Find the right training for your professional development and career progression
Follow our step-by-step guide to finding the most suitable course for your requirements and goals.
Finding the right training programme or course is not always straightforward. Knowing where to begin looking, and the resources available to you when considering a course, will make the process a little easier for you.
Step 1 - Think about what your development needs are
Think about your needs, aims, and goals. In which areas do you need to strengthen your skills in order to progress in your career or reach your personal goals? Which qualifications, certificates or diplomas would enable you to step up a level in your career, or progress to your desired area of expertise?
If you are a HR Manager or Learning & Development Manager responsible for planning training for employees in your organisation, think about the key competencies that would enable your company to be more effective. Consider both the values upon which your organisation is founded and the ways in which you can or want to differentiate yourself from the competition. What are the key areas that you need to focus on to help the business grow and succeed?
Obviously, another difficulty may be that you don't really know what the answers to the questions above are. The key here is research - if you work in HR or L&D, speak to your employees who have first-hand experience in their field of expertise, as well as other professionals in your network. If you are an individual, talk to colleagues or peers (either in person or in apposite forums) and, in both cases, do some research. Just make sure that that that you explore different avenues and approach reliable sources - such as Government departments, professional organisations and membership bodies etc. - rather than relying on the first site you come across.
Finally, and especially if you are really stuck: contact us! We have the benefit of many years of experience in the training industry, so there is a good chance that we have already received (and answered) a question like yours. In the unlikely case that we don't have the answer ourselves, we still generally have the contacts or resources necessary to point you in the right direction and get you the informaiton you need.
Step 2 - Search, find and compare training and courses
Our main goal at Findcourses.co.uk is to help users find the right training for their professional development - this is why we have developed a search engine to make it easy for you to find courses that are:
- Dedicated to different industries and development areas
- Taking place in cities across the the UK & abroad
- Delivered using different training methods & styles
With dedicated search options, filters and compare tools, Findcourses.co.uk allows you to allows you to directly compare courses with one another - to see which suits you best.
Step 3 - Request more information
Once you have found one or more course(s) that interest you, the next step is to contact the training provider. Based on research and extensive feedback from our users, we know that in a majority of cases you will not quite be ready to book on to any given course, so we give you the possibility of contacting the training providers in a cost and obligation free manner using our Request Information function. Essentially, this is an online form that you fill out with your details and requirements to find out whether the course in question can help you reach you training goals. This can be anything from the qualification or award that you receive at the end of the course to the dates on which it is run.
In this way, you can compare courses and consider training programmes in private, ensuring you fully understand what you will gain from the training before making a decision. Crucially, you are also able to gain a sense of what the training provider is like and determine if they are a good "match" for your style of learning.
In addition, if you need to get the go-ahead for training from your supervisor or manager, requestion information also satisfies your planning and goal assessment of the training.
Step 4 - Read course reviews
An increasingly popular method of choosing training and courses is to read reviews of courses. Course reviews, completed by delegates who have taken the training course already, help users get an insight into what the training experience will be like, and what to expect from the training institute, or trainer.
Step 5 - Be realistic, motivated, and practise the skills you gain
Once you have signed up for a course, make sure the training organiser understands what you would like to achieve from the training, and expect to take away from the course. This makes it easier for the training organiser to meet your expectations, and will help you to benefit from the training and use the skills gained for your professional or personal development.
You learn more when you are motivated about gaining new skills, and want to take in new information. To help maintain your motivation, it is important that the course is intrinsically motivating; that your nearest manager see's the importance of the course, and that the people going on the course feel that the course will develop them in the right direction.
Step 6 - Continuous development
To ensure you retain the information or skills that you develop on a training course, it is important that you build on the skills you gain. Keep course notes, and read through them from time to time, to ensure you do not lose any of the knowledge you gain. When you have completed a training course write-up a plan for how you will apply your new skills within your workplace.
Findcourses.co.uk wishes you the best of luck!