Improving your digital skills and getting certified is quite important in this day and age. But are all training provides equal? Let’s see what you need to know.

Would you get your money’s worth from all providers? Are there any pitfalls you need to know? Well, as with all other provides of any type of service, you should do some research before you decide on a purchase. Find out more about the provider, the details of the course and so on. That is obvious, but not enough.

Ago Cluytens, a practice director for EMEA at RAIN Group has a blog posting that gives more advice on what to know and consider when choosing a training provider. For example make sure that the training provider is showing deep knowledge in the field you need. It should be just “hey, we are offering these courses, too”, but it should show you a detailed description about the course. You should also research the business model and how the provider is evolving and expanding its strategy in your field.

Next, does the provider customize the content according to the client? Every organization has a different culture and mindset which reflects on the people it chooses to work for it. So one method may work for one group, but not for another. Custom content is key in order to engage  the people and make them interested in the learning process. After all the goal is to help them improve, not simply to say they have undergone training, right?

With that in mind, check out if the provider is offering several different ways to access the content. For example a primary classroom portion then additional content via video and/or a mobile app and so on. Additional webinars, ways to ask questions, after training reinforcement of the knowledge and etc. are all important options that you should consider.

There should also be a way to measure the progress of trainees. After all that is the most important thing – the results. People should be pleased with how the training went, but they should also be able to show the results. That may not necessarily mean tests as there are other ways to see the improvement. All of this should make you feel more comfortable with the training provider you’ve chosen.

Image credit: Flickr (CC) / Gorka Palazio