Training & Development providers across the UK

What training & development covers, and what it does not

What training & development costs

How it is priced: Per delegate for open courses, or a day rate for in-house delivery. In-house delivery is usually quoted per day and shared across delegates, so cost per person falls sharply once you fill a cohort.

What moves the price

• In-house versus open-course delivery
• Accreditation, such as a CIPD or awarding-body qualification
• Bespoke content built on your policies versus a standard deck
• Whether materials and completion records are included

Ranges are indicative of what UK employers commonly pay and are not quotes. City pages carry local bands where they differ.

Who training & development suits

Questions to ask before you sign

1. 1Is the content built on my policies or delivered generically?
2. 2What evidence of completion do I get, and how long is it retained?
3. 3Who delivers it, and what is their casework background?
4. 4Is there follow-up support when a manager applies it for real?
5. 5What is the maximum group size for practical exercises?

Key terms

Reasonable steps

The preventative measures an employer takes on harassment. Documented training is a core part of evidencing them.

In-house delivery

A trainer running the session for your team only, priced per day rather than per delegate.

CPD

Continuing professional development: structured learning logged against a professional body.

All training providers

• Peninsula Business Services

  UK provider of outsourced HR, employment law and health & safety services for employers.

• WorkNest

  Employment law, HR and health & safety compliance solutions for employers.

• Citation

  HR, employment law and health & safety compliance services for growing UK businesses.

• The HR Dept

  Franchised network of local outsourced HR consultants for UK SMEs.

• Ciphr

  HR, payroll, recruitment and learning software platform for UK organisations.

• Empact

  Family-run HR and employment advice consultancy in West Yorkshire.

• Ig-hr

  HR consultancy, training and coaching for Wirral and Liverpool businesses.

• Gooding & Crow

  Boutique legal and HR consultancy assisting SMEs and start-ups.

• Kraft HR Consulting

  HR consulting for organisations across Nottingham and sectors including healthcare.

• DCL Business Services

  HR, employment law and health & safety partner for SMEs and medical practices.

• PETA Ltd

  HR support and consultancy for businesses in Portsmouth.

• The People Factor

  HR consultancy, employment law training and leadership courses covering Coventry.

• Bradfield

  CIPD-accredited people development and HR consultancy since 1989.

• Nuvo HR

  HR software and consultancy provider based in Aberdeen with an office in Derby.

• Dynamic People Solutions

  HR consultancy led by a Chartered CIPD Fellow, serving Yorkshire.

Training & Development questions employers ask

What is training & development?

HR and management training covers the practical skills that stop people problems escalating: running a disciplinary or grievance, managing performance and absence, and meeting duties on harassment prevention and equality. It is bought per course, per delegate, or as a licensed e-learning library.

How much does training & development cost in the UK?

Per delegate for open courses, or a day rate for in-house delivery. In-house delivery is usually quoted per day and shared across delegates, so cost per person falls sharply once you fill a cohort. The figures move most on: in-house versus open-course delivery; accreditation, such as a CIPD or awarding-body qualification; bespoke content built on your policies versus a standard deck. Always compare quotes on what is inside the fee rather than the headline number.

What is included in training & development, and what is not?

Normally included: manager training on discipline, grievance and difficult conversations; absence and performance management practice; equality, diversity and harassment prevention; recruitment and fair interviewing. Normally excluded or charged separately: advice on a live case involving named individuals; technical health and safety certification; writing the underlying policies, unless bought as consultancy.

Who should buy training & development?

Employers whose line managers make the first decision in most people issues, and organisations needing to evidence reasonable steps on harassment prevention. It is a poor fit for the opposite case: a live dispute already in motion. Train after you have handled it, not instead of taking advice on it.

What should I ask before signing?

Five questions worth asking every provider on your shortlist: Is the content built on my policies or delivered generically? What evidence of completion do I get, and how long is it retained? Who delivers it, and what is their casework background? Is there follow-up support when a manager applies it for real? What is the maximum group size for practical exercises?

How many training providers are in this directory?

15 of the 96 providers we researched offer training & development: 5 operate UK-wide, 8 cover a region, and 2 work mainly around one city. National firms are easier to buy from anywhere; local firms are usually easier to get into the room for a hearing.

Do UK employers legally have to have HR?

No. There is no legal requirement to employ an HR person or buy HR support. The duties themselves are not optional: written particulars of employment, statutory pay, working time records, pension auto-enrolment and a fair process before dismissal all apply from the first employee. Most small employers buy support because the cost of one badly handled dismissal exceeds the annual fee.