Each day, we receive telephone calls from people needing to obtain a qualification that Churchill Education doesn’t offer. They always want to know: how do I choose a training provider?
It’s an important decision, and it’s worth putting some time in to making sure the training provider you choose is your best option.
Churchill Co-Founder Tricia Velthuizen talks you through five things to look out for when making your decision…
1. Select a Registered Training Organisation, not a Broker
We always recommend going to the actual source of the qualification, which means using a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) or TAFE, not a broker.
Brokers exist in many industries – from finance to education. The problem with education brokers in Vocational Education in Australia is that they are not regulated.
Instead, they are a marketing agency – taking a cut of your enrolment, then pushing your application onto the ultimate RTO.
So, we recommend speaking to the RTO itself. RTOs are regulated by a national regulator, getting audited and having to meet ongoing and strict compliance requirements around issuing nationally benchmarked qualifications.
You can identify an RTO by their Registration code. Here is a snippet from the footer of our website:
And then you can find them on www.training.gov.au:
2. Look at how long the provider has been operating
Like any industry, new providers can pop up from time to time.
But in this industry, you want someone who understands the long game of education:
- What is industry really looking for in the future?
- How do your qualifications link in together?
- Have they been operating successfully in a regulated environment for a long time so that they understand their requirements and have been examined by the national regulator?
The team at Churchill Education has been working in Vocational Education since 2006 and has had registration endorsed by the National Regulator, ASQA through to 2024.
3. Research & Reviews
This is the point to make Google your friend and do some research. We recommend looking for
- Is there an effective website that lets you get a clear idea of who the people behind the company are?
- Can you get a clear picture of the qualifications and service being offered?
- Can you identify where they work from or are you left wondering if they work from the boot of a car?
- Is there a legitimate business number to call or is it just a mobile phone?
- Can you find client stories or case studies to help you see their service in action?
Reviews can be a useful tool to see what other customers have thought of their experience with a training provider. Of course, on the internet, you still need to use your common sense radar:
- How many reviews are there? It is hard to get a good feel for consistency if there is only a few reviews.
- Do the reviews read like real customers wrote them?
- Does it look and feel legitimate or is there a sense of too good to be true?
- Keep an eye on the syntax – some companies buy reviews offshore and you can get a feel for that in the language used in the review.
4. Talk to the Training Provider
At this point, pick up the telephone and make a call.
Trust and relationships are always built through actual conversations.
We listen for these things:
- Is the call answered promptly and professionally? Does the team have a friendly tone? A happy team is always easier to work with than an abrupt team who feel like callers are an annoying interruption.
- Are you being sold to or are they really listening to you?
- Is the clock running or is the team happy to give you as much time as you need?
- Do they have a depth of knowledge about the programs or qualifications that makes you feel like these are experts in their field?
- What is their story as a company?
5. Set the training provider some homework
Before you commit your hard earned money to this provider, give them some homework. Ask for a particular piece of information to be sent to you.
Then keep an eye on if it actually gets done. Follow through is an important quality in an effective working relationship – you deserve a high standard of customer service. You also want to know that this organisation knows how to cross their Ts and dot their Is in a regulated and compliance focused environment.
Too many providers are slow to return calls or emails, and leave you hanging with your money on the line.
Set the benchmark and see if they meet it before making your investment.
We hope this article helps you to choose the best training provider for your needs.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us on:
1300 793 002 / info@churchilleducation.edu.au
And if you’d like to find out which of our qualifications you may be eligible for through recognition of prior learning, fill in the form below, and we will contact you promptly!
