íTry before you buyí urges Open Mind

The UKís professional corporate trainers are being given the chance to ítry before they buy...íon a range of some 4,000 separate training materials from 130 producers, indexed against 160 topics. These materials are available via the Online Store on Open Mind_s recently re-launched website - www.openmind-learning.co.uk

We understand how important it is for trainers to select the right resources, so we offer them three ways of previewing and evaluating products before they buy, explained Alun Harvey, managing director of Open Mind, the UKís largest distributor of learning resources.

First, many DVD and e-learning titles can now be previewed online.

Second, clients are welcome to visit our free Preview Centre at our offices in Henley-on-Thames, where we have over 2,000 titles available for evaluation. Third, we can sometimes send DVDs and other materials to clients on seven-day preview.

Trainers can also discuss with Open Mindís specialists - free and with no obligation - all aspects of competency mapping. Harvey explained: If you have a Competency Framework in place, you want to ensure that your learning solutions reflect those competencies and enable your staff to achieve them.

With our encyclopaedic knowledge of the content of thousands of learning resources in all media, we can analyse an organisationís Competency Framework and map its current resources and training courses to ensure that they are relevant. For example, a time management programme for staff working on their own should show them how to prioritise, rather than how to delegate to others.

We will also identify any gaps in their current provision, and then recommend and supply the most appropriate learning solutions to suit their training needs, learning styles and budget - from books to DVDs and the latest e-learning programmes and online reference materials.