Why corporate training?

The following video will provide some ideas about corporate training.

Online corporate training

Online corporate training is using the e-Learning technologies to implement the corporate training. 

Current situation of online corporate training

In today’s world, organizations that fail to adjust their learning management practices and solutions often struggle with organizational growth or productivity. As a result, leading companies are abandoning traditional methods of learning in favor of more effective solutions—often involving technology innovation—that engage talent and improve performance. This report highlights key trends affecting the future of enterprise learning and recommendations for selecting the right provider.

Key Findings

• One-third of companies are increasing their budget for learning and development.
• 41 percent of companies describe their culture as “Controlling.”
• Only 10 percent of companies are leveraging mobile learning solutions.
• 59 percent of companies are leveraging social learning activities.

Brandon Hall Group’s 2014 Learning and Development Benchmarking Study shows that more than 50 percent of companies have revisited their learning strategy less than two times over the last five years. It may seem surprising (considering the state of the global economy over the last few years), but learning has remained, for the most part, stagnant. 

How to build your own corporate training?

Your particular implementation depends on a variety of factors, including:

• Whether you’re developing the training in-house or purchasing it from a third-party vendor
• Whether you are using a fully online model or a blended learning model
• The comfort of the instructors and learners with the technologies you will use
• The devices learners will use to access the training
• And much more

See The Building Blocks of Technology-Enabled Learning for details.

Online corporate training market analysis

1. Quality instructional content continues to play a major role in corporate training and talent management.

Companies need off-the-shelf training content. Whether it be IT training, project management, supervisory skills, or industry compliance programs, organizations need to deliver these programs to employees on a regular basis. Skillsoft has staked out a claim as the "one-stop-shopping" for this content. The company already offers thousands of online courses and books and continues to add more to their catalog. But even as Skillsoft grows their library, the number of new content sources in the market continue to put pressure on the company to innovate.

2. New forms of online training are starting to encroach on the corporate e-learning market, led by MOOCs and easy-to-author tools.

The catalog e-learning market is now more than 13 years old (the word "e-learning" was coined in 1998, when this market was red hot). Over this period of time technology, bandwidth, and devices have dramatically changed. Courses built ten years ago are utterly boring today. We now expect online training to use video, run in mobile devices, and be totally integrated with social tools and online collaboration. New innovative companies like Lynda.com and Khan Academy now offer video-based education and training which is more "modern" and "engaging."

3. Enter the free open online courses.

We must also understand that Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs), which are considered disruptive to universities, chip away at the corporate e-learning market too. Providers of so-called MOOCs are joining with academics and experts to attract millions of users to their free or low-cost Web courses on subjects ranging from Android app development to Buddhist meditation. But they are struggling to convert the enormous popularity of the content into cash, since few learners stick with classes long enough to pay for optional certificates of completion. Now, MOOC operators like edX, Udemy Inc. and Coursera are finding steadier, and possibly more substantial, earnings opportunities in a well-established market: corporate training. For a fee, companies can access existing online courses or create their own, with perks like user analytics and separate study groups for employees. The move marks a new chapter in the groups' continued search for a business model, as the corporate offerings may subsidize their less lucrative courses for the masses.

Trends and Recommendations

With recent technology advancements and the rapid adoption of social collaboration, learning and development have come a long way. Yet making a decision to improve a learning management program and invest in a learning management solution is often a daunting challenge. Five key trends and best practices that companies should consider include the use of mobile technology, adoption of social learning tools, alignment with corporate objectives, use of adaptive learning principles, and the ability to measure effectiveness.

Going Mobile

Mobile has transformed the way companies work, interact, and collaborate. With global penetration rates skyrocketing, organizations that are not considering mobile in all areas of HCM [Human Capital Management] will have a difficult time competing for talent. Despite this reality, companies are still slow to embrace mobile learning solutions. Only 10 percent of companies are using mobile Web-based learning solutions. Most companies recognize that mobile learning solutions can improve adoption, expand global reach, and engage users better, but do not understand how to execute a mobile strategy. Additionally, some organizations find it challenging to determine what options are available and which providers to consider. Regardless of the barriers they are facing, organizations looking to improve their learning functions will need to make mobile part of the equation and determine what requirements they have in order to select a technology partner.

Understanding Social

 Companies are quickly embracing social media tools, as well as investing in social collaboration tools to better engage employees and foster a learning culture. Although social has become mainstream, companies still lack the knowledge and insight of how to use these tools for learning and development. Of the 59 percent of companies using social for their learning strategies, only 24 percent say they are effective. One reason is that companies are limited in the social tools they are using. Companies are using document sharing, discussion forms, and blogs, but they aren’t generally using video or micro-blogs—which our research shows are more effective—to improve their learning functions. Companies must educate themselves on the value of social learning and invest in providers that offer solutions that drive business outcomes.

Considering Adaptive Learning

Adaptive learning can be effective at improving efficiency, as well as employee engagement and retention since it allows employees to build confidence and overall expertise. Companies may want to consider breaking traditional learning methods by introducing aspects of adaptive learning.

Aligning with Business Objectives 

 The learning of the past operated in silos where learning professionals had little interaction or input from other areas of the business. The learning of the future must be closely aligned to overall corporate strategies in order for companies to achieve results. Any program or technology investment should involve input from business leaders to ensure that learning is driving retention, engagement, and performance. For those companies that did align learning and business priorities (48 percent), more than 70 percent were able to improve company revenue.

Measuring Effectiveness

 To determine if the learning strategy in place is driving business outcomes, companies must find a way to consistently measure its effectiveness. Companies should determine metrics in advance and include both business metrics and learning/HR metrics. Currently, most companies are considering team encouragement, employee engagement, and employee satisfaction over more concrete business metrics such as retention, turnover, and revenue per full-time employee.

References

Adaptive learning (2015). Retrieved from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_learning

Bersin, J. (2012). Skillsoft acquires Mindleaders: E-Learning Market Undergoing Major Change.

          Retrieved from http://www.bersin.com/Blog/post/Skillsoft-acquires-Mindleaders--E-Learning-Market-Undergoing-Major-Change.aspx

Brandon Hall Group Research Team (2014). Executive Summary: State of L&D 2014.

          Retrieved from https://membership.brandonhall.com/posts/798456-executive-summary-state-of-l-d-2014

Fruciano, M. (2013). Corporate Presentation Training For the Workplace [Video file]. 

           Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk9Ettznl30

Nielson, B. (2015). The Building Blocks of Technology-Enabled Learning. 

          Retrieved from http://www.yourtrainingedge.com/category/learning_development/

Wentworth, D. (2014). 5 Trends For the Future of Learning and Development.

          Retrieved from http://www.trainingmag.com/5-trends-future-learning-and-development