Small training providers should not be afraid to take on their larger counterparts, according to one of Glasgow’s top training firms.
Indicia Training, one of Scotland’s leading training firms, says that SMEs in the Glasgow area should ignore the invisible barriers placed on SMEs and compete with national heavyweights.
This comes after the release of the ‘Top 50 IT Training Companies’ report 2010 which highlights the surprising ability of small firms to compete with their larger counterparts.
The report showed that the top 10 companies in the UK, with turnovers of up to £82m per year, had experienced falls in revenue as high as 17% during 2009/10, while many smaller training providers experienced an increase in clients and turnover.
Howard Teale of Indicia Training, an IT and Business Skills training company operating from Glasgow, said: “I was interested to find out how well our company compares because our turnover has increased every year since 2007. However, many SMEs in the sector feel that there are invisible barriers set up between us and the big guns, and that clearly isn’t the case.
“We’re succeeding because we have a strong focus on customer service. We teach to the individual strengths and weaknesses of each student and make sure we offer the most relevant accredited courses. This approach leads to lots of repeat business from satisfied clients.”
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Research has shown large companies’ fees for popular courses can cost up to 20% more than their smaller counterparts. The less costly providers claim this is due to them having more flexible terms and conditions. Teale said: “We work with clients such as Barclays, Mitsubishi and Prudential which proves that SMEs have as much clout as large companies.”
This comes as encouraging news for SMEs in an industry where many smaller providers are bought by more sizeable firms, reducing competition within the market.
