Is there enough interest in this topic to offer a course?
Check with other professional organizations to learn if their members have expressed interest in this topic or if they go on personal experience and intuition.
How many people should be planned for?
This depends on the venue, the size of the community, and the amount of interest that is determined exists from the course. Other entities that have offered courses on similar topics can be asked about the number of registrants they received. Always plan for some flexibility in the numbers.
Can this course provide professional education credits that would be accepted by a professional organization?
That depends on the organizations. Contact professional organizations such as the American Planning Association, Professional Engineering Association, and other entities to determine what they require in order to accredit the course.
How are other training sessions organized?
Since it helps to learn from others, attend any type of training session to discover what could be done better and what is successful.
What To Do First
Determine the course and course content
A training course can be a broad overview of a general topic (such as pedestrian safety) or a detailed examination of a specific topic (pedestrian safety and crosswalk design). Decide what level of interest exist for a course by asking professional organizations, sending out an email survey to professionals that might be interested in this area or, through personal experience. Once the course topic is decided, write it down and use this description to advertise the course to prospective participants.
Develop a budget
It is customary to charge for a course or class to cover expenses. Expenses could include room rental fees, speaker fees or honorariums, snacks during breaks or meals; room rental fees, audio visual equipment fees, costs associated with mailings, manhours to organize the course, staffing that may be necessary at the event and materials that may be distributed at the course. The charge should also consider that preparations will be made for people who may not attend or who may attend and not meet their commitment by paying for the class.
Find a sponsor
It is always a good idea to have a sponsor for a training course. A sponsor demonstrates to others that the training is recognized by other experts in the field as worthwhile and valuable to practicing professionals. Good ideas for sponsors include public entities, civic, professional or advocacy organizations. Sometimes sponsors will provide "seed" money (which may or may not have to be repaid) that can be used to pay room deposits, advertising costs and mailing costs and other start-up fees.
