Managed Learning Services – Time To Re-invent Your Training Function

Managed Learning Service enables both purchase and administration of all training activities for a client organization by an external specialist (Managed Service Provider) in an outsourced mode. The spectrum of services that are offered by a Managed Service Provider includes Training Administration, Vendor Management, Strategic Sourcing and Training Delivery.

As more organizations switch over to “Managed Learning Services” to address their training and development needs, many L&D professionals are thinking whether it is time for their organization to do the same. It can be a real tough decision to make, primarily because you already have a highly skilled internal L&D team which you certainly want to retain.

The most common misunderstanding about managed learning services is that “it eliminates the need for an internal training function”. This may be true for a few organizations – however, the prime reason behind outsourcing training needs is to get better deals on training delivery and management, which free up internal resources and enables them to focus on core objectives and play a more strategic role.

The top five benefits of Managed Training Services which help you decide the right route for your organization:-

Competitive Training Rates:

Decent managed service providers make it a point to create beneficial professional relationships with best in class training providers. This vendor neutral approach enables them to source most effective training at competitive rates and pass the savings back to their customers.

Improved use of internal resources:

Sourcing the appropriate training solutions usually involves a great investment of time in researching courses / vendors and negotiating prices with training providers. Then there are associated administrative activities to run a course and follow it up thereafter. Managed learning services team of highly skilled professionals takes off this burden from internal employees leaving them with high bandwidth to focus on their core objectives.

Enhanced Quality Assurance:

Ensuring that your selected training provider has the expertise, capacity and capability to manage your training needs can be challenging. Managed service providers intervention assure customers that their training budget is being put to good use with desirable quality.

Access to wide talent pool:

There is not a single organization that has all the in-house expertise that are required to thrive and prosper. Businesses always look forward to bring in external consultants to bridge skill gaps that they find are missing internally. Outsourcing training needs enables organizations access talent pool of expert knowledge and skills to support their existing training department.

Enhanced Management Transparency (Reporting):

Keeping track of training and its associated administrative activities is a time consuming process. Managed training providers have access to state of the art CRMs which support customers with tracking, monitoring, reporting and evaluating the progress and development of a course. They also provide all the necessary implementation and management to help customers demonstrate a good ROI on their investment.

Although the merits of a Managed Service Provider are many, it is important to keep in mind that, Training Outsourcing is not same as outsourcing any other functions of the organization. It requires extensive evaluation of your training needs and a clear understanding of what you are looking for in a Managed Service Provider.