What is a consultant?
A consultant is an expert in a particular field, who is brought in by an organisation to help them with a particular function or objective. They have the ability, experience and expertise to come into an organisation from the outside and quickly assess situations, analyse information and propose programmes of action.
External consultants are usually used to supplement skills and knowledge which already exist in-house within an organisation, or to carry out tasks or take on responsibilities that the client's staff are unwilling or unable to do themselves. Some training consultants will not actually carry out any training work themselves, instead they use their skills and experience to analyse an organisation's training requirements and compile a training programme, which is then carried out by another trainer. Consultants are not there to force their ideas onto an organisation or individual. Instead they offer advice, drawn from their own experience and skillset, which the client is then free to implement as they see fit.
Training consultants are used by organisations to evaluate what their training needs are, to propose specialised training programmes to meet these requirements, and sometimes (but not always) to implement these training programmes. Organisations of all shapes sizes, operating in all business sectors, or in the public sector, can benefit from the use of external training consultants. This includes organisations both with and without an existing training or HR department. Anyone who wants to improve the skills and knowledge of their staff should consider availing of the advice and expertise of a training consultant.
Specialised skills are an important component of a consultant's armoury. Most training consultants will focus specifically on one or a small number of areas or competencies. As specialists, they are continually honing their training skills and keeping their knowledge of this area up to date. They are therefore better placed to deliver top quality advice or training than someone who is spreading their time around among other functions and responsibilities.
Experience is often a key word when it comes to consultants. A professional consultant has often worked in a senior position with one or more organisations prior to becoming a consultant, and has many years experience working in their particular field behind them. Training consultants are also constantly adding to their experience by working with many different clients, who all face differing challenges. The consultant can then use the experience and knowledge that they have accumulated in the past to meet similar problems or issues that their present clients now face.
A consultant is not employed by the client, but has their own business or consultancy firm. This consultancy typically provides services to a number of different clients. Some training consultants are solo practitioners who work on their own, whereas others form part of consultancy teams. Typically, but not always, soloists can take general overviews and work on strategic projects. Larger consultancy companies can provide a team of consultants who can look at different aspects of the training function within an organisation. They can also provide advice to clients in a number of different areas related to training and staff development, such as human resources, management, marketing, IT etc. These skillsets can often come in useful for the client, even when the main objective of the project is training related.
Consultancy contracts can be long or short term, depending on the requirements of the client. Using training consultants means that organisations do not have to keep expensive staff on the payroll full time. Instead they have the capability to deploy experienced and skilled staff development talent at short notice as challenging situations arise.
