Have you ever considered how much ‘free’ training actually costs?
That might sound like a trick question however there are elements of free training courses that get overlooked when planning and evaluating a training matrix and sourcing the training from providers.
The offer of free training sounds very tempting and enables you to tick a box with a good feeling as it fits in very nicely with your training budget.
‘Free’ courses are dictated by the training provider, they are held at a location chosen by the provider, at a time and date which suits their schedule and can be changed at the last minute. All these factors can add up to the course not being as convenient to you and your staff as it first seemed.
Of course there will be travel costs associated with getting to and from the training as well as cover for the staff who are attending the course. Added to this most care organisations will pay staff for training, and rightly so. All of these factors add up to considerable variable costs associated with your ‘Free’ training.
Below is an example of the typical costs associated to ‘Free’ training courses assuming 10 members of staff attend.
| Course | £0 |
| 10 Staff wages (NMW x 6hrs) | £390 |
| 10 Replacement staff (NMW x 6hrs) | £390 |
| Travel 5 miles (@ 0.25p p/m) x 10 staff | £12.50 |
| TOTAL | £792.50 |
| Break down cost per person, per course based on 10 staff | £79.25 |
The example shows that a free course could potentially involve a large investment, place added strain on the managers and staff fulfilling the daily duties, cause disruption and inconvenience at your place of work and result in an unexpected cost line to your training budget.
All of the associated costs are variable of course so they are very hard to predict accurately but these are typical from discussions we have had with our clients. If the training is either distance learning or eLearning then the costs are reduced dramatically, however the content quality may not be in line with your organisational standards or there may be a time constraint for completion, which again places unnecessary external pressure on your staff and organisation.
We believe in designing training that is cost effective, gives you the flexibility to wrap the training around your rota and care duties and delivers results.
‘Free’ training like free anything always sounds good at first but when you really analyse all the hidden costs you might end up paying more for something that is not going to deliver the results you want.
