Hi AHJ,
Have you checked the blended version of the course?I seem to remember it was usually cheaper.
I'm a PCQI lead instructor by the way; after taking the PCQI course for my company, I took a lead instructor one just as a matter of curiosity (I'm not advertising me, I think it wouldn't be a good idea to give a course in english, I'm not that fluid ). About your experience being enough or not, I've always heard that a person is qualified through experience once the system you have implanted/managed successfully passes a preventive controls inspection... like:"ok, don't do the course; if we inspect you and the system is "ok", then it means you know enough to not do the course". Anyway, your system can be inadequate regardless you do the course once or ten times, so it's sorta "tricky". I would recommend you to take the course but not because it is a regulated requirement but to learn how to adapt your system to the new approach; spend some hundreds of dollars once now will avoid you headaches in the future...
As GMO said, I've heard several times (once from an expert in a Food safety matters podcast) that what the US is trying with this "new old approach" is to make US companies get rid of their old HACCP, covered in dust in a shelf, and being more proactive...In the end, the approach is the same but with different names, and in my opinion, less philosophy than the HACCP classic approach: "Does this risk needs a preventive control?why?". No decision tree, no categorization of risk, etc., just answering the question: "is this risk important?". Again, same goal but different names for various concepts.
I hope you find a cheap course soon. Regards.