Consortium Brings State Funded Training to Dozens of Firms

One significant benefit The Training Consortium offers its California clients is easy access to a myriad of training programs paid for by the state through a grant to TTC. Since 1991, the California Employment Training Panel (ETP) has allocated more than $5 million under this grant. The TTC, along with Quest Consulting, has used this "free" training to help thousands of employees in small and mid-sized businesses.

An example is Money Mailer of Garden Grove, California, who used the program to train their lead and supervisory personnel in their direct mail supply business. The course, set up in 12 four-hour sessions, trained the 250 employees in small cross-functional teams. The main focus was to streamline processes, implement better teamwork and improve collaboration among departments, according to Jeanne Stanley, Senior Director of Human Resources.

While this is a description of a California funding program, it is a model of others available in states across the U.S. To check on what is offered in your area, send an e-mail to: or call 1-800-481-2914.

In the sessions, employees work on real business problems, which they then present, with their recommendations, to senior management at the end of the course. "Some of these people have never had the opportunity to get in front of our top executives," says Stanley. "This has opened a door for them. They are feeling more confident about expressing their ideas."

The soundness of this business decision proved out when it produced a team of dedicated front-line workers who became really creative problem-solvers. And, because the company started a formal process to review and implement new ideas, employees are more eager to participate and learn more about the whole business. In addition, empowering their employees produced a bonus beyond the stated goals... employee turnover fell significantly.

Accessing State Funds to Train Your Employees

Once your company has met some basic state requirements, you have a world of choices and opportunities to improve performance, teamwork, Management Training, customer service, continuous improvement, problem solving, quality improvement. Basically, you can take advantage of nearly any type training you want! To find a comprehensive list from which to chose ... just click here.

In our July issue of The Quest Leadership Edge we wrote about the process necessary to qualify for state funding. We also provided information on how to utilize Quest Consulting & Training Corporation to facilitate the process on your behalf.

Now, we are happy to let you in on The Training Consortium's program to make it all even easier. The State Funded Training Consortium was formed to get you the training and the funding in a very streamlined manner.

It's simple. The Consortium handles all the paperwork, collects the State funds, and pays the trainers. You simply send your employees!

Working with the team from Quest, TTC helps you...

• Assess your needs, prepare a training plan, and obtain approvals.
• Select from numerous programs in management, continuous improvement, computer software, sales/service, production, teamwork, basic math, English and more.
• Plan either 48-hour or 72-hour curricula (or both). These are usually set up in 4-hour sessions.
• Customize the programs any way you like... the goal is for them to meet or exceed your business needs.
• Schedule the training at convenient times ... usually over a period of 3-4 months.
• Implement the training, on-site, in either English or Spanish. Bilingual trainers can make your training relevant to your entire workforce, increasing its impact and results.
• Analyze the impact and reformulate additional training plans that take advantage of programs available at little or no charge to your company.

Some major benefits to YOU!

You have, through TTC, which includes Quest and other specialized trainers, a complete resource. While it sounds too good to be true, this service is available now and can be a real factor in your competitive success over the next weeks, months and years.

Yes, weeks. This program can be implemented sooner than you might think possible simply because it is in place and running at full speed today.

Here are the benefits you can expect...

• Very little paperwork. TTC does the administration and documentation for you.
• A user-friendly training system. Scheduling is usually in convenient 4-hour sessions, once a week. However, you can customize it to fit your business needs and limitations.
• Well-defined roles. Yours is telling us what you want, then evaluating the results. You're free to focus on making sure people get the right training and apply it correctly.
• Relevant curricula. Instructors take the time to learn about your company beforehand. You get training based on real situations, adapted to your unique needs and systems.
• Customization options which incorporate your objectives and systems into some extremely sound and proven training techniques.

Getting started is simple. All you do is...

• Complete an application. This takes only 10-15 minutes. Then you just fax it to TTC.
• Receive notification within one week.
• Sign an Agreement with TTC covering what you give and what you get from the program.

That's it. The TTC takes care of the rest. You can then focus your attention on making sure your company's leadership fully supports the program, your employees come prepared, and they attend each session.

While this is a description of a California program, it is a model of others available in states across the US You have a lot to gain by investigating " free training funds" for your organization. To check on what is offered in your area, just ask us or call 1-800-481-2914.