Becoming a trainer does not require a specific degree, but it does require specific expertise in your field. After having accumulated a long professional experience, a large number of trainers have chosen this path. Therefore, training is a way to transfer knowledge and skills by retraining or diversifying people's activities. Certifying your training organization is an essential step to achieve the success of the center.
The French market for training organizations
Becoming a professional trainer cannot be improvised. In France, adult training is subject to a well-defined regulatory framework. Even though many people enter this field, it is still important to pay attention to several points to know exactly how to become a successful training organization.
Professional training in France is a highly competitive market. According to the latest data from the Federation of Professional Training, in 2016, the state registered more than 66,000 trainers (individuals or legal entities). The market is concentrated on a small number of participants: 3,000 companies registered 70% trainers.
Importance of a training plan for a training organization
Investment in training is extremely important for companies and employees, so that the economic resources allocated to it should no longer be considered an expense, because training translates into human capital, increased employee productivity and increasingly higher performance for the company.
Any good training plan must always have the commitment and support of management, be realistic and be designed to meet real training needs, in addition to being evaluable, to assess its functionality. It must also adapt to new technologies, a good training plan that guarantees the certification of the training organization covers all points (choosing the right e-learning platform, choosing the right targets, etc.)
The ultimate objective of a training plan will be its contribution to strategic plans, but the additional benefits it will bring are also numerous, since it will allow us to make the most of the potential of the workers, updating their knowledge, skills and abilities, which they will then be able to make available to other employees, thus making the whole company benefit from the training provided. All this facilitates the certification process.
A strategically organized training plan will also contribute to streamlining workflows, since by participating from different departments and organizational levels, it will help detect operational dysfunctions, while promoting a better work environment. In this way, we will also be able to improve the group feeling and personal motivation of the workers, which in turn will result in an improvement in their attitude and professional performance.
Because, we must not forget that training and motivation are key elements of any worker's performance and productivity, and therefore, an effective business tool.
Certify your training organization
The emergence of new quality requirements, in particular the facts confirmed by the publication of the "Quality Decree" and its qualification standards for training personnel, has indeed led to the professionalization of adult training and the need for certification, of which the Qualiopi certification can be cited.
Qualiopi certification is a mandatory process. All training organizations must implement it. Firstly, Qualiopi certification is essential to benefit from common funds for professional training. Secondly, it is about meeting the quality requirements of training organizations.
What is QUALIOPI certification?
Qualiopi was "born" on November 7, 2019. This is the logo and trademark of the national standard. Specifically, the QUALIOPI certification is the paper you frame and place on the mantel.
This is proof of your compliance with national quality standards. The certifier sent the auditor to your home, thought everything was fine, and issued you a "certificate."
Certifying your training organization with Qualiopi is divided into two steps. The first step: Implement (or update) the quality method in the training organization. The second step: prepare for the face-to-face certification audit. The longest step is the first one.
The QUALIOPI certification is delivered during the on-site audit. The certificate is valid for three years. In the field of certification, there is a process of follow-up of the certification. It is based on a follow-up examination. This will take about 18 months. In fact, the Department of Labor order calls for follow-up audits between the 14th and 22nd month after initial certification. Or renewal.
Who is concerned by QUALIOPI certification?
Qualiopi certification applies to any organization that offers actions that can improve personal skills.
Certifying your training organization is for the "structure". Even if you are alone, be careful with your body. The certification will be issued to the structure, which is "SIRET". To certify its training center is to know if the structure is sufficiently capable of organizing high quality services in the design, organization, promotion and analysis of satisfaction feedback, in order to determine if it is able to make improvements.
This means that certifying a training organization does not seek to rank the training centers and look for good or bad ones. It is simply for the quality of the services offered and the rendering of the proposed trainings.
What is the purpose of QUALIOPI certification?
Qualiopi certification attests to the quality of the processes implemented by the training providers delivered by your organization. As of January 2022, certification will be mandatory and is essential for fundable continuing education activities.
However, obtaining Qualiopi certification is a lengthy process, so it is recommended that you start preparing as soon as possible. To become certified, you must learn the Quality Reference System (QRS) and verify that your organization meets all the standards. The certifier will then need to review your entire training organization and ensure that your structure meets the quality benchmarks and meets all quality standards.
The usefulness of Qualiopi certification differs according to the different objectives of the person involved. Certifying your training organization has several objectives:
It is essential, if you want to certify your training organization, to keep these two objectives in mind, which you make sure to preserve and work towards:
The 7 quality criteria
Understanding quality methods and continuous improvement helps to quickly certify your training organization. Participating in the certification process means integrating the logic of professional activities for continuous improvement of customer satisfaction.
Continuous improvement means learning from mistakes or small problems encountered, telling ourselves that we will always do better tomorrow, and looking for reasons to find solutions to avoid such reasons.
Satisfaction is about satisfying trainees, clients/influencers and your trainers, partners, etc. Before you commit, you should also understand the concept of quality.
Use meaningful metrics to organize yourself... Once you have integrated this logic, the rest of the process will be easy to manage.
Seven Qualiopi certification criteria can be found in the appendix of the decree no. 2019-565 June 6, 2019, which addresses national benchmarks for the quality of actions promoting skills development.
- Qualiopi criteria n°1 - Transmit your offer
The first criterion lists all the information to be generated to present its training content (content, program and result indicators). The training organization has used all the existing communication supports during a long training period: website, general sales conditions, training plan, annual education and financial reports made in Direccte, etc.
- Criterion #2 - Provide training to meet needs
The second standard emphasizes that the courses offered are not ready-made products, but modular courses with clear objectives. Therefore, the assessment of operational skills is carried out at the beginning and at the end of the course.
- Criterion 3 - Accompanying and monitoring learners at every stage
The third criterion details the aspect of the daily training course. It outlined all the materials that will be provided and all the services that will be provided to learners.
Objective: to inform the learner, reassure him or her and anticipate any difficulties that may be encountered. The fundamental objective is to limit the dropout rate during the training.
- Criterion #4 - Provide a supportive learning ecosystem
On the basis of criterion No. 4, the training organization must show the means it has invested in successful training: locations, teams, equipment, teaching resources, etc., which require very strict documentation and organization of projects.
- Criterion 5 - Train the entire team of the training organization
The fifth brick of the Qualiopi certification challenges the training capacity of training organizations. It is about the leader. The structure of the support teams and the internal and external teaching teams. If necessary, the recruitment process of training organizations and their practices in terms of mandatory employee training should be reviewed in this perspective.
- Criterion #6 - Invest in your professional environment
Today's training is also learning. The sixth Qualiopi criterion lists the actions that training organizations must take by example in this area. It is about maintaining a leading position in the legal framework of vocational training, the development of its professional fields, education and technological innovation.
The standard also covers the framework for training people with disabilities and the provision and contracting of wages.
- Criterion #7 - Listen to and take into account feedback, good or bad
In the 7ème As a result, the basis of the quality method for the continuous improvement of the training organization has been formally introduced. For this reason, feedback from learners, companies, external funders, etc. must be carefully organized. Complaint management is strategic and must be organized upstream before an emergency occurs.
