Now, more than ever, companies are switching to online methods of learning and training to keep their staff up to date on the latest technology and industry practices. SMEs, in particular, can benefit from the accessibility and trackability of online learning. With an online training program, staff can learn from anywhere and at any time, while also being able to trace their progress. Here are just a few of the benefits a great online training program that SMEs can take advantage of.
The benefits of online training
There are many benefits to online learning – online training programs offer greater efficiency in terms of the cost and the time invested in them. Whether you want to train yourself or your staff, online learning enables you to engage with the course material from wherever you are without needing to spend time and money going on an in-person course elsewhere.
Online learning offers a smarter way of working and helps you to build a team of highly trained individuals that can gain the extra skills necessary to be productive in today’s competitive market. Training your staff also helps them to feel valued and shows that you’re willing to invest in their role within the business.
With the practicality and convenience of online training, you can build a tailored program that meets the specific needs of the employee and the skill gaps within the company, which can be scaled with ease across all members of staff.
Online training increases productivity
One of the major benefits of online learning is that it boosts productivity and efficiency. There are a number of reasons for this – online learning helps to reach employees who are typically excluded from traditional training venues, such as remote workers who still need to stay up to date with their learning and skill set.
Online learning can be delivered more generously to all members of staff, as it’s often cheaper and always more convenient to implement than sending staff off-site.
Furthermore, these programs allow for plenty of flexibility – employees can take breaks as and when they need to, work at different hours to their colleagues, and work when they’re more productive while still achieving the same outcome as everyone else. Online training can also be beneficial for freelancers or contractors too.
“Many businesses are finding the benefits in working with specialist Jira or Agile contractors”, says Gerald Tombs, founder of ClearHub, a specialist recruiter of IT contractors, “but contractors work best when they are part of a team environment too. This is often overlooked by businesses who won’t take the time to provide company training to contractors in their department”.
How COVID-19 has impacted things
The recent pandemic has changed the way we work for the foreseeable future and training in-person is now challenging and even a potential health risk. But through using online platforms and creating a tailored training program, SMEs can still continue to build their employees’ knowledge and skills without having to pose any risks to their health and safety.
With online learning, managers can keep track of where each employee is at with their learning and ensure they’re moving through the program at an appropriate rate, while still allowing their staff to work from home and keep safe while COVID-19 continues to pose a threat. In light of the pandemic, the workforce in most industries is changing and more people will be working from home from now on. But with a great online training program, businesses don’t have to worry about their staff being situated in multiple locations.
It helps to create a stronger company culture
An added benefit of online learning is that it can help to foster a stronger company culture. Training helps to bring employees together and can also help to provide managers with the tools they need to develop bonds between teams. When we think about eLearning, we think of hard skills such as technological or marketing skills, but online learning can also be used to help develop soft skills such as proper conduct in the workplace, understanding mental health issues and communication skills.
Many organisations want to improve their culture and encourage an environment of calm and openness, and online learning can be a great way of achieving this.
Final thoughts
Online learning is the future for businesses of all different sizes and there’s no doubt that it will overtake in-person training in the future, as more companies recognise the benefits that it can offer.
