Some of the common questions Learning and Development managers and their stakeholders face while hiring an external trainer or a training company can be around:
- Whether the trainer will deliver the program/project well
- Whether they will meet the expectations that have been set
- The pre work done by them and its accuracy
- Their connect with the audience
- Whether their learning methodology will be experiential
- Whether they will deliver what they promised
- Ensuring post training effectiveness
- Taking our inputs into consideration while designing the content
- Sharing the content with the participants
In fact, many of them even grapple with such questions when they undertake a new project or program with their existing training partners!
Choosing the Best Corporate Training Companies in Mumbai
Based on our experience of having worked with multiple clients over the years, we have come up with the key factors to be considered before contracting individual corporate trainers or corporate training companies in Mumbai.
Core Capability
Every trainer and training company has their core capability and expertise. And that’s what they do best!
Some specialise in just one domain like Outbound Learning, Leadership, Microsoft Excel, Virtual Reality, etc. making this easy to find. Others, generalise into broader domains like Soft Skills, IT, Quality, Banking, ISO. And that’s where you need to do your fact finding well.
The best way is to ask them what kind of work they do the most in a given year and with what kind of clients. You can also ask them which programs they are really good at. Also check whether they have delivered the program/s you are looking for in the past. Ask them for past references. These can provide you valuable information.
Many of our clients hire us considering the programs we have delivered for other clients in the past from theirs and other industries.
Training Experience
Most good training companies are tenured. The training industry does try to accommodate them all, however, only the good ones survive long! So do make it a point to check the number of years of experience the corporate training company has.
Geographical Reach
Does the company have branches/ trainers across the major cities or are they only located in one region or place. Those with a widespread geographical presence will give you an edge as they will be able to serve you across all your centres, zones and offices. This will save you from hiring multiple companies or trainers for your various locations. It will also save costs as these companies can provide you with local trainers. So, look for corporate training companies in Mumbai that have branch offices or trainers in other cities too.
Technology
With the advent of covid-19, a lot has moved virtually. A company with their own LMS, Learning Portals and Online Learning Technologies do have an edge over the ones that don’t. So, if you have the budget, chose one that does. And if you don’t, you can atleast go with one that provides virtual instructor led training!
- Core Staff
Find out the number of core and empanelled team members and trainers that they have. The higher the number of core team members, the better the results for large scale trainings. Inconsistency of results and effectiveness of programs is the biggest challenge companies with a lot of contract trainers face.
However, there are companies who can be rather contrary to this rule! These are the one’s that assess their faculty rigorously before contracting with them, which is definitely a positive sign. So, make it a point to ask how they go about empanelling their trainers. If possible, also ask their trainers about the process.
Successes and Failures
Ask the company for case studies on some of their past projects. This will give you insights into their processes, methodology and outcomes they are capable of achieving.
You may also want to ask them about some of the failures they have faced during their journey. This is a bit tough for most to share. However, a good trainer or corporate training company in Mumbai will be able to tell you. They will share where they failed, what factors led to their failures and what they did to overcome them.
The Trainer/s
The most important factor to consider for ensuring success of your intervention is knowing and assessing the person who will deliver your assignment.
Look out for information on the trainers qualification, age, past working experience, present training engagements, delivery methodology, similar industry experience, core skills or areas of specialisation, language skills (including regional language skills), etc. Check to see if they fit your company culture and will be able to relate with your participants. Ask the trainer evidence based questions to enrich your findings.
If possible, have a look at their live training video. A demonstration is also welcome. However, many trainers do not prefer conducting demonstration programs. And in such instances, past videos will help.
Also, for assignments involving multiple trainers across multiple geographies; it usually pays off to screen all of them. At times, we experience one trainer and assume all the others will also be equally good. However, that may not always be the case!
The trainer’s response to your learning needs must also be considered. If they say yes for everything you ask for, it may be a sign that they just want the project. And once on board, may not actually be able to deliver on all their promises. For example, the post effectiveness of a program cannot be assessed really well for a one day workshop. And usually ends at level 2 of the Kirkpatrick ROI model. If the trainer says they are comfortable assessing till Kirkpatrick level 4 just because you ask for it, they are surely offering the sky. And that is not going to be practically possible!
Background Work
Any learning program, whether it be a 1 hour program or a year long intervention, can only go well if in depth background work is carried out by the facilitator.
Good companies always invest time in understanding your company background, the learning needs and objectives, the audience, past programs delivered by others, etc. They spend time assessing the skill gap, speaking to sample participants and their respective stakeholders, carrying out surveys, etc. to align the program to the need. So, make sure your trainer does the same!
Pre and Post learning Engagements
Learn about the kind of pre and post learning engagements the company can design for you. These can range from online or app based learnings, byte sized learnings and snippets, assessments and surveys, group conversations, on-the-job projects, group coaching, knowledge checks, videos, action plans, etc.
Content Design
Who designs the content and their capabilities when it comes to instructional design principles is also important. Check if the content is experiential. Will it accommodate Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic participants.
A well designed outline or design document throw light on these. The way the objectives are written can tell you how good the content capability is. Do include the content designer in your brief. Some trainers design their own content. This is also good, as their connect with their content is always more over content made by someone else.
Co Creation
How much is the company and the trainer willing to collaborate with you. Are your thoughts welcome and incorporated into the program design. A good training program can only be possible when the internal and external consultants come together and participate into the pre-work, design, delivery and post work.
So, are you ready to assess!
