Consultants vs. Training Centers: Making a training decision

When it comes to deciding where to turn for safety training there are several choices out there. A company can hire a consultant or go to a traditional training center. Both have ups and downs. We discus some of both in this article.

Before any decision can be made we first have to decide if training is appropriate. For the sake of this article we'll assume that a training need has been identified. We'll use the example of needing an OSHA 10-hour Outreach Training Program. Maybe an employer needs this training to secure a public-works contract. The employer has options here. First we'll talk about traditional training centers.

Training Centers

Training centers have pros and cons like anything else. The main benefit of using these education institutions is that they have the resources to deliver training. They have facilities, equipment, etc. They often utilize private trainers; consultants, safety professionals, insurance reps., etc. to deliver training. So the expertise will be there.

The down-side to training centers is, unless you have a large group to train, you have to adjust to their training schedule. You will have to find out when the next scheduled course is running and enroll workers. Most training centers have a minimum number of enrollments needed to even hold the training class. If they do not get enough enrollment they will cancel the class.

The other issue you may have is with cost. If you only need one or two workers trained, it may not matter, however, for five or more you will pay per person and it could get expensive. Some OSHA 10-hour classes have gone for $200.00 per person or more. Traditional training centers are often a branch of local colleges, universities or business associations therefore their overhead is often higher than consulting firms.

Training centers will often use the shotgun approach to training. Because there are likely to be workers from different industries in the same class the trainer will have to use generic topics to accommodate everyone. So if you need specific topics covered you may not get everything out of your training investment. Consider the excavation contractor in the 10-hour class with the iron workers. Then throw in a few electricians, plumbers, and drywall workers and you will have topics all over the board.

There could be a benefit to having a diverse group, however. The interaction between trades could be exploited by a good trainer and it can help make training interesting. Another issue to consider is that your employees might be sitting in a class with employees of your competitors. So trainees may not feel comfortable discussing unique safety issues to which they need answers.

Consultants

The use of consultants also comes with ups and downs. The biggest benefit most see with consultants is that their training services are competitively priced. Consultants often have a fixed rate for classes. It is not unusual for a consultant to charge $1000.00 for a 10-hour if there are at least five workers or more. So the more workers you add to the class, the cheaper the per-person rate.

Tip: get with other sub-contractors to see if they need the same training. You can help spread out the cost and use it to improve relationships with other companies you do business with regularly.

Consultants can offer a more customized training solution to their clients. They are in the business of providing solutions to unique safety issues. So they will invest the time to perform a real training needs assessment to determine the best training approach.

Consultants often use industry best practices to support training. The benefit here is that consultants see the best and worst in the companies they serve and can bring real-world experiences to training. The down-side is that the consultants have to be careful to not divulge trade secrets or confidential information about other employers. A good consultant can bring the benefits of this without the pitfalls. Protect yourself by having a good confidentiality agreement with your consultant.

Consultants can also offer other training solutions and advice while you have them. A good consultant doesn't charge for basic information. They understand that if they provide good information they are more likely to get a second call for other services.

Bottom Line

Whatever road you choose, be sure to get what you need. Avoid getting training just for the sake of getting training. It is a huge investment and companies need to make the most of it by ensuring the topics are suitable for their workers and properly prepare them to deal with the safety situations they will actually face on the job.