7 Minutes of reading
Not quite sure what off-the-shelf courses can offer your business? Or are you struggling to choose between the thousands of modules available on your LMS? In this article, the Rise Up team will walk you through the kinds of skills your employees can gain thanks to off-the-shelf training content.
Why e-learning is key for remote workers
E-learning: more popular than ever
There was once a time when the effectiveness of e-learning courses was being called into question. Today, however, this form of training content is experiencing a renewed surge of popularity. Having a training catalogue of e-learning modules on hand is now seen as a smart move—and there are two key reasons why.
The first relates to the global pandemic and the impact it has had on businesses. With remote working becoming the norm in many industries, digital forms of training have boomed. This has provided an impetus for training content designers to improve their systems and offer new ways of learning. Developers are now putting a greater emphasis on creating modules that keep employees engaged and motivated—a far cry from the days when e-learning content was seen as dull and lacking in interactivity.
Secondly, e-learning has come on in leaps and bounds in terms of the range of skills it is able to address. Modules are now available covering a variety of both hard and soft skills across all kinds of sectors.
Hard skills vs soft skills
The term ‘hard skills’ refers to the knowledge and abilities specific to a particular job role or profession, and which employees need to master. For example, accountants must be able to use Excel, as well as more specialised software, such as Sage.
‘Soft skills’, meanwhile, refers instead to emotional intelligence, behaviours, and the way in which we interact with colleagues. This may encompass stress management, time management, leadership and conflict resolution skills.
E-learning modules are proving more effective than ever at providing employees with both hard and soft skills. This means that they can play a key role in helping your team to become more well-rounded, gaining both technical know-how and interpersonal skills.
What role can off-the-shelf e-learning content play in skills development?
Much as is the case with e-learning, off-the-shelf training content is sometimes viewed negatively. Companies may find it to be too general, for example, and feel that it fails to address their specific issues. Today, though, things appear to be changing thanks to a combination of two trends: a growing interest in soft skills and advances in off-the-shelf content.
Using e-learning modules to develop soft skills
Businesses are now fully aware that job success relies on more than just having the right knowledge. Soft skills have a major impact on productivity and employee wellbeing, and are being prioritised and integrated into broader training strategies. As a result, instructional designers now take these skills into account, leading to better off-the-shelf training content.
More varied and engaging formats
Off-the-shelf training designers are using increasingly advanced learning formats in the modules they create. These include motion graphics, serious games, immersive scenarios, and more. Here at Rise Up, we’ve teamed up with a network of specialist content creators to provide off-the-shelf content in a range of formats covering a multitude of themes.
The improvements we’ve seen in off-the-shelf e-learning modules are undoubtedly linked to the general growth of the digital learning market. As tools such as LMSs and LXPs become more popular, the types of courses on offer are more and more diverse so as to better meet the needs of both businesses and employees. The overall quality of the content has improved, as has the degree to which it helps to address companies’ future goals.
Thanks to these steps forward, off-the-shelf e-learning courses now offer a rich source of training content that all kinds of businesses can benefit from. Additionally, there’s a greater choice of modules than ever before. This means that organisations can now choose the most relevant content, taking into account their objectives and priorities, the abilities and needs of their staff, and even the size of their team.
6 skills that can be developed via off-the-shelf content
Want to know more about the kinds of competencies that this type of content is ideally suited for? Here’s a rundown of 6 examples of skills that can be gained using off-the-shelf modules.
Hard skills
Languages
Off-the-shelf modules have proven highly successful at improving learners’ abilities when it comes to foreign languages. Employees can jump in at any level and take advantage of interactive modules to boost their skills in speaking, reading, listening and writing across numerous languages.
Office suites
If you need to train up your team on Microsoft Office, then off-the-shelf content is a perfect choice. Learners can improve their abilities across each application, progressing through modules at their own pace and even putting their knowledge to the test with a variety of exercises and quizzes.
GDPR
Four letters that strike fear into the hearts of many businesses: GDPR. Fortunately, getting to grips with this regulation needn’t be difficult with the right set of off-the-shelf training content to hand. With courses developed by experts in the field, your team can quickly learn everything they need to know to ensure GDPR compliance.
Soft skills
Management
Whether you’re stepping into a managerial role for the first time or are looking to enhance your people skills, off-the-shelf content can help. With the right modules, you can learn how to hone your abilities and bring your team together—a particularly important skill to have when dealing with hybrid teams.
Communication
Many of us wish that we could improve our communication skills to some degree, and thanks to off-the-shelf content, we can now make it happen. Interactive exercises, practical examples, case studies and expert videos mean that these modules are rich in features and highly engaging.
Remote working
Working from home for the first time after years in an office environment? Making the switch can be more difficult than you may have thought, but don’t worry: off-the-shelf modules can help you to get organised and perform at your best. Managers can also undergo training to ensure that the transition towards remote or hybrid working is a smooth one.
