Online training was put on a lofty pedestal with the Internet's emergence as a mission-critical communications tool. It was seen as the salvation for resource-constrained companies seeking to train and retain everyone from middle managers interested in upping their management chops through rank and file employees seeking new career skills or heightened personal development.
Soon the reality caught up with the hype: training programs, whether online or offline, are only as good as the commitment made by employees and employers alike to set goals, assess progress and stay with the program. Online courses clearly help companies keep budgets in check (no travel or special equipment required) and accelerate skill proficiency. And, can build a smarter, more capable and motivated workforce that can achieve business goals if asynchronous (self-study) programs are coupled with instructor-led courses and on-the-job mentoring -- where employees can practice what they've learned.
Here are some tips gleaned from interviews with numerous experts on how to get the most from the online portion of your training budget (Click here for additional online resources).
- Make training part of the overall corporate culture. Whether it's online or offline, the success of any training initiative is driven by a tight connection to corporate goals. Having an overall organizational objective is critical to selling any and all training initiatives to upper management -- and getting employees to enthusiastically get on board, says Greg Jones, sales and marketing director of Tooling University (Cleveland). Whether its cross-training factory floor workers or bringing middle managers up to speed on Six Sigma, companies need a training plan that maps with the corporate mission. Many companies ensure this by involving HR in the process of formulating a training plan and even sponsoring in-house or third-party courses. Getting buy-in from functional managers is also critical to training optimization. Managers should follow their reports' progress carefully. "They should log on daily or weekly to see how their folks are doing," Jones says, noting they should provide oral or online feedback to both encourage employees to continue -- and to show that management takes training seriously.
- Institutionalize training. Set aside time for employees to train at home or in the office on dedicated PCs (make sure they bring their own head sets to listen to audio portions of online courses to cut down on distractions), Jones says. Make sure they have a place to practice, whether it's between shifts or on recently maintained machines (before they go back online), he adds.
- Continuous assessments are critical. Key to the success of any training program is a methodology laden with stage-based assessments. It starts with pre-assessments to see where employees are deficient (compared against competency requirements), how they've have improved over time and what skills are needed to ensure employee contribution to corporate goals. This is key whether the training program is for factory floor employees working with machine, stamping or welding tools, or knowledge workers who need to stay current with the latest management disciplines or trends. Many online training courses make this a snap by offering pre-course assessment tests and mid-term and final examines that demonstrate skill and knowledge retention and help employees close the skills and knowledge gap over time.
- Use online training to help meet compliance with industry regulations. Beyond Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, there are a host of industry-specific regulations (e.g., TREAD in the automotive world, ROHS/WEEE relative to hazard waste disposal) that with which manufacturing workforces must be fluent. Online training should be used to certify that the right people understand the right processes using the right machines, notes Judy Sweeney, an analyst with AMR Research, Inc. in Boston, who says a workforce well trained on regulatory issues can save a manufacturer bundles (i.e., in production costs while averting fines for non-compliance) and time to market by preventing unnecessary product recalls, while preserving corporate reputation, which, of course, is priceless.
- Think beyond machine skill and task knowledge -- offer personal development. Helping employees maximize time spent with online training becomes easier if it's part carrot, part stick. Certainly organizations want employees to maintain base-level competency to meet job and task related performance requirements. Making training available online to help employees advance their career paths is equally critical, Sweeney says. Offering college course equivalency degrees and mastery certificates and proof of completed training courses can help build a loyal dedicated and quality workforce. This may be more costly in the short-term and risky (if trained employees leave for the shop down the road), but will create an efficient and productive workforce that is critical to succeed in the increasingly competitive global economy.
- Provide blended training. Online training may save time and money when it comes to large groups of employees, but it can't replace the human element critical to skills development and knowledge absorption. Online asynchronous programs enable employees to work at their own pace, but they are but one leg of the training stool. One-to-one or one-to-many mentoring, be it in person or online through video demos, is critical to the training process. If you rely exclusively on e-learning you may end up disappointed -- as will your employees, many of whom may only gain base-level proficiency that could be enhanced by on-site, interpersonal mentoring.
- Investigate a variety of course services types and approaches. Best of breed learning management systems (LMS) provide a structured environment for e-learning across a variety of skill and knowledge disciplines. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) vendors' online training modules are beginning to move beyond the inner workings of their own software to include modules on generic industry concepts such as lean manufacturing, Sweeney notes. A big challenge for the LMS vendors is content tailored to specific manufacturing sectors or scenarios, she points out. Some combination of the two approaches could make for a well-rounded, effective training regimen.
- Don't forget about business partners. Resellers and distributors are critical to the overall sales effort -- they are often a reflection of the quality and professionalism of your organization. Channel partners, however, require tons of care and feeding and frequent touches to make sure they can effectively represent your company's value prop in the marketplace. Web conferencing can help train partners en masse -- saving both time and money. "Take a campaign-based approach by scheduling two or three related topics over time that cover new incentives, discounts, tips for selling and training," advises Joe Hnilo, vice president of marketing at ViewCentral (Mountainview, Calif.), a provider of online training services.