5 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Training Partner

It’s no secret that technology is evolving quickly, making it difficult to stay on top of trends and practices. With so much going virtual, there’s an abundance of information for professional development at your fingertips, including articles, webinars, and free conferences. All of this content is extremely valuable to anyone interested in learning new skills, but free resources typically provide only a high-level understanding of the topic at hand, and more formal or technical training is often required to ensure effective growth. 

The types of trainings available are endless, but a few key examples include: front-end development training, if you’re looking to sharpen your front-end skills; accessibility training for digital strategists, designers, developers, and content editors; or platform-specific training on a platform such as Drupal.

Training is an investment and, for many, not something you will be able to do frequently. It also requires time out of your already busy schedule. Despite the cost and time commitment, training provides many benefits—improved performance, improved morale and job satisfaction, increased productivity, increased work engagement, and improved employee retention, to name a few. 

5 Factors to Consider in a Training Partner

Once your organization sees the value of training, the next step is evaluating what types of training to pursue and who should deliver those trainings. Finding the right partner is critical. You’ll likely find many training partners that offer courses you're interested in, but narrowing the list can be tough.

Mediacurrent, a digital marketing agency and a Pantheon partner, conducts many training workshops and our Head of Learning says choosing the right training partner comes down to the details.  

“I’ve learned that the formula for an effective training workshop goes beyond how well the trainers know the topic, or whether they are a good speaker. Attending to the small details of preparation, many of which take place before you step foot in the training room (or in these days, before you log into the training platform) is key,” said Mario Hernandez, Head of Learning at Mediacurrent. 

With this, here are five key factors to consider for selecting the right training partner:

1. Expert Skills and Experience

When seeking a training partner, their experience in the field is an obvious consideration. The most effective trainers are experts at what they’re training, and do what they teach on a daily basis. By having hands-on experience, they can not only teach how to do things the right way but, just as important, how to approach problems when things don’t go as planned.  

Trainers who are experienced should also be strong thought leaders and share resources with others. Before engaging with a training partner, check out their digital presence. Do they write blog posts, post videos, or present at conferences or for webinars? You want to find a trainer who is passionate about their work and enjoys sharing their knowledge. 

2. Proven Track Record

The goal of bringing in a training partner is to solve problems you currently cannot solve alone. When choosing a training partner, you need to be sure they have a successful track record of accomplishing their clients’ goals and supporting client success. You can do this by checking out case studies or asking the prospective training partner for referrals so you can learn first-hand how the trainer has helped clients overcome challenges. 

As an example of this, Mediacurrent’s training program has a history of successful training events, private and public, that have earned us a reputation of being a great training partner. With case studies and positive reviews from numerous individuals and companies, we have established ourselves as expert trainers. Learn more about our training courses, including Component-Based Development with Drupal and Decoupled Drupal with Gatsby, and watch our video series "Mediacurrent Learning Bits" which is a weekly video tutorial on a variety of topics. 

3. A Tailored Approach

Every organization has specific needs they’re trying to meet when they bring in a trainer, and individuals within an organization often have different levels of expertise on the topic. Having a training partner that takes the needs of your organization into consideration and tailors content in a way that is more effective for the audience is extremely valuable.

Ask your prospective partner if they offer custom training and what their process for customizing a curriculum to your needs looks like. Custom training should involve building a training curriculum around your team’s skill set and the specifics of your project(s).

4. Thorough Preparation  

A good training partner will get involved before the training even starts. As mentioned earlier, training requires a commitment of your time, and no one wants to spend considerable time fixing technical issues while attending a training.

A great training partner will not only provide you with resources to get ready for your training, but will also ensure you are ready for training by conducting check-ins or online calls to provide assistance if needed. It’s helpful for trainers to offer “office hours” a week or so before the training takes place to assist attendees with their local setup.

It’s also important to understand what the trainer-to-student ratio will be during the course to ensure attendees get the attention they need while the class is progressing. It’s helpful if there’s multiple trainers available so attendees can get help while the lead trainer is conducting the class. 

5. Ongoing Support

You should come away from any training with a plethora of new knowledge, but that doesn’t mean all of your questions were answered. An indicator of a great trainer is whether they are accessible and available after the training is completed. A true training partner should be interested in a long-lasting relationship and provide you with the tools and materials to continue learning after the training. Make sure you’re asking potential training partners if they offer ongoing support after the training is over.

Are you ready to make training a priority at your organization? Training is an investment and takes effort but ultimately is critical to the success of your team and organization. If you’re interested in training on Drupal and open source topics offered by Mediacurrent, contact us today.