3 Things to do before you sign-up for a training course
Today’s working culture dictates that employees develop and progress within their role and throughout their career, whether that means advancing to a more senior position within their current organisation or moving between companies in order to maximise their potential, as well as increase their salary.
This is a significant shift from the world of work just a couple of generations ago, when almost everyone was employed locally and long-term faithfulness to the company which gave you your first job was much more common and, to a large extent, expected of employees. It was certainly much less common to move not only between organisation but even between industries. Now, however, this is very much the norm, which means that there is high demand for upskilling and retraining. Many training course providers have jumped on the bandwagon and put together a wide range of courses targeted at particular industries or skill sets, meaning there is a vast choice out there. If you’re looking to enrol on a training course to aid your career progression, here are 3 things to consider to help you decide which one is right for you.
1. Discuss it with your Line Manager
This is a good idea for a number of reasons. Whilst we like to hope that your line manager cares about you personally and has your best interests at heart, they are probably primarily concerned with what will most benefit the company and achieving business goals. More often than not, this has a great overlap with your personal goals and development, so it’s likely your senior will be able to help guide you in choosing the most appropriate and beneficial course for you, since they have an idea of which skills sets you need to develop or improve in order to achieve targets.
On a more practical level, you will need to agree things like budget and time allocation for external training with your line manager, and having a clear idea of these aspects will help narrow down your search.
2. Research Different Options
Since there are so training providers on the market, it’s important that you look into several options to make sure you’re getting the most out of this investment. Take into account the things you’ve discussed with your line manager: which dates work most conveniently for your schedule, how long does the course last and where is it taking place? It may be that a 4 day course taking place locally is more time and cost effective than a 2 or 3 day course in a different city which will incur travel and accommodation expenses.
More importantly, you should make sure the course you decide to attend directly addresses the skills you want to work on. If you’re relatively new to your industry, then a course offering briefer training on a greater range of skills may be the most helpful, but if you’re wanting to work on a specific element of your career then opting for a course which offers in-depth training on this particular aspect is the way to go.
3. Consider your Personal Development Plan
Having a personal development plan in place is absolutely essential if you want your organisation to invest in any kind of training for you, so make sure this is coherent, logical, detailed and realistic before you start your search. It’s best to construct this alongside your line manager, but if you’ve worked on it yourself it at least needs to be discussed with and approved by them.
Once this is established, you should be able to clearly place the training you wish to undertake within the plan, demonstrating how it will help you to reach the next level. That may be developing a new skill set, improving on a certain aspect of your work or being trained to take up a more senior position in the company. Whatever it is, you need to be clear about what you want to achieve, and the correct training course should show really clearly how it will help you get there.
Professional training is undoubtedly worth the investment, but it is an investment both of time and money, so selecting the right programme is crucial. Taking into account all the factors mentioned above should mean you find a course which will be of great benefit to you and your colleagues in the workplace and which, as such, your employer won’t regret paying for!
