5 Questions To Ask Before Signing Up for a Training

Are you interested in attending a training and are wondering if it is worth it? Or maybe you have received a request from your employees to attend a training, and you are weighing the costs and benefits?

As the number of organizations and professionals working on financial inclusion has grown over the years, so has the number of events and trainings offered on this topic around the world. This abundance of capacity-building opportunities is a welcome development for financial inclusion practitioners, but it also means that you now need to dedicate more time to figure out which event is the right one for you. Before signing up for a training, we recommend that you do some research.

FinDev Gateway maintains a list of upcoming events and trainings on our Events page, most of which are submitted by the organizations themselves. Event organizers are responsible for the accuracy of the information that they provide, and listing on FinDev Gateway does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement of the quality of the event. While we do a basic due diligence to make sure that the organization and events are genuine, we cannot investigate the details of every training and event listed, and we certainly can’t make recommendations as to which training or event will be best for you! This is where you come in.

To help you with your decision-making process, we’ve created this list of questions to guide you before you sign up for an event or training opportunity:

1. What organization is hosting the event? Are they known and respected in their field? Make sure that it is a legitimate, established organization whose goals align with yours for this training.
    
2. Who are the trainers? Do they have the expertise necessary to provide the learning environment you are seeking? Look up their bios online, find them on LinkedIn, research their work and who they’ve worked with. Make sure that their expertise matches what is offered in the training.
    
3. Do you know anyone who has previously attended a training by this organization or trainers? It is a good idea to get references from people you know or who are in your extended network of professional contacts regarding the training content itself, the trainers and/or the organization offering it.
    
4. What do you want to get out of this training opportunity? Are you looking for networking opportunities? If so, with what purpose in mind? Are you looking to learn new skills or get practical experience? Think about your true goals in seeking out an event or training, and make sure they match what is offered.
    
5. What kind of teaching format works best for you? There are a lot of options these days in terms of training formats. Training providers offer in-person courses, online courses, and blended learning (combination of in-person and online). Some courses offer more formal, lecture-based classes; others are more interactive with small group discussions, case studies and activities. Think about how you learn best, and choose a training which matches your learning style.