How to choose a training provider

Scenario: you have decided to attend a training course to possibly achieve an international accreditation.  The course requires you to write an exam or two.  There may be many training providers who are accredited to deliver the course, but not all providers will give you the same chance of passing, well.  Some providers focus on low price and often forfeit quality.  Some providers include far more than what is required and their prices are way above average.  There is a mix of five criteria that you as the “client” should consider when deciding on the most suitable provider:

Quality:  Do the trouble to assess the quality of the provider.  Aspects which should be looked at include the experience of the trainer (ask for a resume), quality of the training material, quality of the venue (pay them a visit if possible), quality of the luncheons and refreshments (visit them at lunchtime), security, parking facilities, how previous delegates experienced their training (ask for referrals and make a few phone calls).

Service: A provider’s eagerness to take good care of you can be assessed by the quality of handling your enquiry, processing your request for a quotation and answering any questions you may require answering.

Reduced risk: There is an unusual combination of personal effort and training course content that can reduce the risk of failing the end-of-course exam, or lifting your achievement.  There is a cost involved to re-sit the final exam and the humiliation of “failure” can be socially embarrassing.  You deserve to be provided with the best possible chance of succeeding.

Price:  This evaluation criterion receives unwarranted priority, almost to the exclusion of the others.  It needs to find its rightful place in the mix of all the criteria.

Provider’s attitude:  When interacting with the training provider, you will sense how much they care to give you all you need.  Experiment with them by placing non-standard requests, just to see how they respond to your needs.

Conclusion:  When you as a client are about to purchase a service from a provider, it will be wise to prioritise all the selection criteria of each provider, before making you final choice.  Don’t be rushed into a salesperson saying “We all provide the same product”.  That statement is untrue.  Find the provider that is best positioned to enable you to succeed and to enjoy your experience.