Achieving the TQS - Was it worth it?

There are more than one hundred and twenty organisations listed on the TQS website as having achieved Part A of the Training Quality Standard.

In some cases more than a year has passed since they achieved their certification.

This means it’s possible to ask the question: “Was it worth it?”

You can ask yourself this question, too, wherever you are on your TQS development journey.

Will holding the TQS bring in more business?

Many provider organisations sought certification as a means of differentiating themselves from other providers. They hoped that gaining the TQS would mean that they gained more LSC contracts, or gained larger contracts, and that more employers would value their new status.

The organisations which gained their certification earliest have had the most opportunity to generate new business. Their views are, therefore, of interest to providers who are still on their journey to certification.

I interviewed Rachael Fidler of HTP about the impact of holding the TQS on her business some time ago. She was very positive about the business benefits.

She said:

“We find that employers are seeking us out, as are the LSCs. People see our certification as a statement about the quality of what we do and about our responsiveness to employer needs. That’s good for our business, because more people want to work with us.

I think the impact on us as a business is also very positive. We always knew we worked hard and tried to do a good job. Now we are confident that we do. We are also a stronger team because we worked together on this.”

So that’s one endorsement.

Several of our customers have said that following certification they have been having more conversations with more people and that some of those conversations are leading to business.

In broad terms then, they are saying that achieving the TQS is worth the effort.

Have you built your reputation?

This is a more difficult question.

There are really two parts to it. Reputation building takes place within the FE sector and with employers, too.

Within the sector organisations are looking for their work to be recognised by funding bodies and by OFSTED.

There are quite a few LSCs asking their providers to look seriously at the TQS and anecdotal information from providers in several regions indicates that holding the TQS is now being seen as something of value in the contracting process.

Most providers are aware of the links between the Framework for Excellence and the TQS, so most people in the sector know that holding the TQS certainly helps with aspects of this framework.

But what about building a reputation with employers?

This is more difficult to judge.

Where providers already have good relationships with employers, and with employer groups, there is evidence that relationships are being enhanced, once the provider gains the TQS.

Where a provider is looking for new business, holding the award seems to be of less help, simply because the majority of employers don’t know too much about the TQS. Thus, they are meeting a new provider and being introduced to a new quality badge at the same time.

However, providers do see the potential of the award. I interviewed James Billingham, managing director of TTP about how holding the TQS will help providers and he was very clear about how holding the TQS could offer an organisation advantages.

“The standard is only given to those organisations that can demonstrate a high level of customer satisfaction and a fundamental understanding of their industry. Those training providers that achieve the standard should be the first that employers turn to for good quality training.”

(This article was featured in Fast Forward, the journal for training providers in the logistics sector.)

Have you thought about what you will gain from achieving the TQS?

Now’s the time to think about that you want from your TQS certification. Now’s the time to set some objectives. Now’s the time to think beyond gaining certification and about how holding the TQS will help your business.

• Have you thought about the gains you will make by achieving the TQS?
• Do you know what you want, in business terms, as a result of your TQS certification?
• Have you thought about the opportunities that will be available to you as a holder of the TQS that are not available to you now?
• Have you thought about how you will capitalise on your achievement?

You won’t know if what you gain is worth the effort you put in to achieving the TQS if you don’t know the answers to at least some of these questions.

So ask yourself sooner rather than later if achieving the TQS is going to be worth it.

See also: Goodbye to the early adopters.