Problem:
Sunset Learning has been working with a national service provider who came to us with the problem of having engineers deployed throughout the country. There was a need for training in a number of Cisco technologies, supporting specialized product delivery methods by engineers of varying experience levels. In addition, they were restricted with a very limited travel budget for training. The challenges facing them were 1) how to obtain the required Instructor Led Training without incurring travel expense, 2) how to deal with the issue of small class size, and 3) how to provide training to a 24×7 shop.
Solution:
At Sunset Learning our philosophy is to provide a comprehensive consultative approach that begins with understanding our client’s business objectives. In doing this, we are able to map out the most concise training plan across the teams, adjust our training schedule to ensure that all needed training is delivered in the appropriate time frame and in convenient locations for our customers. We have been able to accomplish this by utilizing our Training Partner network with over twenty-five delivery sites around the country. In addition, some classes have been delivered directly into the customer site through our HD-ILT program.
By aligning our training delivery methods to the customer needs, we have been able to significantly reduce training costs and improve efficiency. This has been accomplished by reducing or eliminating travel. In addition, employee time off is now being scheduled more efficiently since there are fewer instances of class rescheduling and cancellations. The results of this solution are that more technical staff is being trained with a more efficient allocation of training dollars.
Our ongoing support for this customer provides:
- Regular reports on classes taken by date, student and location
- Customization of classes to fit specific customer needs
- Publication of available curriculum at the corporate level to help senior management target specific needs.
- Meet with senior management on a regular basis to assist in developing a strategic and comprehensive training program for the entire company that allows them to offer needed training across divisional groups.
Financial Impact:
The financial savings was substantial for this customer. Two significant items contributed to the overall success of this solution:
By aggregating their training needs with divisions around the country it enabled them to take advantage of purchasing in bulk.
The reduction or elimination of travel expenses for training allowed more budgeted dollars to go directly to training.
The net result is that budget efficiency was improved by almost 100%.