Advantages Of Managed Learning Services For An Organization
In recent years, a number of research journals and articles focusing towards “training outsourcing” have increased substantially. Many of these journals describe training outsourcing space as a new and emerging industry which is catching up momentum very rapidly. Most businesses today recognize the fundamental importance of Learning and Development in both maximizing the potential of staff and maintaining a competitive edge in the marketplace. An increasing number of organizations are choosing to outsource their Learning and Development needs to professional organizations which offer Managed Learning Services.
One of the main advantages of outsourcing Learning and Development needs is to secure a professional and bespoke approach to address training needs. Although high quality content and delivery are a priority but best practices in global training go far beyond the curriculum. Coordination across departments and geographies is critical for better returns in investments.
With Managed Learning Services, organizations can focus on their core activities without having to track down appropriate activities for different training courses. Not only can such administrative tasks be extremely time-consuming and frustrating; there is also a danger of these tasks being carried out in a disjointed, fragmentary way, leading to delays and poor delegate experience.
Training is not a cost but an investment that helps ensure the future success of your company. A part of maximizing the return on this investment is to know when you can take on the training yourself and when to seek outside expertise. In many case, outside support can save you a great deal of money!
Your company primarily focuses on delivering a program however, not on administering complex training processes, so it’s no wonder that bringing in a Managed Service Provider can offer a number of positive returns. Here are some of the benefits of Managed Learning Services:
- Enhanced organizational efficiency.
Hiring a Managed Service provider allows an organization to focus on its core competencies. Managed Service providers enable organizations align training initiatives to business objectives, ensuring any and all training efforts support wider company goals. Ideally, a Managed Service provider will also assist in implementing post-training activities which help organizations maximize training ROI and determine training’s impact on company operations, culture, etc. - Controlled training cost.
When an organization manages training programs internally, it is responsible for end to end training administration (content development, delivery, logistics, post-training activities, etc.), and other hidden activities–training costs. A significant amount of company time and resources are invested into these programs. A Managed Service provider can help identify and reduce these hidden costs, and will even bear some of the risks associated with the process. This creates maximum value for your training spends which, ultimately, frees up funds for additional training initiatives. In addition, Managed Service providers regularly invest in tools and processes to drive further efficiencies. - Wide range of expertise.
This characteristic is exclusively significant for organizations which don’t have a bench of subject matter experts or access to advanced technologies and processes. When put together appropriately, a Manager Service provider can help develop new training plans for your organization and further align the training spend to business objectives. Hiring a Managed Service provider to lead a training initiative also ensures an enhanced level of learning consistency across the organization. - eLearning content.
The training content is at the heart of eLearning success. But many organizations have a hard time getting experts together within the organization to create learning content internally. Also, turning information into effective learning curriculum requires expertise which is also often not available within the organization. Many Managed Service providers have content makeover services that can help organizations convert existing content to effective training material. They can convert existing content for multiple uses like students guide, training manual, assessments and so on. For new and emergent needs within the organization, the service providers can create custom content for quick and efficient learning delivery.
Although the merits of having a Managed Service provider are many however, it’s important to keep in mind that, training outsourcing is not same as outsourcing any other functions of the organization. It requires extensive evaluation of your training needs and a clear understanding of what you are looking for in a Managed Service provider.
