EDUCATION How ALOA Works are given to each student and become a refresher/reinforcer for the skills learned aſter the class is over. Between the printed manual and the notes tak- en in the manual by the student, this is an invaluable tool in the learning process. Depending on the manual — number of pages, color versus black and white, single side or duplex, etc. — these manuals can cost upwards of $35 each to produce. Expendable Materials. In many class- es, there are materials used that are not something that can be packed back up and reused for the next class: pins, springs, key blanks that get cut, spring caps/covers, broken retainer clips, etc. There are also tools that get used in the classes that do not make it back as they are broken, worn out from use or frankly, stolen from the class (and lock- sets themselves). We don’t teach classes using pictures and drawings; we hand you the items and have you work with them. It is expected that there will be some attrition with these and that they will need to be replaced. Lodging. Unless the instructor lives at the venue itself where the class is being held, lodging is a must. There are places — Austin, Texas come to mind — where the instructor could live in South Austin and the class be in North Austin, and without ac- cidents you could easily spend 70 to 90 minutes during rush hour to traverse the less than 10 miles from limit to limit. If there is an accident, well, class doesn’t start until noon! Instructors are provided lodging for the night prior to a class and for ev- ery night they teach, so a two-day class requires three nights of lodg- ing. And while we don’t put them up in five-star hotels, we also don’t want them staying at any rent-by-the-hour places either. 56 KEYNOTES MAY 2019 “We strive to keep the costs down as much as possible and are generally relatively successful when dealing with the variables we can control.” These are the major costs associated with the classes. In some cases, there will also be a fee for the venue, such as at the annual convention where the education rooms have a cost associated with them. They may actually offer the rooms for free, but they make that up by charging a high food cost or charging for things like the use of a whiteboard, extension cord, markers and anything else they can at- tach a price to. Last is some amount of profit. ALOA must make a small amount of profit to make certain all of our bills are paid. If this class is being done for a small asso- ciation or chapter, they too must make a modest profit to stay solvent, as they are directly or indirectly paying some of the same costs. So, why can vendor shows do classes for very cheap costs? Two reasons: Number one, the vendor will use quite a few man- ufacturer reps and trainers who will teach at no cost because the class can be geared more toward a training on their product, not the overview of all products within a line — thereby making this a sales class (Note that not all are this way, but a vast majority are, and there is nothing wrong with this; it’s just not the training ALOA offers). Number two is that many of the vendors will offer special deals on items seen and used in the classes and make up the cost difference of the classes in the materials and tools they sell. Again, there is nothing wrong with this, but it’s just not something ALOA can do. By all means, support these vendor shows; they are great partners of yours and ALOA’s. My point is only to illustrate why they can offer classes that are less costly. What about video/webinar training? Yes, it can be extremely economical to attend one of these types of classes. But because the vast majority of what we do requires hands-on training to understand — and, more importantly, requires some- one watching that hands-on training to tell you what you are doing right or wrong or give you tips — these two avenues are seriously lacking. We have a few webinars that are based on lecture classes which work well, and we are working on a mas- sive video training that will offer some support and even tools for the class, but there is no way it replaces the experience of face-to-face training. And while ALOA wants to offer economical training, we are diffident about attaching the honorable and trusted name of ALOA to anything just to make money regardless of whether it is good or works. I hope this helps you understand why the costs are a bit higher on ALOA classes than other providers or methods offered. We strive to keep the costs down as much as possible and are generally relatively successful when dealing with the vari- ables we can control. Unfortunately, we control very few. Jim Hancock, CML, CMST, is ALOA’s educat ion manager. You can reach him at [email protected] or (214) 819-9733. WWW.ALOA.ORG
