If a local college’s corporate training program and ERC are both on your list for training individual supervisors or groups of supervisors, the choice usually comes down to academic theory and credentials versus practical skills customized to your team. Here’s the comparison:
The short answer:
- Choose a college program if a supervisor is working toward a degree, your organization’s tuition assistance only covers accredited institutions, or you want training alongside technical or trade courses from one provider.
- Choose ERC if you want practical application over academic theory: training built around your supervisors’ day-to-day situations, flexible sessions, and ongoing reinforcement.
College Corporate Training vs. ERC at a Glance
| College and university programs | ERC | |
| Open-enrollment classes | Yes: public courses and certificate tracks | Yes: public classes for individual supervisors |
| Private group training | Yes | Yes, customized with your industry’s scenarios and language |
| Session length | Commonly one- to four-day courses or multi-week tracks | 45 minutes, 90 minutes, half-day, or full-day sessions |
| Who teaches | Varies: faculty, adjunct professors, or contracted facilitators | Experienced trainers |
| Training reinforcement | Varies by program | Optional Leadership Application Lab sessions to reinforce training |
| Credentials | Certificates, CEUs, sometimes academic credit | Kirkpatrick Level I evaluation included; pre- and post-tests available |
| Backed by | A college’s workforce and continuing education division | An organization serving 1000 Northeast Ohio employers annually for 100+ years |
| Membership required? | No | No |
When a College Program Is the Better Fit
- Academic credit matters. A supervisor is working toward a degree or needs CEUs for a license.
- A workforce grant covers only an approved college provider.
When ERC Is the Stronger Choice
- Content built for your team. We build training based on your industry’s scenarios.
- Flexible sessions. Flexibility for short sessions spread out over weeks keep supervisors on the job and give them time to use each skill before the next one.
- Training reinforcement. The Leadership Application Lab brings your group back to work through what’s happening on their teams right now.
- Options for one supervisor or groups. Send one person to an open-enrollment class or build a custom program for your whole group.
Questions to Ask Any Supervisor Training Provider
| Ask this | Why it matters |
| How will you learn what our supervisors struggle with before you build the content? | Programs built on a training needs analysis are more effective.¹ |
| How much of each session is practice? | Mixing delivery methods works best when practice is one of them.¹ |
| Can sessions be spread over several weeks? | Spaced sessions outperform one long day of training.¹ |
| Who teaches, and can we watch them first? | Trainer fit is the hardest thing to judge from a course description. |
| How is training reinforced? | Reinforcement and on-the-job application matter more for leadership skills than for technical skills.² |
| What’s included in the price? | Per-seat fees add up fast once you’re sending eight or more supervisors. |
¹ Lacerenza et al., Journal of Applied Psychology, an analysis of hundreds of leadership training samples. ² Blume et al., Journal of Management, an analysis of training studies.
See ERC’s Supervisor Training Before You Decide
Preview our supervisor training to watch a trainer video, see a sample workbook, and review the full program outline. Then tell us your format and topics, and we’ll send a quote with options.
