Cactus Language Training Blog - Cactus Tailor Made

  1. L&D Tenders - How to Buy Corporate Language Training and get Best Value

    • Monday, 14th May, 2012

    There is no doubt for those of us involved in procurement, either on the specifying-and-buying- or the tendering-and-selling end of the rope, that the tug of war between best quality provision and lowest cost is only getting tougher.
    When it comes to corporate language training procurement, we see from our exposure to large-scale language training tenders that there clearly is no best-practice approach being adopted by corporate concerns when specifying the training they require, and some approaches are very much better than others. Given the largely superlative requirement to slash corporate training budgets, whilst still allowing companies to progress, it would seem like a good time to assess whether the language procurement process can be improved.
    Here are six top tips to get more out of language training:

    1. The British Language Learning Stereotype...
    We note that the quality of tenders from outside the UK are generally more detailed, and demonstrate a sharper awareness of what it is to learn a language, and how long it is likely to take. This is not necessarily surprising, as most of the rest of Europe has had to master a second language in order to step up to a European or International procurement position, so there is a greater empathy and awareness of what information will be the most useful to providers.

    ACTION: If you are asked to procure language training, get the organisations you’re considering to do the work. Many training organisations (Cactus included) will provide either free or “at cost” consultancy services to help you build a better specification.

    2. Get the intern to do it
    The pre-qualification conversations we have with can’t-be-named multinationals generally start out with a nice chat with an intern in the procurement or L&D department. We like interns, they’re always friendly, and they have time to listen, but we do sometimes worry that there must be more scientific ways of pre-selecting providers than asking an intern to spend a few days browsing the internet (which is what they tell us they are asked to do).

    ACTION: As well as asking interns to research providers, it would be a perfect intern project to scope out language training requirements, study the data from past years, run questionnaires on what end users are happy/unhappy about. This will provide stronger data for organisations to tender against.


    3. How Much Language Do People Actually Need?
    In continental Europe, there is much higher investment in robust language training programmes which span many years, to take key staff to a high level of language competency. There is also a realisation that a foreign language – if not used on a regular basis – needs some maintenance in the form of regular sessions.
    In the UK, the requirement for foreign language training has generally been more fragmented, and tends to be task specific. This is very much an approach we take at Cactus, that if time and budgets do not lend themselves to hundreds of hours of language study (and generally they don’t), then it is far preferable to apply whatever language skills you have to the tasks which need to be achieved in the work context. Cactus trainers work simultaneously on reinforcing and developing core structures of the language, but in such a way that the output of the lessons is a practical ability to communicate in real life, business situations. 
    Generally speaking, the larger the company, the more the process of purchasing language risks being divorced from the management of language need, therefore:

    ACTIONS: Circulate an online needs analysis form and an online test to get a snap shot of current levels and needs. Collate this information and use it as a basis for decision making. At Cactus, we are happy to sift through this data for free, and make recommendations on the most cost-effective solutions.

    4. If organising in-company language training feels like herding cats, you’re not doing it right...
    Language is a means to an end, and not an end in itself. The tighter the connection between the strategic or operational objective of your organisation, and the language content being taught, the more overt and measurable the return on investment will be. If you can’t measure the outcome of a language training course in a more tangible way than to see if the trainee enjoyed the course, then there is really little point in procuring it in the first place.

    ACTIONS: Satisfy yourself that the language training company has advanced approaches which capture business objectives and test trainees’ practical ability to perform better in their work role. Also ensure that there is a clear requirement place on line managers to evaluate trainees’ abilities, and that this is inherently understood to be part of the signing off process on training. If not, the opportunity to measure ROI may be diluted.
     
    5. The Discount’s in the Detail
    One of the biggest reasons that many organisations’ fail to get true value for money is down to the lack of detail provided in the Technical Specification. When it comes to face-to-face language training, the critical detail is in the volume of current or planned learners, their languages and levels and more than anything else, their geographical locations. This is because language training can frequently be delivered in a drip-feed format – i.e. a little often, rather than one- or two-day intensive formats. This quirk of language training can be perfectly well managed by a competent language training organisation, whatever the scale. However it does have greater than usual impact on cost if the weekly travel between trainer and company offices is ignored.
    Knowing even an approximation of this information usually means that Cactus can save the client a tremendous amount of money. When wild approximation meets wild approximation, any cost-effectiveness is purely theoretical.

    ACTION: Ensure that language training requirements are gathered along with training location data. A big excel download from your LMS is fine. Again, a perfect intern project.

    6. Save on the Booking Processes too.
    Whilst you are outsourcing your language training, you might as well aim to also outsource as much of the process of turning training requests into “people on courses” as possible. Cactus works in a consultancy role alongside major organisations to find smarter way of handling training requests and placing approved trainees into courses. Thanks to its remote training management capabilities, Cactus can orchestrate complex solutions from a distance, using everything from company-specific online course listings (and online booking), through to version-controlled excel spreadsheets to expedite the whole L&D function for language training.

    ACTIONS: Add a paragraph to the Technical Specification explaining how you wish the process to work between employees’ requirements, through trainee screening and budget allocation, to provision of courses. Highlight what parts of the process you would dearly like to outsource.

    About Cactus
    Cactus is one of the leading providers of corporate and public language training in the UK, mainland Europe and Worldwide. In addition to its ability to provide cost-effective, multi-lingual, multi-location face to face, blended and customised language training solutions, Cactus also provides language training consultancy services.
    Cactus provides both free-standing language training consultancy services to companies grappling with language training requests, and also offers pro-bono services to help organisations better formulate their tenders and technical specifications.

    Email , Cactus UK MD or for immediate language training requirements, call Ernesto Forner, Head of Corporate Language Training, on 0845 130 4775 (UK) or +44(0) 1273 725200 (from outside UK).

  2. Business Traveler Executive - November 2011

    • Wednesday, 2nd November, 2011

    Cactus Worldwide is offering complimentary language “taster” classes for executives in New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Diego, Toronto and Vancouver. The hour-and-a-half sessions can be taken in person or via Skype; in individual or group settings.

    Cactus offers tailor-made courses for executives in 25 languages, from traditionally popular languages such as Spanish and French to more difficult languages such as Hebrew, Korean and Hindi. All Cactus teachers are native speakers of the language they teach. As such, they are able to quickly adapt and alter the course design to suit the objectives of the individual or group.

  3. Meze Magazine - August 2011

    • Monday, 1st August, 2011

    This article in the business section of Meze magazine takes a look at virtual learning options for business people pushed for time.  “If you do business in countries where English isn’t the first language, it pays to be able to do more than order beer and sausage - and being short of time isn’t an excuse.  There’s no need to leave your desk or hotel room when you can lean a language in real time on Skype.  You can speak to trainers freom all over the world and benefit from the extra motivation of having intense, face-to-face training.  Cactus Language Training, whose past clients include big corporations like Goldman Sachs, Deloitte and Credit Suisse have a pool of international trainers available on Skpye for around £29 per house.  ‘All you need is broadand, a headset and a web cam you are ready to log-in,’ says Cactus PR manager Lucy Brandt. “This executive product is for those who have no time to do a session in a training centre.” http://www.cactuslanguagetraining.com

  4. Cactus Awards Social Media Marketing Campaign to SiteVisibility

    • Monday, 27th June, 2011

    Cactus Language has entrusted SiteVisibility to manage its Social Media Marketing.  The key aims of the campaign are to inject some of the passion and fun of the brand into Cactus’ social media presence, and to bring language learning tips and advice to a wider audience online.

    Cactus Language operates globally, offering off-the-shelf and tailor-made language courses to people of all ages, backgrounds and ability levels.  SiteVisibility has been appointed to oversee its social media campaign, with the aim of increasing brand awareness and engaging with Cactus’ consumers and target audience. 

    Tinka Carrick, Head of Marketing at Cactus, commented: “Cactus Language offers a vast range of language training options in a competitive marketplace, so it’s very important to stand out and social media platforms make an ideal tool to engage with existing and potential customers.  We were very impressed with SiteVisibility’s highly tailored WHISPER™ Social Search methodology and integrated approach. They appear genuinely interested in our business and we feel confident that their team will deliver an outstanding campaign.”

    Upon winning the pitch, SiteVisibility Chief Executive Jason Woodford added: “I’m delighted that Cactus has chosen SiteVisibility to manage its Social Search campaign.  We’ll be working closely to integrate our activities with the client’s in-house SEO team to maximise traffic, conversions and online brand awareness. I hope that this is the start of another long and mutually profitable relationship.”
    Follow Cactus @cactuslanguage or http://www.facebook.com/cactuslanguagetraining to find out more about special offers and language learning tips, and to stay on top of the exciting competitions and promotions we will be running.

  5. Cactus appoints US PR agency - and builds media buzz

    • Monday, 28th March, 2011

    As part of its stateside marketing drive, Cactus recently appointed PR consultancy, MDP Publicity, to design and develop a US media campaign: http://www.mdppublicity.com/. 

    MDP Publicity is a highly successful communications agency with a special focus on the travel market. The Agency brings vast experience, in–depth knowledge and perceptive insights to each campaign it undertakes and its principal, Meryl Pearlstein, is a specialist in media relations.

    The appointment has already started to generate initial media interest in the states, with an article on Travel News Gazette: http://ftnnews.com/tour-operators/12127-cactus-language-training-vacations-around-the-world-mix-classes-with-culture-and-activities.html. 

    Cactus also received a mention in The Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/ct-trav-0417-news-to-use-20110416,0,7835476.story

    Tinka Bose, Head of Marketing at Cactus, comments: “Cactus has always been aware of the power of PR in engaging with customers, generating interest in our services and building the Cactus brand.  So we’re really pleased to have a US team dedicated to PR and are looking forward to seeing how the campaign grows and develops in the months ahead.”

  6. The Independent - 30 September 2010

    • Thursday, 30th September, 2010

    This full-page article by Virginia Matthews takes a look at ways in which people can improve their language skills without having to sign-up for formal lessons.  It forms part of a larger supplement all about how language skills put employees and businesses at a competitive advantage in the global marketplace.  “Chris Moore, Head of Cactus Language Training, says there is no substitute for good teaching in getting to grips with an unaccustomed foreign language. Self-study and online training courses can only grow, given the internet, but whether you are footing the bill for a language course or your employer is bearing the cost we find regular, targeted feedback from a fully qualified teacher remains the key for the majority of people.”

    http://www.independent.co.uk/student/career-planning/getting-job/language-lessons-online-or-in-person-choose-what-suits-you-2093270.html

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