What can consultants do for you?
Training consultants can bring a whole range of benefits all across an organisation. They can determine what training requirements an organisation has, design a training programme to meet these requirements, ensure this programme is implemented correctly and effectively, and allow management to target finite training resources in the best way possible.
Consultants can benefit an organisation in two ways. They can work in partnership with the internal HR or training function, or they might provide these functions for a company that either does not have the time or resources to provide training itself.
The first thing that a consultant will typically do is to appraise the present skills situation and training requirement of their client. An experienced training consultant will be able to draw up a 'training-needs analysis' or similar report. This can either look at all areas of an organisation, or focus on a particular skillset, department or function. The consultant and client can then view the report together and compare the level of skills that are present with the best practice skills required.
This ‘training needs analysis’ should then allow the consultant to identify the type or types of training programmes that are necessary or advisable for the organisation. Skilled and experienced training consultants will have the capability to provide tailored solutions that are designed to fit the particular requirements of the situation. Generally speaking, training programmes which are developed with specific circumstances and objectives in mind are more effective than 'off-the-shelf' type solutions, which may not suit your particular situation.
Some consultants will do the actual training themselves, while others either work with the internal training function, or with different outside trainers who can implement the training programme within the required parameters and specifications outlined within the agreed training programme.
Consultants are generally very focused on the type of work that they do, and spend all their time inhabiting the world of staff development and training. This means they are bang up to date with the latest news and techniques in their area of expertise. They may also be aware of specific funding opportunities - such as FAS or Skillnets - which may be available to your organisation to help you pay for the training your staff require. They may also inform you of specific regulations or competencies - in areas such as health and safety or legal requirements - which impact on your organisation and which may require training. Training consultants may also be able to recommend approved certification or industry standards that can be used to ensure that your staff's skill levels do not lag behind those of your competitors.
A specialist training consultant can put in place a set of objectives or terms which can then be used to measure the success of each training programme. In today's modern business environment, it is imperative to be able to effectively recognise and monitor ROI (Return on Investment) on each training programme that your organisation invests in. Having clear objectives set out in advance makes measuring ROI much easier.
Training consultants can have access to other skillsets and experiences that can be of benefit to your organisation. For example they may have expertise in the areas of career development or talent management which are useful to your individual staff members, or they may have close links with other consultants or service providers who can assist your business in related HR functions such as perks and benefits or recruitment.
Outside consultants can often bring a fresh perspective into a company. Their experience working with other similar organisations means they can point out your relative strengths and weaknesses compared to competitors. External consultants are coming into an organisation without any pre-conceptions about people or processes, and therefore find it easier to make objective judgements quickly. They are also not as worried about office politics or upsetting certain members of staff, and can make hard decisions without worrying as much about possible repercussions in the future.
Using the services of training consultants can allow an organisation to make better use of scarce resources. Some companies find that they do not always require a full time trainer on-site, however when they do need training done there is a huge amount of work for that person to do. Or they find that although their internal training function is doing an excellent job, it lacks experience in one certain area. Choosing to employ a training consultant instead of taking an extra person or people onto the payroll means that at busy times you have access to the required manpower to get everything done, while at quieter times you are not paying someone a regular salary to sit around twiddling their thumbs. This means using a consultant can help you focus your training budget in the best way possible for your organisation.
