8 Tips For Students To Identify The Right Training Institute

There’s a rising trend among engineering students to go for training courses after completion of their course, if they do not have a job in hand. Does this mean that the 4 years of engineering education is a waste? If a 6 month training course can land you a job and not a 4 year long one, then who’s to blame?

Answers to the above questions are bit vague now. We’ll have to wait for the right answer, if there is any. Instead, what I would like to focus upon is the selection of training institutes.

There are hundreds and thousands of training institutes coming up in each and every street corner. Needless to say, it’s good for business. Education and healthcare are two sectors which will always be in boom, no matter how hard recession hits. This is exactly why you have growing numbers of training institutes but decreasing quality.

I write this blog post, with experience from three verticals –

1. Having asked about the experience from students who have already attended such training courses
2. Having spoken with Industry Professionals who have hired candidates who have completed such training courses (of duration one year or less), after completion of their engineering graduation
3. By seeing the inside out working of one of my clients (not Grey Technolabs) who runs a Technology Training Institute.

As students having already spent a good amount on their engineering degree, decision on spending extra on a training course needs to be taken wisely. Having considered three different perspectives to this situation, I would like to list a few points students should keep in mind while selecting a training institute/organization.

1. Check Track Record

Do some background research and see how long the training institute has been active. Do they have a continuous track record of providing training? Or have they come and gone from the industry? The latter shows an inconsistency which might resonate with low training standards.

2. Enquire With Alumni

This is definitely one of the best methods. Ask someone who has already completed their training in any of the training institutes you are looking out for. Since they have firsthand experience and know the teaching methods of the organization, they’ll give you a serious opinion on whether to join or not.

3. Training Methodology and Course Material

The institute you choose should have a well defined training methodology and training material. Video tutorials, audio podcasts, PPTs and other supporting materials make even complex topics easier to understand with minimum effort. Even after the completion of your course, the materials that you have been provided should act as a good technical reference.

4. Instructors

Good course materials aren’t alone enough. If that was the case, most of you would have got a job after engineering. Make sure you know in advance who all are the instructors who’d be teaching/training you. Asking for a biographical timeline of the instructor so that you have an opportunity to see whether the instructor has relevant experience in the field you are on lookout for.

5. Industry Standard Fees

Let’s get this straight. No matter how good the course, the fees always play an important factor. Enquire with quite a good number of training institutes about the rates so that you get a median range of the market standard. Based on that, analyze the best option and go for it. If the best one is costly, it’s your call on whether to compromise on quality or expense.

6. Syllabus

Check and compare the syllabus of all the institutes together. Who hasn’t changed their syllabus over the past decade? Who changes their syllabus every 6 months to stay up-to-date with the industry changes? Analyze such factors to ensure you don’t waste 6 months learning some technology that’s long outdated.

7. Placement Opportunities

Quite a good number of training institutes guarantee placements, while others provide no guarantee, but still tend to help out the students with placement after completion. Get an idea about the placement opportunities from various institutes.

Personally, I have found the ones who provide no guarantee of placement to fare better and provide more justice. If you don’t have a job after 4 years of an engineering degree, how can you expect someone to guarantee you a job after a course of 6 months? No offence meant, but the truth always hits hard.

Again, not everyone goes for training programs just because they didn’t get a job. Many join out of pure interest in getting further hands-on experience. For them too, take a good look at the placement opportunities. Make sure you join a course after deciding in advance which stream of field you would want to work in, as a career.

8. Don’t Join To Have Fun

Forget the “Hutch Pug and Kid” scenario – Where you go I go. Just because your friend joins a training institute, don’t jump up blindly and pay the fees too. Get to know whether the institute will meet your demands of providing you with the right technical competence on completion of course. Rest everything is just an illusion to deviate you out of your path.

[Disclaimer: My opinions are completely my own and the analysis has been done independently without any support from any institution other than IZE Creative. I am in no way associated with or endorse Grey Technolabs. Just an invited Guest Blogger.]

– Vijay S Paul
vijay@izecreative.com
@VijaySPaul