Not since the crash of 1929 has the business power of the global markets come to a screeching halt. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced business to rethink every aspect of operations and how things will move forward afterward. There is little doubt that once the pandemic has subsided, global industry will return to life. It will require leaders to reconsider how things get done in the future and that many of the old ways will be just a faded memory. During this period of uncertainty, innovators understand the crucial need to keep the momentum moving forward with the basics. Maintaining the strength of every aspect of operations will be critical to the successful recovery on the other side.
One of the basics of maintaining strength in business is keeping workforce skills at the highest level possible. Training remains a crucial consideration, but the challenge is how to take advantage of training opportunities that are within social distancing efforts while delivering the highest level of results.
Finding the Right Options
Public training or onsite consultant training is the traditional avenue followed to meet the training objectives for most organizations. These training evolutions were typically supported with online self-paced learning or virtual classroom training delivered by a live instructor. COVID-19 has now flipped the scripts, and public or onsite consulting training is not a viable option. The roles of online self-paced or virtual classroom training have now risen to the top of the list as the best and most feasible options for training. The question then becomes which option works best for the organization.
Online self-paced options are reasonable for these situations as they are available on a 24/7 basis for students to progress through training truly at their own pace. Virtual classroom training opportunities are a bit more structured and offer some significant advantages to the students and their learning process.
Finding Success With Virtual Classroom Training
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the demand for virtual classroom training. Educational institutions from elementary schools, high schools, colleges, and universities have now replaced their traditional classrooms with virtual classrooms. These institutions are far and away ahead of businesses in taking advantage of the technologies in training. Virtual classroom training has now become the accepted norm, not the support role played before the pandemic. Education is moving forward with their obligations to their students in the safest manner possible. Here are a few of the advantages for consideration
- Convenience and Compliance – This option allows training to be delivered in a manner that works well for the organization and the student, and is structured. It also easily adapts to social distancing and eliminates person-to-person contact.
- Time Management – One of the necessary skills of working from home is to have a schedule just like you were in the office. Virtual classroom training is structured with a daily schedule, which includes lunches and breaks. It keeps the student operating with very disciplined habits.
- Develops Skills – Aside from the skills being taught in training, virtual classroom training develops and improves the student’s digital skills. They will become more confident in communicating and managing platforms, increasing their skill sets.
- Feedback and Attention – Everyone learns differently. Some students struggle with traditional online self-paced learning because of a lack of classroom interaction and interaction with a live instructor. Virtual classroom training provides a classroom feel and environment, along with the real-time interaction with the instructor.
- Budget-Friendly – Virtual classroom training is significantly more affordable as it eliminates the cost of overhead for the training provider and the associated costs of student travel outside the workplace.
The advantages of virtual classroom training easily make it the training option of choice in today’s challenging business environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has now forced us to rethink training options now and in the future. Those taking advantage of it are starting to find that even in normal global circumstances, virtual classroom training is a solution that will be continued as a way to save costs while achieving institutional goals for training. It is quickly becoming the future.
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