Today’s workforce development professionals encounter mounting challenges in engaging learners effectively. Traditional training programs, once the cornerstone of skills development, are proving less effective and engaging for modern learners. The struggle is evident in workforce development programs, where the stakes are high in preparing individuals for successful careers. Recognizing the evolving needs and preferences of today’s learners, professionals in this field are increasingly seeking innovative approaches to training and skills development.
How can they make their training programs more flexible and effective? How can they boost program completion, prepare a new generation of job-ready workers, and help unemployed workers quickly reskill to find meaningful careers?
Learners today expect a more flexible, hands-on experience than traditional training methods alone can deliver. But many programs have yet to fully recognize and embrace modern, flexible training methods that quickly prepare new workers for in-demand jobs and help adult learners flex around work or family obligations so they can participate in programs.
Skilled trades training has traditionally relied on classroom instruction and one-on-one training. That approach doesn’t sync with today’s digital learning experience or offer alternative options to help overcome the barriers that keep learners from starting or completing their programs.
Online job-ready certificate training programs, however, can give workforce development organizations the tools to attract and fully engage learners, taking them from zero trades skills to job-ready. With the latest generation of training tools, virtual reality (VR), hands-on simulations and on-demand video content can combine to help learners build the skills needed to enter the workforce and meet the rising demand for skilled workers.
Here’s how digital job-ready skilled trades certification programs boost results for workforce development organizations:
- Accelerated, streamlined learning: Online immersive simulations and on-demand content provide a streamlined curriculum that gets learners job ready. Hands-on simulations and VR can improve learning and training outcomes by better engaging learners. The members of today’s young workforce learn best through doing and thrive on hands-on experiences that connect to real-world outcomes. Simulation and VR-based training can increase their enjoyment, interest and motivation to learn. More importantly, studies have shown simulation technology and VR improve retention rates, reducing the time it takes to learn. Ultimately, these workers learn more in less time.
- Industry-recognized certifications: Accreditation can differentiate trusted programs with proven results. Industry-recognized certifications and credentials, especially for skilled trades workers, add value for learners and can help them advance in their careers. Unskilled workers can earn credentials to get started in the skilled trades, helping to overcome a lack of job experience. At the same time, existing professionals can maintain their required professional development hours and earn credentials to advance within their field or add new skills.
- Connect with employers: Expert guidance built into the learning content successfully prepares learners for future careers without hiring on-staff industry experts or building expensive infrastructure. Learners can also take advantage of career exploration tools to align their chosen path to their interests or career aspirations and then connect directly with employers through related recruiting and professional enhancement platforms.
With expert-led digital training platforms, learners can immediately start building skills and confidence with hands-on learning in a safe, risk-free environment. They can practice skills repeatedly on their own, at their own pace. At the same time, the platform guides them so they learn the right skills in the right order.
The results are impressive. Digital job-ready certification solutions can simultaneously improve learner outcomes, empower workforce development organizations to train people faster, and help address chronic labor shortages.
As the demand for skilled trades workers continues to rise, the need for effective training solutions becomes increasingly critical. Digital job-ready training programs can offer a promising avenue for addressing the challenges workforce development professionals face by providing flexible, immersive learning experiences that cater to the needs of today’s learners. Embracing cutting-edge technology like VR, artificial intelligence (AI) and simulation can help better prepare individuals for successful careers and develop a pipeline of talent for the skilled trades workforce of the future.
