Corporate training or employee training is a series of educational activities that equip an employee with the knowledge to perform their job.

Employee training programs have been around for a long time, and they come with quite a few benefits. Some are:

• Getting a higher return on investment (ROI) on your resources.
• Making your team more skilled.
• Filling voids in employee performance.
• Keeping the organization more goal oriented.
• Reducing the waste of resources.

eLearning Courses for Corporate Training

There are various ways in which employees can be trained. Some popular methods are:

• Content-based learning (eLearning, reading manuals and reports).
• Instructor-led training.
• Hands-on learning.
• Self-learning.

Of all the methods, content-based learning in general and eLearning-based employee training in have the go-to choices for many companies and organizations. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more organizations are relying on eLearning courses for corporate training and employee training.

Why eLearning Courses for Corporate Training?

There are various reasons why eLearning courses for corporate training is a good idea. Some are:

• Targeted and personalized. The eLearning development process can easily be tailored toward a specific problem/challenge faced by a specific team/group. This level of personalization and tailoring is just not possible in other forms of corporate training.
• Cost effective. eLearning courses for corporate training costs the organization less money than any other process. The eLearning development process can be monitored and managed remotely. Other forms restrict learners to their local subject matter experts (SMEs) unless you have a bigger budget.
• Time efficient. eLearning courses for corporate training are created with time in mind. In eLearning-based training programs, the learner/employee has all the information available in one place and the training time is greatly reduced.
• Reusable assets. If you have identified what your employees need to be trained on, building eLearning courses is a one-time investment. You can reuse these courses over and over with many employees.
• Easily modifiable. eLearning development processes have become agile in nature. They can be modified to new requirements or changes on short notice and with fewer resources.

Outsourcing eLearning Course Development

Now that we understand the advantages of eLearning courses in corporate training, let’s look at why outsourcing this process will be a good idea.

• Economical. Hiring an eLearning course development team, getting relevant tools, setting up processes, etc. is expensive. If your organization’s structure is properly defined, it is always better to outsource eLearning development.
• Faster. Since there will be no learning curve involved in the eLearning development process, you can expect it to be delivered faster. That means you will have more time to test ideas and more of a buffer for implementation.
• Scalable. If a third-party vendor is developing the required eLearning courses for corporate training for you, it is easy to tell them your next requirements. They will already have the necessary infrastructure for faster faster eLearning development.
• Hassle-free. The eLearning development process has a lot of layers. A lot of processes and people must be managed, but they can be circumvented when outsourced.
• Quality. eLearning development agencies have constant access to SMEs, IDs and QA managers who ensure that you receive quality courses.

The Challenges of Outsourcing eLearning Course Development

There are challenges involved in outsourcing eLearning course development for corporate training. Here are a few:

• Confidentiality. When you are hiring a third party for eLearning development, data security is always a concern. There are a lot of data breaches happening, and it is fair to say no one is completely safe from them.
• Learner engagement. The problem with outsourcing eLearning course development is that it is outsourced. It is produced outside of your organization’s headquarters. There is always the possibility of “disconnection” from the intent and the actual course.
• Collaboration. Even though the eLearning course development agency is full of professionals who know what they are doing, they are not you. The quality of the course and its impact is only as good as how well your requirements are communicated and understood.
• Quality. The eLearning quality assurance (QA) process is quite rigorous as far as the agencies are concerned. The QA is infused within their eLearning development process. However, the quality of the course will always be a concern for the implementation team.

How to Address These eLearning Development Challenges

Corporate training is a crucial and delicate phase for any organization, and it should be addressed carefully. The output of a company depends on how well employees understand their roles and their impact. Outsourcing eLearning course development is a good idea, but there are some tough challenges that should be addressed.

• Background check. Before outsourcing eLearning development for training your employees, do a background check on the agency. Find reviews, read testimonials and contact their past customers if possible.
• Data security. Ask detailed questions regarding where and how your data will be stored and protected. Is there a history of data breaches in their organization?
• Sharing information. This is something that needs to be addressed internally. Learn how much information you need to share for an efficient eLearning development process. Oversharing information is unnecessary and confuses the agency.
• Collaboration. eLearning development collaboration is vital during the entire process, especially if the agency is in a different location. Visual collaboration and task management should be properly defined and carefully managed.
• Internal QA. Although the eLearning development agency will take care of the QA, you should have a policy of your own. After all, you and your organization will know if the course is useful. Test every iteration with some employees and share details.

Wrapping Up

There is always going to be some level of stress when working with third-party agencies, even though they are esteemed professionals in their domain. However, the workflow can be managed and organized while taking the above points into consideration. Defining rules of engagement while outsourcing eLearning course development for corporate training is paramount. Corporate training or employee training could be considered the backbone of the organization.

Corporate training programs define how profitable your organization will be and its valuation. It helps employees understand their importance and their impact on the bottom line.