Released by: Fiona Hudson-Kelly, founder traintogainmadeeasy.co.uk

Contact Fiona on 07970 010389

Fiona is a serial award winning entrepreneur.

Train to Gain ¨C how can trainers get a slice of the action?

Traditionally Train to Gain contract have been awarded to existing main stream further education providers, nevertheless Fiona Hudson-Kelly from www.traintogainmadeeasy.com believes that all commercial Training Providers should be encouraged to take up the Train to Gain scheme and receive support from the Learning + Skills Council in helping them deliver against the awarding body standards. Fiona argues that commercial training providers are more agile and innovative in their relationships with the market, than the traditional Further Education ‘Colleges' simply because they have to be to survive. They are more entrepreneurial and visionary in their marketing; they understand what's happening in their market space and know how to exploit gaps to reach employers who would otherwise not be investing in their employees skills.

Below Fiona shares her tips on how to successfully win Train to Gain contracts and engage with employers

1. Make yourself known to the Learning + Skills CouncilSounds simple but you won't be considered by the Learning + Skills Council who are the organisation responsible for selecting Train to Gain Suppliers if they don't know you exist. Contact your local Lsc at www.lsc.gov.uk and find out how you can be considered for Train to Gain Contracts. Usually there is an official tendering process that is held at a set time of the year but often there are other ad-hoc contracts that are awarded such as the Regional Responsive Fund for Train to Gain, when you enquire make sure you understand how to be considered for all types of Train to Gain Contracts and what the qualifying criteria is, in other words what you will need to evidence to be considered.
2. Partner if you can't meet the Train to Gain selection criteriaAs with most ‘government' procurement there may be a fair amount of ‘qualification criteria to get through, such as ISO accreditation, awarding body status and financial track record. Don't be deterred if initially you don't meet the Train to Gain selection criteria, look to collaborate and partner with companies that can support you, for example if you partner with a company who has ISO accreditation then you can form a consortium and they can be the contract lead.
3. Giving employers what they want!o you've secured your Train to Gain contract, what next? The contract is worth nothing unless you can successfully engage with employers and recruit candidates, it's simply a piece of paper with no monetary value assigned to it. The revenue will commence only when you have recruited candidates and started their programme of learning. In the ‘real' world most employers need a skilled workforce to help them survive and grow and are NOT interested in qualifications, especially NVQ's (Nationally Recognised Qualifications) which have a reputation for being onerous and unwieldy. Train to Gain delivery often includes a recognised NVQ qualification which means that training providers need to balance the requirements of the contract for recognised
   qualifications and the desires of the employers for up-skilling their workforce. To succeed training providers need to offer a blend of assessing and training to satisfy both requirements.
4. Understand what the T2G contract requiresBe very clear about what you are going to need to evidence to successfully deliver your Train to Gain contract. At any time throughout your contract you will be audited and you need to be very clear about what evidence the audit team are expecting to see happening within your processes to justify your claims. Be very aware that if you breach these requirements there could be a funding claw back, in other words you will have to re-pay monies already paid to you from your Train to Gain contract. An example of this would be not supplying appropriate justification of high start learners; they are learners who will need more than 15 hours of learning. Using systematic tools such as online testing can assist in providing the appropriate audit evidence.
5. Develop a good marketing campaignOnce you are ready to commence your candidate recruitment campaign put yourself in the shoes of the busy smaller employer. They are having to work smarter and harder to survive in the current economic climate, why on earth would they consider giving their employees time off to do a qualification when they don't know if they will still be solvent in 12 months? As training providers we know too well the perils of slashing training at a time when it is most needed to help the company become more efficient with limited resources, but you need to see it from the employer's perspective and illustrate benefits in your marketing campaign that will appeal to them not just list benefits. An example of this is ¡°Fully funded training gives your workforce a recognised qualification now ask yourself SO WHAT? As though you were the employer. Instead use something like ¡°get less people doing more work the outcome is the same a higher skilled workforce but he message is far more compelling.
6. Canvass support from your existing customersMarketing to existing clients is 80% cheaper than trying to win new business! When you successfully win your Train to Gain contract take the offering to your existing clients first. Who can benefit from this? What is the message you are going to take to them? What's in it for them?
7. Be innovative in your deliveryFinally ¨C be innovative and flexible in how you deliver your Train to Gain contract. Put yourself in the employer's shoes and look at things from their convenience NOT YOURS! They are the customer and you are in existence to help them stay in business. Why should they only want to have their staff trained between 9 am and 5pm when they have shift and part time workers? Why should their staff travel off site for courses when they also have an important job to do? Who said that training should be for a whole day when bite size hourly modules can be far more effective? Be different and stand out from the crowd, use your expertise and energy to find innovative solutions that can help your employers not just be convenient for your own staff. The most successful training provider we came across used an innovative virtual delivery method so that their clients employees received tutor led training without having to leave their desks, the employer could see exactly what was happening and the employee could slot it in around their current workload.

By following these simple tips, you will be able to successfully use Train to Gain to your advantage.

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