There something about September that gets us thinking about learning. No doubt it hardwired into us from our school days. For many organisations too, September marks the end of the annual leave scheduling challenges and the beginning of a new term. We can continue with our development plans for staff and start thinking about the next year.
Rather than take the risk of learning from a potential bad experience, you can assess training providers beforehand. An easy way to do this is to document some questions and circulate them with a closing date for answers to the local training providers and those your company have used in the past. Input their answers on a spreadsheet so that you can easily compare them.
Once the learning needs analysis is complete, you will have some useful information available with which to meet identified needs. Even if you know the market in your industry with regard to meeting your learning needs, it can be a useful exercise to refresh the memory and see where savings can be made.
The type of questions to ask could include:
Section One: Company Details
1. What is the registered name of your company?
2. How long is the company in operation?
3. Is the company owned by a parent company?
4. Please list 5 companies with whom you have worked in the last 2 years who are willing to provide you with a reference.
Section Two: Details of Instructors
5. Please give the names of your employed instructors (excluding contractors).
6. Please give the names of your contractors.
7. Please outline the experience and qualifications of each of your instructors (employees and contractors).
8. How are your instructors evaluated by you as opposed to your client?
Section Three: Methodologies used – give examples where possible
9. Please detail how you have delivered customised solutions to your clients.
10. Please show how your instructors ensure the transfer of learning to the workplace.
11. Does your company have a measure for increased productivity of learners?
12. How do you measure transfer of learning?
13. What methods do you use to deliver training?
Section Four: The Content
14. Who writes your course content?
15. How often is it updated with new material?
16. How do you keep your methodologies current and relevant to the current workplace?
17. How do you ensure that the methodology used for delivery is exactly relevant to the individual client needs?
18. Are your courses accredited by a third party?
Section Five: Company Requirements
19. Does your company have any experience with delivering to this industry? If so please give examples.
20. How will your company prepare for any training delivered at X Company given that we cannot allow material to be brought in and loaded onto our computers due to our commitment to data protection?
21. Will your company be willing to work with sample data from X Company as opposed to your own sample data?
22. Do your instructors have their own laptops, overhead projectors, markers and flipcharts?
Section Six: Courses and Charges
23. Please give details of your charges for one day delivery at X Company premises?
24. Please give details of your charges for one day delivery at your premises?
25. Please list in a table all the courses your company deliver with their associated total costs: please note costs must be all-inclusive (mileage, hotel etc may not be charged for later).
Section Seven: Any other relevant information
24. Please include any other relevant information about how your company can design, deliver and evaluate learning for X Company? Please include no more that 300 words.
With thanks to Dr Monica Murphy, CEO of MONERE Development Services Ltd.
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