What to Look for When Selecting L&D Consultants and Staff

This blog was written by Claude Werder, Senior VP and Principal Analyst, Brandon Hall Group. It was originally posted on the Brandon Hall website.

Demand is increasing for external learning consultants and L&D staff to assist internal learning teams that struggle to manage increased expectations on flat or decreasing budgets, according to the Brandon Hall Group™ Learning Benchmarking Study 2023.

More than one-third of L&D teams rank a lack of staffing among their greatest challenges, the study shows. This creates an increasing need to hire the right consultant and L&D staff to plan, develop, and deliver employee training and development programs.

AllenComm, a Brandon Hall Group™ Smartchoice® Preferred Provider, offers clients consultants and staff with domain expertise in learning experience design and the expertise to develop engaging, effective content. Learn more here.

The best L&D staffing services understand that every industry and organization is different. You need a provider that can quickly understand your needs and provide experienced professionals to scale your learning in alignment with your established workflow. Between 20% and 33% of organizations are outsourcing one or more of these L&D team functions:

Here are some important considerations as you seek the right learning consultant or L&D staff to keep your operation thriving:

• Learning consultants and teams must have relevant expertise to design and deliver services in your industry. Consider their track records, qualifications, certifications and references to ensure they have a solid reputation and can meet your organization’s unique requirements.
• Ensure the training consultant or L&D team can customize their approach to align with your organization’s culture, values, and specific needs.
• Assess the training methodologies and techniques the consultant or L&D team employs. Determine if they align with your company’s learning preferences and the needs of your employees.
• Clearly define the objectives and expected outcomes of the training programs. The consultant or L&D staff should be able to design and deliver employee training and development that align with these goals, assess the effectiveness of the training, and track the progress of learners.
• Evaluate the ability to provide long-term support. Providers should offer ongoing evaluation, continuous improvement and the transfer of knowledge and skills to the employees and internal trainers, if needed.
• Effective communication and collaboration between your organization and the training consultant or team are crucial. Establish regular channels for feedback and progress updates to maintain a strong partnership throughout the training process.
• Research the reputation of the training consultant or team by checking their client testimonials, case studies, or online reviews. Request references from their previous clients and contact them for insights into their experiences and the success of the training initiatives.

“Providing L&D teams with staff personnel from a group of experienced professionals with knowledge directly relevant to their industry can be a game changer,” said AllenComm CEO Ron Zamir. “Many teams are understaffed and over-utilized. Our clients choose AllenComm for our domain expertise, tailored approach to meet their needs and transformational solutions.”

-Claude Werder, Senior VP and Principal Analyst, Brandon Hall Group