E-learning for Companies: Why Choose Online Training

E-learning for Companies: Worker Training

In a world that runs ever faster and is constantly evolving, companies must also keep up with changes related to the market and their sector. For this reason, worker training is fundamental and concerns both the safety area and that more specifically linked to individual tasks. Traditionally, corporate training took place in the classroom and in person, but changes linked to new technologies, increasingly present in every aspect of everyday life, and increasingly frenetic pace of life have paved the way for the introduction of digital into corporate training.

E-learning, oronline learning or distance learning (FAD)it is a trend that has undergone a strong acceleration during the Covid-19 pandemic, following the obligation to limit travel and attendance of public places to a minimum. This sudden change in habits has accelerated a phenomenon that has been growing for several years: online training. In fact, the exponential increase in the use of the internet has not only revolutionized the world of communication, but also the education sector.
Workers and companies were forced to resort to distance learning, which represented an important step on the path towards digital corporate transformation. In fact, today companies and professionals benefit from e-learning training, both for compulsory courses and those to consolidate employees’ skills.

The FAD allows you to take advantage of the courses, useful for your professional growth, in one completely different mode compared to the one used previously, in which workers had to physically go to the places responsible for training. This entailed a waste of time and money on the part of the company, intended for the organization of the courses, which required a precise physical space, educational material available for all users, the presence of a teacher and, in some cases, taking into consideration the costs and timing of transport, food and accommodation.
E-learning, on the other hand, eliminates most of the problems associated with in-person learning and allows workers to continuously access training relating to their sector, without space and time constraints. To do this, simply connect to the e-learning platforms adopted by the company, so as to always stay up to date on safety regulations and news related to your work environment.

Furthermore, FAD can be of two types: synchronous or asynchronous. In the first case, these are webinars or virtual classes broadcast as they take place, in which the teacher holds the lesson online, while the participants are connected. In this case, therefore, the training takes place at the same time for all participants and at the same time as the tutor is carrying out the lesson. In the case of asynchronous training, however, the user can use educational materials, such as videos, images, infographics and documents at any time.

So why choose an e-Learning platform?

• Flexibility: the user can take the course when he wants, how much he wants, where he wants;
• Customization: the user can review or listen to the lessons as many times as he wishes and can stop the lesson whenever he prefers. This allows the subject to take notes more calmly, listen to a concept more than once and take a break when tired without losing any information. All aspects that are difficult to do during an in-person course;
• Accessibility: unlike a traditional course, e-learning is easily accessible to everyone, even those with motor disabilities, logistical difficulties or problems related to timetables;
• Economical: online costs are generally cheaper than in-person ones. All those costs related to ancillary expenses, such as transport, lunch, accommodation, etc. are missing. Furthermore, the majority of online courses do not include the addition of textbooks, but the content can be directly downloaded from the platform;
• Ease of updating: unlike traditional in-person courses, updating online platforms is much simpler and more immediate. Not having printed books, there is no need to wait for the second version to stay updated: just modify the content present in the online platform;
• More effective training: due to the variety of multimedia content (which can consist of written documents, videos, audio, animations, presentations) and the possibility of being able to reach a greater number of employees at the same time, without the need to organize trips, based on pre-established dates and times. Furthermore, e-learning allows you to monitor workers’ progress.

When analyzing the advantages provided by distance learning, however, there are some negative aspects to keep in mind. The digitalisation of training, in fact, also brings with it greater difficulty in interaction between the teacher and the participants. Furthermore, a further limit to the use of digital learning may be the lack of familiarity with the use of new technologies for some subjects.

What are the characteristics to evaluate to choose the best e-learning platform

Given the wide range of choices, it may be complex to understand and decide which platform is best suited to your needs. In any case, a good e-learning platform must possess some basic characteristics:

• Accessible: a good platform for online training cannot ignore the fact that it can also be used on mobile, as users want to be able to learn wherever and whenever possible.
• Type of platform Cloud or Local: you need to choose the type of platform best suited to your needs: local LMS or in the cloud. In the first case, the software will be installed directly on the company servers. This implies the need for a robust IT infrastructure and dedicated IT staff to oversee the installation. A cloud LMS, on the other hand, is hosted on remote servers and does not require the installation of specific software.
• Easy to use: the best choice is web-based e-learning platforms, i.e. accessible from a browser without the need to download and install any type of software, also eliminating the need to carry out any updates. The e-learning platform must then present a clear design that allows simple and intuitive navigability between the various configured environments. Some platforms also have introductory sections and ‘How To’ tutorials, which allow you to easily understand how to move around them.
• It includes evaluation and progress monitoring systems: an effective e-learning platform must include quizzes and other evaluation modules. These tools allow the company and the user to identify strengths and weaknesses, and at the same time also increase the trainee’s involvement in the training path. By associating the evaluation modules with a progress monitoring function, you will have the possibility to accurately track the training progress made. In this way it is possible to generate personalized reports regarding the progress, which can stimulate students to improve in specific areas, undertake new online courses or start more challenging courses.
• Makes learning engaging: Offering engaging and diverse distance learning formats (pdfs, images, audio files, video files, real-time class sessions) is key. Today, technology allows us to go even further by offering its help to compensate for the absence of direct contact between student and teacher and between students engaged in the same training course in a more engaging way. Virtual classrooms allow, for example, users to collaborate with each other through group projects by chatting in forums, taking tests and competing for high scores on the leaderboard.

Identifying the most suitable e-learning platform for your business is not easy, there are many factors to take into consideration, but among the best FADs capable of simplifying the lives of teachers and students, ensuring more efficient and effective management of content and timing, we find: Moodle LMS, Adobe Captivate, Acorn LMS, Canvas LMS and Google Classroom.

Those who hold and use online training courses must also take into account the risks they may encounter when working within the internet world. To protect yourself from risks and safeguard your data, it is good practice to adopt a Cyber ​​Risk policy. This coverage allows the insured to protect himself from cyber attacks and the resulting expenses and losses of data and confidential information. Furthermore, it provides the intervention of an expert for the recovery of lost data and for decontamination from any malware. All these are services included in the Smart version, which has a maximum limit of up to €25 thousand. Lokky also offers its customers the possibility of taking out a Top version of the policy, which provides for an increase in the limit up to €250 thousand and the inclusion of numerous additional guarantees, including a daily allowance for business interruption and coverage of expenses for restoring the company’s image.