Benefits of Online Learning and Training for Employees

Viren Kapadia May 18, 2023
Benefits of Online Learning and Training for Employees

The demand for online learning and training in organizations has significantly increased in recent years. According to a report by Market Research Future, the global corporate e-learning market is expected to reach a whopping $117.57 billion by 2030. Online learning and training initiatives offer several advantages, such as flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and improved engagement. Let's explore the benefits of online training and understand its impact on employees and organizations.

The Many Benefits of Online Learning and Training for Employees

  1. Flexibility and Convenience
  2. Online learning and training allow employees to learn at their pace and preferred time. Since employees don't have to be physically present for the classes, they don't have to worry about balancing work and home. They can access the course anytime they want.

  3. Improved Engagement and Retention
  4. According to a survey, 80% of professionals consider training important while accepting a job offer. They feel disengaged and leave when organizations don't invest in their growth. Organizations can solve this problem by investing in online learning and training. They can deliver personalized courses relevant to the workforce's skills and industry demands.

  5. Competency Management
  6. Online training helps organizations close the skills gap and ensure that employees have the skills and competencies to fulfill the job successfully. It enables managers and mentors to track the employees' progress and monitor if they are competent to apply the learning on their job.

  7. Cost-Effective Training
  8. Offline training is expensive as organizations spend on infrastructure, trainer's lodging and traveling expenses, training material, and other logistics. Since online training doesn't require extensive infrastructure setup or trainers to travel, organizations can save almost 30% of the training cost.

  9. No Geographic Limitations
  10. Since the training happens online, employees worldwide can join — right from the comfort of their homes and offices. They don't have to travel for the training, and there are no physical barriers to stop the learning process.

  11. Enhanced Learning and Development
  12. Online learning enables trainers to monitor employees' progress regularly and give them more data-driven feedback. Most online training platforms also have built-in analytics that allows trainers to identify and overcome bottlenecks to make training more effective.

Tips for Effective Online Learning and Training

  1. Choose the Right Tools and Technology
  2. Without a good tool, organizations cannot design or deploy online courses successfully or deliver a positive learning experience to employees. Think of it as a classroom without a blackboard, benches, or lights. Hence, the first step is to choose a tool with features like built-in analytics to track employees' progress and flexibility to upload training material in various formats. It should be user-friendly and not involve a steep learning curve for trainers who design and upload courses regularly.

  3. Create Engaging and Interactive Content
  4. Trainers can experiment with different course formats to make online learning more enjoyable. This could involve uploading videos, using gamification or micro-learning, and creating interesting assessments. Trainers can also build an online community where learners can interact, ask questions, and exchange ideas.

  5. Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning
  6. Cliché as it may sound, learning never stops. Yesterday's trends become today's normal. Hence, organizations must foster a culture of continuous learning to ensure employees are upskilled and future-ready to adapt to rapid changes in the business. Trainers and managers can create personalized learning paths for employees, encouraging them to learn more and grow in their careers.

  7. Measure the Effectiveness of Online Learning and Training
  8. Online learning and training become futile when the outcomes are not measured. Define the metrics that determine the success of online training and measure them regularly. This will enable the trainers to identify what's working and what's not and make data-driven decisions to improve the training.

LMS - An Important Online Learning and Training Tool

The success of online learning and training depends on a good learning management system (LMS). An LMS can make the online learning and training program successful or a debacle. Hence, when choosing an LMS, ensure it fulfills two primary functions. It must allow you to create and manage courses and track the student's progress. This will help you deliver and manage online learning and training effectively.

Other factors include:

  • Facilitating trainers to create and deliver online courses
  • Designing personalized learning paths for employees
  • Monitoring their progress

Trainers must also be able to schedule various training, assess and evaluate employees, and provide feedback to help them grow in their careers. Besides the ratings and prices, check the features and the outcomes the LMS delivers and choose the one that helps the organization achieve its online learning and training objectives.

Conclusion

In an ever-changing business landscape, online learning and training are essential to upskilling employees and future-proofing them to meet industry demands. With the right LMS and online learning and training plan, organizations can accelerate the training process, achieve learning goals, and establish a culture of continuous learning.

Gyrus' cloud-based LMS, called GyrusAim, can help schedule, monitor, and offer training to employees. From supporting different types of LMS content to helping with needs and gap analysis and providing detailed reports on learning activities, GyrusAim is the ideal LMS solution to build employee skills and adhere to compliance requirements. To schedule a free demo, contact us.