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The Training Associates Expands Its Unique TRAINER Outsourcing Market

In a dramatic expansion of its Outsourcing target market, The Training Associates is focusing additional efforts in providing its unique trainer outsourcing capabilities to Outsourcing Companies, Solution Providers and Corporate America.

To be more competitive in the Global Economy, corporations have accelerated their use of outsourcing non-core competencies to major Outsourcing Companies. As Solution Providers roll-out new systems, the requirements to outsource the training aspects of their engagements compel them to seek qualified contract trainers. Corporate users that do not require all the services of a Outsourcing Company, Solution Provider, or Full-Service Training Company, create a demand for a "trainer only" market. As a result, these Channel Entities are turning to The Training Associates (TTA) for their trainers. The requirement for many talented trainers, with specific skill sets, for specified periods of time, cost effectively deployed to train today's workforce has thus grown exponentially. Therefore, The Training Associates is expanding its coverage to provide additional emphasis on these growing markets.

Highlighting the importance of outsourcing for organizations in America today is like preaching to the choir. They already understand the advantages and benefits of this important economic concept. Specifically, TTA provides these Companies with:

• An inexhaustible supply of superior training talent, with wide diversities of expertise without any investment by the Outsourcing Company, Solution Provider or Corporation User
• The flexibility and economies of scale in being able to use variable cost contract trainers compared to fixed cost staff trainers
• A Partner who will shoulder much of the administrative and legal burden, insuring much lower costs and the success of the engagement
• The "Ultimate Solution" to the trainer bench problem - Scalability to Perfection - an infinite bench when you need it and an empty bench when you don't - the exact opposite of what you may be experiencing today

The Training Associates is the oldest and largest provider of IT and Soft Skills Trainer Consultants, both contract and full-time. We are experts in all classifications of leading edge computer software and hardware technologies; additionally, we have expanded our professional business course offerings even further.

Initially, The Training Associates concentrated on providing contract trainers to the leading training centers. New Horizons, Executrain, CompUSA, and over 500 other vendor authorized and unauthorized education training centers use our services. Although the requirements in this target market remain active, the demand for the supply chain training services offered by The Training Associates is no longer confined to this market space alone.

It is TTA corporate policy to work through and operate in conjunction with our Channel Partners (Outsourcing Companies, Training Organizations, Solution Providers, and Academic Institutions) in providing trainers to the end-user (Corporations). We formalized this process in our "Corporate Trainer Partner Program". However there are occurrences when the end-user does not require the range of offerings that the channel supplies and goes directly to the independent trainer market to satisfy its needs. Rather than this scenario, TTA works with its channel partners to provide additional incentives to the corporation to work with the channel. If the Corporation does not want a full-service offering but insists on going to use independent trainers directly, then TTA will work with the Corporation. We believe that we can offer an arrangement of much greater value than they can acquire by dealing directly with independent contract trainers on a one-on-one basis.

The Training Associates already has extensive experience in this channel market -- some examples of previous engagements include:

• Thomson/NetG won a multi-million dollar, multi-year, contract from the US Air Force to provide IT training to all its bases throughout the world. TTA is now in year 3 of providing several dozen trainers for these classes worldwide.
• Working with a multi-billion dollar Training Outsourcing Company, TTA supplied 40 instructors to train over 7000 financial consultants in 700+ offices of a brokerage firm throughout the United States
• Subcontracting with a very large Outsourcing Training Organization, TTA provided 25 trainers for 6 months to train a call center operation for the Department of Social Security
• In conjunction with another large Outsourcing Training Provider, TTA supplied 40 trainers to be employed, on-demand, training financial employees of a Leading Consumer Finance company in call center and service center operations over a multi year period.

1. The first component of our core competency is the recruitment and qualification of our trainers. This includes:

• Forecasting market demands in conjunction with our many training clients to anticipate future training needs
• Searching for potential trainer candidates employing these forecasts
• Qualifying these trainers for possible future assignments

Trainer Quality is the most important attribute of our service delivery to our clients  and number one concern in their outsourcing of trainers. To address this issue, TTA has a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee for all its contract trainers, full-time trainers and all its services. TTA is able to do this because of the stringent qualifying procedures it has established, trainer improvement programs, and an on going trainer evaluation process.

TTA's qualification process for a new instructor includes resume submission, review of transcripts, a listing of technical and instructional certifications where applicable, prior test scores and evaluations, interviews with both the candidate and all references, and verification of all submitted information. At this point, the candidate is temporarily qualified, and does not become an Approved TTA instructor until he or she has taught at least 3 classes for TTA successfully. The quality process is on-going. There is a quality check done by a TTA Client Services Representative at the beginning and end of each class. Additionally, at the end of the class, the instructor and the course are evaluated and the grades are recorded providing feedback to the trainer. The trainer is not paid until and unless, good evaluations are received. Finally, our trainers provide us with evaluations of our service to them and our clients' class environment.

2. The second component of our core competency is the management and development of our trainers. These include but are not limited to:

• Provide trainer career guidance
• Train or facilitate the training of trainers as needed, i.e. T3
• Managing trainer profiles, skills, and certifications
• Manage trainer student evaluations and performance
• Manage travel preferences - hotel, airlines, rentals, etc.

Trainer Readiness (T3) is a program that TTA has developed to assist in the development of our trainers. For example, Microsoft is in the process of launching a myriad of new products within the next 18 months. In conjunction with Microsoft, we offered a course at Microsoft's and other locations around the country, which not only increased the trainer's knowledge of the new technologies, but also enhanced their ability to employ effective didactic techniques to deliver the material.

3. The third component of our core competency is the deployment of the trainers. TTA performs the following.

• Matches our trainers with the specific requirements of each assignment
• Negotiates the best trainer rates and payment terms for each assignment
• Evaluates trainer performance during and after each class
• Makes travel arrangements (air, hotel & rental car)
• Processes Instructor orders with assignment details
• Manage much of the necessary administrivia
  • Class times, contacts, travel, directions, prep check, setups
  • Dress, protocols, problems, required evaluations
  • Reporting, special procedures, class and laboratory set up, etc...
  • Checking and approving trainer bills and expenses
  • Promptly paying trainer with varying terms

Our entire process for completing all of the above activities is managed by experienced teams using our unique multi-million dollar, internally developed, ERP system called "Trainer Tracker®". With our expansion into this market, TTA has expanded the system to better facilitate and control project type engagements.

The Training Associates has a compelling value proposition directed specifically at the outsourcing arena. "Our goal is to help our clients become more profitable by enabling them to outsource their trainer requirements, minimize their staff-to-contract trainer ratios, save time in managing the process, and eliminate most of the significant costs associated with the attendant administrative overhead."
-Vic Melfa, CEO, THE TRAINING ASSOCIATES