Many of my clients are trying to get their staff to go back to school or take classes to improve their skills. Is this a useful consulting opportunity?

It may not be a full time consulting practice but you raise a great opportunity for many consultants to augment their current practice. Enrollment at colleges and universities is already about 12 million, part time post secondary and technical education is on the rise and businesses are encouraging their employees (through tuition reimbursement and other incentives) to beef up their skills. For businesses to keep up, most employees will need to engage in continuing education. Many unemployeed workers are being told their best chances for reemployment will require more education or training.

Consider how your practice ties in with skill development. If you are in HR consulting, training program design and assessment is right up your alley. If you are in process manageme4nt or marketing, think about how courses or practicum in psychology, statistics or management would help. Regardless of what your practice focuses on, there is an education component to make sure that staff whose processes or strategies you enhance are able to sustain and further improve your gains.

Tip: Whether it is an online university, courses from training organizations like the American Management Association, or a degree or certificate program at a local community college, there are an expanding set of skill building opportunities. Spend some time looking through curricula and talking to faculty at some of these institutions and map out what education will leverage the value of your consulting recommendations.

© 2010 Institute of Management Consultants USA