An interview about PeopleCert’s New Commercial Policy with Emilio Nieto, Global Accounts Director, Tecnofor
Emilio Nieto, Global Accounts Director at Tecnofor, is also responsible for managing accredited providers for one of the world’s leading providers of training and consultancy. He shares his views on the changes PeopleCert is making to its examination model.
Emilio’s feedback was gathered a short time before the changes took effect on February, as he prepared to adjust to PeopleCert’s commercial policy.
PC: How do you think the changes PeopleCert is introducing will affect the market?
EN: I think it will have a positive impact for several reasons. Firstly, I think it will help address the ‘grey’ market in our sector. There are providers who sell courses and training without the official accreditation. The move by PeopleCert will ensure authentication of the qualifications people achieve, which is extremely important for the individual and the organisations investing in courses.
Secondly, it will help ensure high standards of quality learning and training. This is a very important component of our business model and go to market strategy. With the support of PeopleCert, we can set high standards and underline the fact that pricing models reflect the quality of training we deliver.
Finally, it simplifies the delivery models, which will be important for smaller providers. While providing a choice of delivery formats offers flexibility, it makes business models more complex and introduces more administration. It won’t affect our business as we already have streamlined processes, but for those providers that don’t, I believe this will be a welcome move for the whole ecosystem
PC: How do you think your customers will respond to the changes?
EN: Generally, they are supportive. But we will have to educate some clients on the benefits and help them see the value.
Our larger clients who are big IT corporates, or organisations with large IT teams in sectors like banking and insurance, won’t be concerned about using online models. Covid has changed perception and most of our clients see this as a natural step to take. However, public sector organisations and more traditional companies will have to adjust as they tend to prefer the in-person experience.
Some partners will need to rethink their approach to delivering courses and exams and take their customers on the journey with them. I’d also add that our customers understand that price is a metric of quality and service - some other partners may have to persuade their clients of this.
PC: Do you think there will be resistance to any of the changes being introduced?
EN: Yes and no. I think the partner conference calls provided an excellent overview of the new model and pricing. The changes were well explained, and partners left the call with a good understanding as to why the changes were necessary. Hosting the call in November also gave everyone enough time to prepare for the February switch over.
However, I can see that in some sectors of the market, implementing the changes will be a challenge. It will be imperative that every partner gets the support they need to persuade their customers of the benefits and make the changes successfully.
A review of course materials might also be necessary. I understand why PeopleCert has mandated the purchase of course books because it will ensure consistency and high standards.
We are very accustomed to producing our own high quality training materials in native languages. However, there will be partners who are not, and this change could have a big impact on their business and customer relations. They will need support to address this.
That’s why I think PeopleCert’s promise to provide support and marketing materials is essential – certainly we welcome it. There’s no doubt it will provide much needed help to smaller partners and those in sectors where customers are more likely to resist the changes.
Find out more about the new changes here.
ENDS