When the purpose of corporate training is to help employees reach a
particular level of skill competence, online training is often a much
better choice than traditional methods of training. Online training is an
excellent means of providing convenient, assessment-driven training that
enables workers to move at their own pace toward accomplishing stated
training goals.
Employees often have very different entry-level skills.
When faced with learning a new skill that needs to be applied on the job,
some workers are likely to begin training with no prior knowledge, and
others may already have advanced knowledge. When students with vastly
different prerequisite skills are sitting side by side in instructor-led,
fixed time frame classes, it presents unique challenges for both the
learners and the instructor.
When instructors begin classes at a level appropriate for those who
have no prerequisite knowledge regarding the skill, those who are more
advanced tend to become bored and resentful. However, when instructors
begin classes assuming prior knowledge that some of the students don’t
have, those learners who are most in need of instruction will not be able
to achieve the learning outcomes.
In such situations, many trainers adopt a mentality of teaching to the
middle, which simply results in reducing instructional effectiveness for
all participants. Teaching to the middle still leaves those with no
entry-level skills behind, and still bores those students who are the most
advanced.
With online learning, this problem disappears. Online training programs
are typically designed to allow learners to progress through training
modules at their own pace. Those with advanced skills can quickly
demonstrate proficiency with the basic skills and can move to the parts of
the instruction they really need. Those who require remediation can spend
as much time as they need getting a strong foundation on which to build.
The best e-learning systems for corporate training applications allow
training managers to control which classes learners are required to
complete, as well as monitor student progress through training. This
results in a win-win situation for corporate trainers and learners at all
levels of skills. Employees will appreciate being able to move through
skill development training at a comfortable pace, at convenient times.
With corporate training, what matters in the long run with employee
skill development training is whether or not employees develop skills and
are able to transfer the necessary skills from training settings to the
workplace. Online training options can be the most efficient solution for
providing employees with the skill training they need.
