What is a training consultant?
A training consultant is a person/company with vast experience in designing, analyzing, and developing training programs. This person/company is hired by organizations to guide the implementation of training programs that maximize employee productivity, efficiency, and profit.
What does a training consultant do?
A training consultant analyzes an organization’s existing training programs and provides strategic advice to help the organization make the best possible decisions and investments in employee training. A training consultant may also develop and/or deliver course material that is customized to an organization’s specific needs.
What do training consultants offer that I can’t get from my own employees?
Training consultants can offer an organization:
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Training Expertise
They draw upon their training background, experience, knowledge, and observations to create customized training solutions for your organization.
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External Perspective
They have the privilege of seeing your organization with fresh eyes, allowing them make insightful recommendations about how your training programs can be optimized based on your organization’s unique workplace culture. They can consult and collaborate with your organization’s stakeholders without bias.
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Supplementary Skills
They contribute skills that may be scarce among your employees, strengthening project outcomes and increasing the probability of training program success.
Where can a training consultant lend a hand in my organization?
There are many ways that a training consultant can assist an organization, including:
They develop strategic plans that articulate and align with your business objectives, ensuring that your training is designed to achieve a lean, skilled, and sustainable workforce.
They identify critical employee skills deficiencies and make recommendations on how to bridge these skills gaps to encourage peak performance.
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Training program development
They develop customized training programs according to your organization’s needs and strategic objectives and based on proven adult learning principles.
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Training delivery
They may provide support in the training implementation stage, or they may be the ones delivering the training program.
They evaluate not only short-term training results, but also the long-term workplace behaviour changes and business impact of the training program. They analyze these results to further customize the training program to your organization’s needs.
The ways that a training consultant can assist you is limited only by the breadth and depth of the individual consultant’s training experience.
How do I get my money’s worth when working with a training consultant?
To maximize the benefits for your organization, choose a training consultant who will:
- Base the training program and evaluation tools on employees’ actual job tasks. For example, at The Competency Group, we use competency maps as the foundation for our clients’ training solutions.
- Provide your organization with sustainable curriculum resources and tools that can be reused and/or reworked in the future (i.e., eLearning platforms, coach/mentor guides, competency maps, performance assessments).
- Leverage your organization’s existing training programs to protect your previous training investments.
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