I have little exposure to what is required in Cananda, so I can't even begin to comment on what might or might not be acceptable up there. In the U.S. OSHA put very little definition behind what constitutes acceptable training for trainers. I wish they had done more along those lines, maybe even going to the point of requiring certified trainers. That was actually discussed and was shot down during the standards rewrite of the late 1990's.

Here is where I see the real problem lies in terms of duration and pricing in the U.S. First of all, the U.S. standard does not say that trainers must even attend a trainer's class. Personally, I think it would be foolish for companies to think no education for a trainer is a good move and most companies train their trainers in some way, but I have also seen companies trying to sell videos say that Train the trainer is some type of "myth" in efforts to sell video kits in place, instead of in addition to, a trainer's class. In theory, could a safety person or forklift operator educate themselves to a trainers level on their own with persistance, time, reading, practice, etc. likely so, but people don't invest that kind of time on their own these days, so having a pro do it for them is a good move.

The next issue, and the one that creates the duration and pricing issue is this. What is to be covered during the trainer's class? Are their any prerequisites to attending the class, how complex is the customers application and units and so on. I would assume most all trainers classes cover the OSHA standard basics, but what is covered past that? Things that will make the time and cost vary widely would be:

Is the trainer expecting to be certified during the class as an operator, if so on how many different types of equipment?

Are the trainers expecting training on public speaking, how to educate adult learners, how to keep the attention of a class, how to be properly organized, etc?

Are the trainers getting information on risk management and legal issues and how to avoid problems.

Are the ANSI/ITSDF standards required reading and discussed.

And the list goes on and on. I think setting one time frame and saying "this is it" for every customer and every application is likley too rigid, you have to find a balance between what the customer wants and want they can afford, in today's marketplace that is the hard truth. I commonly see dealers Train the trainer classes last only one short day, on the other hand I rarely see them exceed three days in my part of the country. In my opinion, providing an outline to a customer during your quote is important, as well as listing any prerequisites to attending class, that way they know what they are getting day to day in terms of topics and who might not be even qualified to attend. Also putting together a comparision between what you do what your competitors typically offer can be helpful.