Written by How To Save Money On Training
… get what you pay for
1. Remember that you ‘get what you pay for’! Training companies can only stay in business if they charge a realistic cost. Whilst it is easy to spot the outrageous fee, companies with strong track records in the subject area will generally deliver the best results for the money.
2. Bigger delegate numbers per session obviously give you lower unit costs (er ..sorry ..investment …) per delegate.. so … if you haven’t got those extra numbers, invite other organisations to send delegates and slice the cost of your training. You might even find that you can cover the cost of the training and generate income.
3. If you haven’t got any easily accessible likely partners in your network, contact your training provider who could help you market the spare places.
4. If the training is not on your premises always try and negotiate a deal with the venue. Many will consider a discount.
5. Use your training provider to help you with ideas for the ROI (return on investment)…after all.. it’s in their interest that you save money on training.
6. Rather than risk an unknown quality and quantity on your colleagues, ask the training provider to deliver a free taster for you and some key stakeholders if you are planning a series of training events.
7. Consider organising some taster (2 hr) chunks of training that don’t necessarily interfere with the working day too much. The training provider might give you more sessions for the same fee for multiple sessions on the same day.
8. If you are carrying out the same training all the time and it’s reasonably elementary but important stuff (health and safety, key issues about values or customer care, induction information etc), consider having a film commissioned. It may be cheaper than you think and you can publish it online or use in training sessions as a DVD. Though beware… unless it’s funny or a great deal of thought has gone into it… the end result can be disappointing.
9. E learning and M (mobile learning) learning are gaining popularity but please see above. Careful thought needs to go into constructing output that doesn’t frustrate the learner. Fancy graphic environments and pointless animations do not enhance learning.
10. Prioritise and go for training that you know will give you bottom line results and will truly be an investment. Consider the ROI before planning the training programme.
11. Incorporate into the training a work based project of some type that will not only demonstrate learning but provide a demonstrable and tangible benefit to the organisation.