bringing in a training consultant for your project means that you have a resource that is 100% focused on that project. They won’t be distracted by the other daily tasks that can take an employee away from the project.
Multi-language support and local culture awareness – When you engage a global training consulting firm, they have access to learning and development professionals in many different languages. With local professionals around the world, they can provide people on the ground who are familiar with the various cultural nuances.
Planning to hire training consultants? Download our “Interview Questions for Training Professionals Infographic” to prepare for the interview process.
If your company needs a training consultant, but doesn’t have the time or resources for the recruitment and interview process, contact TrainingFolks. We have a global of 30,000 training professionals with a broad range of experience, and specialize in search, screening and delivery of training consultants. Let us help you with your next training initiative.