Job training delivered online offers flexibility to both employees and employers. The key benefit of online training is the same as with other forms of distance learning. With online training, the coursework is self-paced and is available anytime and anyplace.
Businesses are well-acquainted with sales training and customer service training for their employees. But other types of online training are becoming increasingly accessible and popular. Ethics, harassment, human resources, diversity, leadership, and management training are all available as online training courses or programs for companies to offer their employees online.
In addition, employees who want to further their professional development can select from a wide variety of training courses and certificates including project management, JAVA programming, or Sarbanes-Oxley training.
Corporate Universities
Corporate training used to consist of mandatory attendance in the conference room, before work or at lunchtime, to listen to a very dry speaker pointing to a PowerPoint slide. Workers sipped instant coffee and watched the clock. As companies have had to become more concerned with employees' growth and development, all that has begun to change thanks to online training. Corporate training has even become not only a retention strategy, but a hot recruitment tool as well.
Corporate universities draw on both internal and external resources to provide skill-enhancing programs to acclimate new employees to the company culture, and give more senior employees a way to stay current in today's business arena.
Employees are starting to make career choices based upon future marketability, not just the current compensation package. It is not hard to imagine that a job candidate weighing two offers from similar companies, would be likely to accept the offer from the company that has a "university." The prospect of being able to earn a project management certificate or Microsoft certification, on company time, would be enticing indeed.
Employers benefit because there is a company-wide approach to leadership development and there is a clear tie-in to performance goals. Employees appreciate acquiring marketable skills.
Once the universities are established, corporations seek to turn the programs into profit centers by enrolling vendors and customers.
The free trip to Hawaii to attend a team-building symposium may be a thing of the past with the adoption of elearning tools. Dell Learning (1) offers 95% of its courses on-line, up from 25% in 1996. From New Hire Orientation to the School of Finance, non-classroom based learning educates employees, corporate leadership and stockholders.
Motorola University (2) began as a means to offer training to its employees internally, but is now available to the general public. Learners can earn a Six Sigma e-Greenbelt through the on-line program.
- (1) Dell Learning, "Discover Dell Learning."
- (2) Motorola University. motorola.com/motorolauniversity.jsp.
Under Workplace Training Resources, you'll find links to societies, journals, and magazines about corporate training, employee learning, performance, leadership, recruitment, and retention.
Workplace Training Resources
American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) astd.org/
Founded in 1943, the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) is the world’s largest association dedicated to workplace learning and performance professionals. ASTD’s members come from more than 100 countries and connect locally in more than 130 U.S. chapters and with more than 30 international partners. Members work in thousands of organizations of all sizes, in government, as independent consultants, and suppliers. In recent years ASTD has widened the profession’s focus to link learning and performance to individual and organizational results, and is a sought-after voice on critical public policy issues.
Chief Learning Officer clomedia.com
Chief Learning Officer is a magazine that covers the industry of workforce learning and development. In addition to the magazine, there is a related network of publications, electronic media, and international events designed to provide senior-level executives with information and forums for connecting with other global learning leaders.
International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPE) ispi.org/
Founded in 1962, the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) is the leading international association dedicated to improving productivity and performance in the workplace. ISPI represents performance improvement professionals throughout the United States, Canada, and 40 other countries. ISPI's mission is to develop and recognize the proficiency of our members and advocate the use of Human Performance Technology. Assembling THE Performance Improvement Conference and other educational events like Principles & Practices and the ProSeries workshops, publishing books and periodicals, and supporting research are some of the ways ISPI works toward achieving this mission.
T+D Magazine astd.org/TD/
For 56 years, the award-winning T+D magazine has heralded and even led the evolution of the profession from training and development to workplace learning and performance with the purpose of delivering emerging trends and proven best practices to its readers. Published by ASTD, it is backed by the voluminous expertise of that organization.
Training Journal trainingjournal.com/
The UK's leading independent magazine delivers "informative, timely, and practical content" to professionals committed to workplace learning and development.
Training Magazine trainingmag.com/
This magazine delves into management issues such as leadership and succession planning, HR issues such as recruitment and retention, and training issues such as learning theory, on-the-job skills assessments and aligning core workforce competencies to enhance the bottom line impact of training and development programs.
