Skip to main content

Who is Your Trainer?

By April 9, 2018January 18th, 2022Training

Do you know who is training you?

Help! My team and I recently attended a training session and received our certification, but we continue to struggle with shipping our products.

That is a statement we hear far too often from clients who call our helpdesk for assistance. The shame of it is that  they seemingly wasted both time and money in a training program, but did not get out what they needed. Now, they have no choice but to take another course.

Specialists & Experts

Many people these days are calling themselves regulatory specialists, dangerous goods experts, or health and safety experts. The dangerous goods/hazardous materials field is a detailed, comprehensive topic requiring hands-on experience and a strong technical understanding of topics directly related to the industries we serve. Finding the right training company is critical to ensuring that the processes and procedures you need to continue operating remain uninterrupted.

Similar to Capital One Financial’s slogan “What’s in your Wallet” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3funZeuc9Q), you need to ask yourself “Who is your Trainer”.

Here are some questions you should consider when looking for trainers with the ‘right stuff’

  1. Do they have appropriate degrees and decades of education and knowledge?
  2. Do they have their finger on the pulse of pending regulatory changes?
  3. Can they customize training to suit your needs or are they offering the same course to everyone?
  4. Are they educated/trained in teaching adults?
  5. How detailed are their courses?
  6. Do they use practical examples and allow you to ask questions?
  7. Are their multiple exercises during the course?
  8. Do they take an interest in your learning?
  9. How long is the training? No one wants to spend all day in a class or hours on a computer, but “quick” should not be a word used to describe dangerous goods/hazardous materials training.

Training needs vary from industry to industry and from company to company. What works for you may not work for someone else. But, these are some of the questions we find invaluable when deciding on a training company.

Let ICC Prove It

Need training? Ask us some of these questions or for a referral.

We will even provide you with a sample of our online course so we can prove to you that we will do what we said we would.


Go ahead and give us a call like many others before you. We are always ready to help answer your questions.

Karrie Ishmael, CDGP

Karrie Ishmael has been with ICC since 1988. She has contributed to ICC's growth in various capacities, including customer service, sales, and marketing. In her current role as ICC's Senior Regulatory Expert and SDS author, Karrie conducts hazardous materials training classes in 49 CFR, IATA, IMDG, TDG along with OSHA and WHMIS hazard communication courses. When not training, she writes safety data sheets for customers to comply with North American and European requirements. She actively participates in many associations, including DGAC, COSTHA and is the former chair of SCHC’s OSHA Alliance Committee.

Welcome to ICC

Which site would you prefer?