Appointing an external provider to supplement your training capability can be both beneficial and challenging, according to new report by Hemsley Fraser.
The secrets of successful managed learning, highlights that ‘managed learning’ can be undermined by poor relationships or a mismatch of expectations. The study was conducted to investigate what managed learning involves, what best practice looks like and how organisations can gain maximum benefit.
More News
BIS permanent secretary Martin Donnelly seeks ministerial direction over Redcar apprentice plan
Lord Davies report: Raise women in boardroom target to 33%
Britain’s cash management skills ‘stubbornly low’
Decline in part-time learners is ‘catastrophic’, says report
Joanne Casson, a managed learning expert at Hemsley Fraser said: “Managed learning is a growing phenomenon, particularly in the UK and USA, yet uncertainty exists about exactly what it involves, what best practice looks like and how organisations can gain maximum benefit.
“With IT, payroll and recruitment, the entire function can be outsourced to a third party provider. But this isn’t the case in L&D. Corporate learning teams are more likely to supplement their in-house capability by appointing an external provider to source, book, administer and evaluate their training and to manage their training suppliers.”
Based on the responses of 17 clients of managed learning providers, ranging from private companies and public sector employers to multinational businesses and global corporations, the report reflects on the demand for organisations to enhance the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of their training.
It also looks at how organisations can improve the return on investment from L&D; evaluate and control their training activity, rationalise the supply chain; cope with the volume of training requests. This allows L&D practitioners to provide support in other areas and gain access to external learning expertise.
It found a third of participants said they were not happy with their managed learning provider and stressed the importance of establishing a good relationship to ensure productivity and staff morale.
Hiring an external provider to manage allowed L&D practitioners to provide support in other areas and gain access to external learning expertise. The report identified ten challenges in setting up and running a managed learning service and ten lessons that early adopters have learned and gives advice of what to look for when choosing a partner.
“An important conclusion here is that the market includes a range of different managed learning providers with different strengths. Organisations have a responsibility to choose their provider with care.”
“There’s no standard process for appointing a managed learning provider but L&D, procurement, HR, finance and IT teams, as well as senior stakeholders in the business, are usually involved. The key qualities to look for in a partner are training expertise, chemistry, credentials, the ability to add value and technological capability,” added Casson.
