Recent changes in the world have affected every aspect of living and working. This has created a series of challenges within the world of business, and many enterprises are struggling to keep afloat. But as much as it is possible, those stuck at home or under severely restricted conditions should try to keep operations running, and hope for positive changes to come in the near future. For employees limited to working from home, this could be the perfect chance to take on some online training.
Even before considering the changes that 2020 has brought, the market for corporate e-learning has been growing fast. There is always a long list of areas that employees could be trained in, leading to positive professional development. This approach can be applied to businesses of all sizes, and for those based in the UK, a London IT consultancy that creates tailored training courses could be the best possible option.
The benefits
There are many benefits that general corporate training programmes can bring to an organisation, before even considering the online versions. Some of the benefits include the following:
● Improved levels of motivation in individuals and teams
● Increases in productivity and efficiency, which leads to higher profits
● A reduction in staff turnover, and the considerable savings that result from this
● The chance of building a strong corporate culture, as the training content is aligned with the corporate values and strategy
Online corporate training comes with a series of additional benefits when compared with traditional training. An IBM study showed that every dollar spent on e-learning was worth $30 in terms of productivity. This proves a superb return on investment for online corporate training. Corporate training that is internet-based shows the following benefits:
● Completely flexible
● Customisable to the needs of a particular business
● Consistent and standardised levels of quality
● Meeting the needs of a multilingual workforce
● It is shown to be the most eco-friendly method of training
● It can make additional savings, such as on classroom space and equipment
Planning
There is a wide range of topics that are popular for corporate training. These span from those with a business or management focus, such as innovation, strategic planning or leadership development, to courses with an IT or technical focus. These include cybersecurity, encryption or compliance.
Corporate training should first and foremost be advantageous to both the individual employee and the enterprise as a whole. In order to create a positive and productive environment, both of these two goals of development need to be considered. With these shared goals in mind, training needs should then be clearly defined.
Online training courses should be carefully selected for the areas of education that will be the most beneficial. There are many topics that could lead to positive development, but only those that are the most relevant and cost-effective are worth considering.
In order to determine the best training programmes to follow, training objectives can be clarified through meetings with employee representatives and company leaders, and data can be gathered from human resources.
Past training courses can be reviewed as to their effectiveness, and whether their goals were achieved, and these can be improved upon. Training programmes should also be evaluated in whether they address short-term or long-term goals. It is also necessary to consider the financial expense, the technology that is required, and how much time is needed.
Tuition tools and methods
Modern online learning programmes are usually carried out through the use of a Learning Management System (LMS), or online learning platform. Each of these services is slightly different and vary in terms of the features and functionality they offer to educational programmes.
The features usually include mobile responsiveness, which allows learners the option of accessing courses remotely from a tablet or phone. E-learning through an LMS may also be customisable, so individuals and teams can adjust courses and materials to meet their specific requirements.
Learning programmes carried out through online platforms can be made more engaging through the use of gamification. This is the approach of making courses more enjoyable with the use of awards, contests and merits that give the learning an additional focus. Studies have proven the use of gamification techniques to increase learners’ scores on educational courses.
LMS services can provide an extra dimension to e-learning by making it more social, with learners working in teams or as part of a community. This can include peer-to-peer activities, team collaboration, or chat-room discussions.
The content
In designing or creating educational content or materials for online training programmes, there are a number of things to take into consideration. Course content needs to closely follow the learning goals of the programme, and consider the knowledge gaps of employees. Again, this information may be sourced from the human resources department. The course content and materials should also consider the tools and platforms used, how interactive the training will be, and the full logistics of training sessions.
With clearly defined objectives, structure and format of a course, creating the course content can commence. Business leaders may have specific ideas about their precise objectives, in which case writing or designing content could be the best option. Collaborations can also prove to be more effective. For more general courses, materials can be sourced from internet learning libraries. It is also possible to find online learning course templates that can provide a structure for course materials.
At a difficult time that travelling to the office may not be possible, online learning is a great way of putting the extra time at home to good use. It can also be a way of keeping morale high in uncertain times. This means that when we do eventually go back to normal, we will have learned something valuable in the interim period.