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Adapting to Technological Advancements

The rapid pace of technological advancements presents both opportunities and challenges for training providers. Embracing cutting-edge technologies such as AI, VR, and AR is imperative to enhance the learning experience. Implementing interactive and immersive learning platforms can help engage learners effectively and cater to diverse learning styles.

Training providers need to keep in mind that eLearning and online training is meant to supplement and make learning more convenient. It does not mean that new and sophisticated learning tech is supposed to replace old-fashioned instructor-led training. If anything, new tech like mobile gamification and AR/VR enhances the need for L&D to vouch for more live and in-person training. Or, at the very least, discuss the effectiveness of real-time instruction via a virtual classroom. vILT, anyone?

While training companies and providers can use new learning tech to their advantage, it’s in their best interest to ensure that they’re optimizing instructor-led training to improve training outcomes towards the client’s business needs and increase learner engagement.

Meeting Company Training Needs & Learner Satisfaction

As learners’ preferences and expectations evolve, training providers must tailor their offerings to meet these changing needs. Adopting flexible learning models, including online, blended learning, and microlearning, allows for personalized learning experiences that accommodate busy schedules and varying learning paces.

L&D providers need to focus on delivering training at all levels of the organization. At the highest level, they understand that they need to meet the training and development goals set forth by the chief learning officer or learning department director. The bigger variable in the room is the learner. How can L&D provide not only a better learning experience, that not only provides value in their professional skill sets but also continues a mindset of lifelong learning?

Fostering Learner Engagement

For learners in the corporate training landscape, most mandated learning may come off as less energizing despite the popularity of new learning technologies like LMS platforms and mobile gamification. While the debate between online learning and in-person learning persists even today, one engagement with trainers and subject-matter experts is key to honing in taught skills.

When learners are engaged with their trainers, they are incentivized to go beyond just memorizing the course material. Engaging with passionate and well-versed trainers engages discussion about the training material which in turn fosters collaboration, critical thinking, and most importantly, application of those skills in a professional setting.

Ensuring Quality Assurance

Maintaining high standards of quality across training programs is essential for building credibility and fostering trust among learners and stakeholders. Learning specialists need to implement regular and rigorous quality assurance measures for all training resources.

What items should learning professionals continuously QA before and after delivery?

• Trainers and instructors have industry qualifications, experience, and availability for in-person and live virtual training sessions.
• Training courses meet the objectives of organizations, meet the learner needs for professional development. This includes requirements from professional certifications.
• Course dates and meeting times are scoped for availability without issues caused by equipment resourcing or instructor availability.
• Equipment and materials are procured properly, are within the training budget’s restrictions, and there is an adequate amount for all training sessions.
• Verify and track that learning analytics are producing a positive result and are processed efficiently for training improvement.

Meeting Industry Compliance & Regulatory Compliance

Navigating the complex landscape of industry compliance and regulatory compliance poses a significant challenge for training providers. The difference? Compliance training involves ensuring that the training provided meets the standards of the industry’s top governing body or association. Training for regulatory compliance ensures that all personnel in the organization have the baseline training to work professionally in that field.

Regulatory compliance training on the other hand ensures that the training provided meets the legal mandates set forth by government bodies. Usually, compliance training for any organization or industry will require that a strict training requirement protocol is met. In the United States, this can mean meeting safety standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Or as in the cases with other countries can mean something more complex like managing professional skills development.

Regulatory training can also encompass the meeting training protocols set by government regulations as seen in the skills development of Spain’s FUNDAE and South Africa’s Broad-Based Black Economic Improvement (B-BBEE).

Addressing Skill Gaps

Identifying and addressing skill gaps among learners is crucial for delivering impactful training solutions. Before starting or optimizing a training program for clients, training providers should observe where learners are lacking in professional skills in the workplace. How critical is it to close the skills gap? Every industry faces new challenges when it comes to learning new skills. Most skills gap-related challenges are related to the usage of new technology in the workplace. Some key examples include the introduction of new investment algorithms as seen in the financial services sector and the usage of sophisticated tools to make mining and minerals companies more strategic in choosing excavation sites.

Learning specialists should provide skills assessments to learners and gather historical learning data from the organization’s HR and L&D departments. This will provide a better idea of how L&D can plan, organize, and deliver their training program to address the skills gap as well as cater to learner wants.

Sourcing Instructors & Trainers

Access to qualified and experienced instructors and trainers is paramount for delivering high-quality training programs. In order to provide the best training and learning experience for organizations, it’s pertinent that L&D professionals establish rigorous instructor selection criteria in order to ensure that all instructors, trainers, and subject matter experts alike meet the needs of the planned training program.

L&D professionals compare the needs of the program with the capabilities of their instruction corps. When sourcing instructors for their training campaigns, L&D should focus on a standard set of criteria including:

• Years of professional experience
• Relevant qualifications and professional certificates
• Instructor-led training (ILT) or virtual instructor-led training (vILT) capability
• Language(s) of instruction
• Available times for instruction
• Feedback from previous training managers and students

Creating Budget Efficient Training Delivery

With the size and scope of training programs, it’s critical that training providers don’t waste time or resources. For most training professionals, this means ensuring that every aspect of the learning operation is accounted for and provides value both to the organization and the learners.

The issue of delivering training efficiently is more or less a pipe dream for L&D as it is for most other professions. L&D is very much a “leaky bucket” since most of the resources in the training budget are lost via time spent doing administrative work and handoffs to different stakeholders within a training course let alone a program. Between managing costs, ensuring criteria are met for trainers and course requirements, and reporting on the value of training, L&D professionals must continually examine how to train more with less.

Since staying on top of the training budget and the cost of doing training is important, training companies need a dedicated training budget tool to manage every aspect.