Choosing a Training Provider
Selecting the right training provider is crucial to the success of a workplace violence prevention strategy and the future security of your organisation.
It’s worth investing time and effort to ensure you make the right choice.
Are you really ready?
Protection against violence and aggression can’t be maintained by the provision of training alone and “one shot” training courses don’t solve the problem.
So, don’t just jump in!
Have ‘management controls’ in place first
It is best to ensure that management controls (i.e. Policies, Risk Assessment, Reporting Systems, Safe Practice Guidance and Instructions, Crisis Procedures, etc.) are established before deciding on the training to be provided.
Know what you want to achieve before you make contact
Have a good idea of:
- How many people need to be trained
- What their training needs are (as identified by risk assessment)
- Your training aims and objectives (short term and long term)
- What you definitely don’t want
- Your preferred delivery schedule
- The cost of hiring local training facilities (if they’re not available at your workplace.)
Be able to make an informed choice
Training course content varies greatly and the differences can be significant.
It is strongly recommended that you read the information on ‘Staff Training’ first.
Aim to get ‘Best Value’
Keep in mind how much is at stake.
A ‘cheap as hell’ deal may not be a cost effective solution in the long run.
Aim to consider not only a favourable price, but also the quality elements of a bid for service provision and play safe.
Award your contract to the training provider that supplies the “economically most advantageous tender”.
Examples of relevant criteria might include how long the firm has been operating, the scale of the organisation and its capacity to supply back up and other support facilities, its existing client base, membership of a relevant professional body, experienced, professionally qualified training instructors.
Approved training and accredited training providers?
Some training providers are accredited by recognised qualification awarding bodies such as, Edexcel, the National Open College Network (NOCN), City and Guilds and the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM). This means that the organisation and delivery of training courses will normally be quality assured. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the content of the training has been vetted, assessed and approved by anyone, other than the person(s) who designed the course, as being suitable for employees to learn.
Explore the web links
The list of Training Providers may, at first sight, seem daunting to wade through but don’t be deterred. You can actually sift through them quite rapidly.
Their name may give you a clue of what kind of organisation they are and, by exploring the links to their web sites, you can quite quickly get a sense of who you would be dealing with.
Opt for a trainer that has experience in your sector
If the training provider has experience training people in the same occupation as yours they will be more familiar with the kinds of problems being encountered (and the ways to overcome them) and also knowledgeable about service procedures and work practice. This can be vital.
Prior to ordering
Meet more than one training provider.
Take the trouble to check out the training provider’s references. (Phone their clients and ask for their views.)
Ask to see course feedback forms from previous programmes.
Ask whether instructors are professionally qualified.
Do they have Professional Indemnity and Public liability insurance cover? (Ask to see the Certificates / obtain the details AND CONTACT THE INSURER AND VERIFY THE INSURANCE COVER IS APPROPRIATE AND CURRENT.)
Ensure the training will be compatible with organisational values
The impact of unsuitable training can be devastating.
Take the trouble to examine proposed training content in detail and do your research diligently.
Be satisfied, so as you are sure that the training provider’s credentials, manner, background and attitudes are in keeping with your organisation’s aims, philosophy and ethics.
Ensure the training accords with staff values
Consider carefully how the training content would be greeted by your employees.
It is imperative that they feel the training is of benefit and they’re unlikely to feel that way if they are being trained to do things which they are averse to – like being aggressive to someone and hitting them.
Ask yourself this
A question always worth answering before you order training from anyone is, what impression they might form in the minds of people sitting on a jury if they were ever called to give evidence on the standard and suitability of training provided and what effect that might have on you and your organisation’s reputation.