The beauty of ‘digital learning’ is the freedom and flexibility it affords those being trained. Get your strategy right, and your digital learning offering will give employees choice around when they learn, on what device, and for how long.
Digital learning might be delivered via a website, e-book, smartphone app, or VR headset. Larger corporations will often have a range of customised digital resources at their disposal, such as e-learning packages, access to webinars, podcasts and explanatory blogs. SMEs are more likely to subscribe to e-resources as and when needed, in order to stick to tighter budgets.
With more Gen Z employees joining the workforce, HR departments and team managers are exploring the potential of using gaming technology to support learning, as well as artificial intelligence, and cloud computing. Digital learning is fast-evolving and becoming ever-more advanced and user-friendly. But how exactly can it help your employees?
Provides ‘available and scalable’ resources
Digital learning is always ‘on’. In other words, it can be delivered in bite-sized chunks that allow it to be used flexibly, and with the right technologies, on any device. With the average employee having just 20 mins a week for workplace learning, digital solutions are ideal for helping busy people develop their skills. With digital learning, a piece of content is produced once and then can be made available to many, at no further cost.
Because it can reach all employees, a digital approach to learning means you can onboard employees faster, meet compliance regulations more quickly, and increase productivity and performance at scale. The timescales are radically shorter compared to classroom-based approaches. However, managers should make sure their e-learning strategy is smart and user-centric, and not just a mixed bag of content out there for employees to wade through.
Meets CPD needs
All roles benefit from continuing professional development (CPD), while in some, it is compulsory. Many progressive organisations support ongoing personal development for all employees, and digital learning is a cost-effective way of delivering this. It can be an excellent way to drive up engagement levels and job satisfaction, encouraging employees to engage in self-directed learning and self-assessment. Allowing people to learn skills they are motivated to master at their own pace, results in a more flexible learning experience.
Improves employee safety
Competence is a requirement in workplaces and training is one of the tools used to achieve and maintain competence. For example, when staff are working with hazardous chemicals, or for construction personnel operating at height or with dangerous equipment on site. H&S training is vital to staying compliant, reducing accidents and improving workplace safety. However, managing training courses, and keeping track of compliance data can be a time-consuming and tedious process for team leaders and HR departments.
Thankfully, it’s possible to modernise employee safety training and achieve compliance with specialist software platforms. For example, EcoOnline’s Learning Manager software provides both a safety learning management system and an extensive e-learning library. High-quality, interactive courses can really help embed a health and safety culture, and of course, improve the safety record and reputation of the organisation.
Heightens engagement
Learning and expanding on skills is an effective pathway towards higher levels of employee engagement and empowerment. Learning helps employees become confident and prepared in their fields. It also ensures team members feel valued, knowing their employer is investing in them, and helping them advance their career.
There are a number of actions managers can take to help empower employees in this way. For instance, by providing a comprehensive digital learning library to support talent development, individual learning needs and internal development initiatives. Off-the-shelf digital learning programmes can help employees accelerate their skills development building on current knowledge, and following prescribed learning paths to future roles.
Supports continuous learning
Digital learning helps promote lifelong learning, and, when delivered well, spreads a passion for the subject in hand. Today it’s so important in workplaces to foster a culture of community learning, collaboration and a growth mindset of innovation, flexibility, and adaptability.
By providing access to learning resources, and the time to use them, employees will benefit enormously. So too will the company, with more contented teams, better safety records, and higher productivity.
