Choosing a training partner

Sarah Howarth

If you are a Learning & Development professional tasked with finding a language-training provider for your organisation, there will be lots to consider. You will be looking for a provider able to meet the learning needs of staff as well as the objectives of the wider business. The aim of this blog post is to provide a checklist of criteria you may wish to explore with potential suppliers to help you find the right provider.

Strong and specific experience

You will be looking for a provider with a strong track record in providing tailored and results-focused language training to business people specifically. Ideally your supplier will have worked with learners from your particular sector – as well as the wider business community – and have real insight into the language requirements of these employees. This should include knowledge of useful industry-specific vocabulary; the business contexts in which learners will use the language; and of current affairs, developments and challenges facing the industry.

Training excellence

The quality of your  language training programme will ultimately hinge on the quality of the teaching. It goes without saying that, lessons should be delivered by well qualified and experienced trainers, able to provide effective and motivating lessons in their native language. Teachers should also be adept at tailoring the content of lessons to learners’ requirements, work roles and business areas. The trainer recruitment process must be rigorous and your provider must be committed to the professional development of their teachers, supporting them to keep up-to-date with new teaching approaches and resources.

Breadth and depth of course catalogue

Your provider should be able to deliver training in the full range of languages and formats you require – and within your specific budget. This might include 1-1 and small/large group formats, face-to-face and blended options, and intensive and extensive schedules for all the languages your learners might need to study. They should also be experienced in designing and delivering bespoke programmes to meet any additional training requirements. Could the provider, for example, offer a masterclass in negotiating in French or presenting in Spanish, if required?

Flexibility and tailoring

You will be looking for a provider who can not only personalise the content of lessons to learners’ requirements but also tailor the administrative processes used to set up, monitor, evaluate, report on and invoice your training programme. These processes should align with your business systems and organisational needs.

Administrative excellence

Your supplier should introduce you to a dedicated client manager, who will be responsible for the entire lifecycle of each course and act as a central point of contact for learners, trainers and your department. His/her role should be to reduce the administrative burden on your department associated with setting up, monitoring and evaluating training. They should be able to offer a fully managed service, if required, and respond swiftly and effectively to all your requests. Ideally this person would be an experienced language learner, trainer and administrator so that they can empathise and proactively support all stakeholders.

Your provider may offer a Service Level Agreement outlining how all aspects of your service will be delivered along with commitments regarding timescales and levels of service. Performance against this SLA can then be regularly reviewed at meetings.

Multi-media approach

Whilst we firmly believe that face-to-face training is the optimum mode of delivery for language training, it is important to work with a provider that can blend instructor-led training with excellent digital learning resources. They should be able to curate the vast array of multi-media resources on the market and direct their learners to the most effective materials to accelerate their progress. Your provider may be able to offer a Virtual Learning Environment, providing learners with access to a tailored selection of multi-media resources to enhance their learning.

Timely and tailored reporting

As you will need to closely monitor the activity, spend and outcomes for all your courses, your provider should offer prompt and tailored reporting. Robust systems must be in place to capture and report on all training activity and spend – and to break it down by the metrics that are important to your business.

Value for money

Importantly, your provider must offer value for money and proactively promote maximum return on your investment in  training. Ways in which they might do this include blending face-to-face training with multimedia learning resources and supporting implementation of learning in the workplace. Training quality should be carefully monitored through a variety of evaluation methods such a learner interviews and questionnaires. Finally, your own satisfaction in the service should be reviewed regularly with innovative solutions proposed to continuously improve your training programme.