Training is a discipline that requires more flexibility than perhaps any other in the field of Health and Safety. Typically trainers need to be mobile, prepared to spend time away from home, to travel extensively and run their schedules around their clients' requirements. No wonder then that many trainers end up as freelances, gaining their work either directly from end user organisations, via consultancies and training companies or through specialist agencies.
At Shirley Parsons associates we have always recognised the need for flexibility in the field of training which is why we have developed an extensive register of tried and tested Associate Trainers. One of our first projects required us to build a complete training solution using Associate Trainers on a call-off basis. Since then we have helped many other organisations,including end users, training companies and consultancies to prepare or deliver courses throughout the UK and further afield.
Here is an example of one of our projects...
A flexible talent solution using Associate Trainers
Our client provides accommodation and property services to a wide range of commercial and government clients. Part of their service offering involves client employee training in health and safety practices. When they were asked by a large government department to manage its offices with several thousand staff throughout the UK, they realised they needed a flexible talent training solution, so they called in Shirley to advise personally.
The challenge
It turned out that they needed almost every aspect of the services that Shirley Parsons Associates provides. This encompassed the initial briefing & recommendations (consultancy) through to selecting and managing the logistics of the delivery team (the flexible talent solution). Additionally the timescales for delivery were very short indeed.
What happened?
Following the initial consultation, Shirley recommended building a team of part-time associate trainers, able to cover the whole country and deliver courses on a Just-In-Time basis. In addition she appointed one of her own consultants to manage all of the logistics involved in ensuring that the right trainer was in the right place at the right time delivering the correct course material. Furthermore all of the timesheet, billing and accommodation processes were handled in house.
The result
Within 6 weeks we built a team of over 20 training specialists. At any time between 6 and 12 of these specialists would be engaged in course planning or delivery. We kept on top of the client's delivery plans, providing contingency in case of sickness. We delivered full management information to accompany this project. Over 2000 separate courses have since been delivered successfully.
To offer a flexible talent solution a company needs to be able to obtain a much better understanding of what its client's issues are. The company must also possess the range of internal talent to be able to make recommendations and deliver on them.
Because we are specialists in the health and safety arena and because we are specialists in attracting, approving and deploying talent we can confidently offer these solutions.
To find out more please contact Kerrie Brindle on +44 (0) 845 056 0816 or email on myagent@shirleyparsons.com
