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Learn the definitions of Customized Training and "Course Going". And discover the pros and cons of choosing a customized training session or generalized training course. Let this article help you identify your organization's training needs. Customized Training Vs. Course Going -- I need to explain that title! There are several training options available to any organization. One option involves sending a person or people to courses that are offered by a training organization. These courses are run on a regular basis, and people from many different departments or organizations attend. This is the "course going" option.
The second option is to appropach a training organization and arrange training specifically for the people in your organization. This "customized training" option allows you to train a number of your staff, and to ensure that the training is keyed to the specific needs of your organization and staff.
Course Going - Pros & Cons
Going to courses put on for generic audiences can be useful, particularly if you only have one or two people who need the kind of training being offered. If the courses are well designed, staff attending will have the opportunity to apply and discuss the content as it relates to their own work place. Particularly if you only have one or two people who need the training, you may find that, at least on the surface, it is more cost effective to find a course that is running already, than to arrange a customized course.
Another situation where "courge going" is a good idea is where it is important that attendees have the opporutnity to interact with, and learn from people in other organizations, to stimulate new ideas.
There are disadvantages associated with going to generic courses. First, at least some, and maybe a good deal of the course content, may not be applicable to your workplace. Second, the course leader, or facilitator, may not be sufficiently familiar with your setting to be able to make appropriate or correct suggestions. Each work setting is so different that there is a danger that the course leader will have to rely on general ideas or content, rather than the specifics that would be needed.
Customized Training - Pros & Cons
Customized training (at least with the right customizer) should result in a course which is tighter, more likely to give you the results you are looking for, and is more likely to deal with the right issues.
The course facilitator has a better understanding of your organization and its people, and so is in a better position to help.
In addition, cutomized training, where you send a group of people, helps to create a common understanding of how to do things, and attendees can work together in the workplace to apply what they have learned. They tend to support each other. The most important advantage of customized training is that you should be getting exactly what you want, provided you have contracted with the right vendor.
Finally, cutomized training can be more cost effective if you have a number of people attending. Paying a per diem rate may be cheaper than paying a per attendee rate.
On the negative side there isn't much to see. On some occasions customized training may cost more, but then again it may cost less. Even if it is more costly, the results you will receive should more than offset the initial difference in price.
Conclusion
In almost all cases where there are several people that require training in common, you will find that looking at customized training solutions will give you far greater pay-off than "course going". This assumes, of course, that the vendor you are working with is, in fact, customizing a course for you, and not simply giving you a canned course in the guise of something new. You do need to select the right vendor, but that's a whole other topic. |
Training & Learning 
