Extended Enterprise Learning To Increase Overall Training Efficacy
With the evident success and popularity of eLearning, more and more organizations are implementing an enterprise-wide technology-aided Learning and Development platform that provides all employees a continuous access to training, regardless of time and location. While this is indeed beneficial at many levels, the potential of eLearning for corporate learning is larger still. Technology-aided learning can be utilized for extended enterprise learning – providing training to learners outside of your organization. The training could be targeted at dealers, channel distribution partners, suppliers, resellers, franchisees, and even end-customers.
Providing training outside the organization is an important strategic tool to help your organization grow its business, increase profitability, and maintain quality throughout the supply chain.
Here are some ways to make sure that an extended enterprise learning program is successful, keeping in mind the needs of the modern corporate learners.
1. Define Learning Goals And Decide The Targeted Group
It is best to conduct a small research within the target group to determine the type of extended enterprise learning program with the highest potential business impact and easy implementation.
2. Remember That Modern Learners Are Now Adept At Using Hand-Held Devices
When creating a multi-device learning delivery, training can provide more learning opportunities across multiple devices. Also, since the modern learners are continually working with mobile devices, the multi-device access is aligned as per their preference. This makes learning initiative instantaneously popular with the learner group.
3. Set Up A Small Trial
Once the target audience has been decided, setting up a small trial helps to ascertain that the learning program is aligned to audiences’ needs. This can be relatively straightforward if there is an enterprise-wide Learning Management System (LMS). Within the organizational Learning Management System, there can be different sections delivering online training for resellers/channel partners, suppliers, and customers, in addition to internal organizational employees.
4. Make Sure Your Content Is Relevant
When developing the content, it is important to make sure that it is tailored for, and relevant to the learners. A variety of relevant courses can be added onto the portal and assigned as per the learner’s role in the organization. The learners are able to make better use of the knowledge and duly apply to their work.
5. Ensure Marketing The New Extended Enterprise Learning Program
Some of the learners can be reached through regular calls or email. Benefits of continued learning from the extended learning portal and activities like skill contests can be marketed well throughout the partner network through mailers and brochures, detailing attractive prizes for winners.
6. Help Learners Keep Track Of Their Learning
Most learners are comfortable with the idea of learning at the workplace, but often find it difficult to manage it with existing work commitments. The extended learning portal can be equipped to send automatic text messages to the users’ phones when they first register on the system. A text message can also be sent to the learner every time a classroom session is scheduled. These instant reminders help learners keep better track of the learning events.
7. Provide Excitement And Energy To The Training Initiative
Online contests can heighten a sense of competition between learners or learner groups. Competency assessment tests can be uploaded onto the system on a regular basis, and executives, as well as managers, can appear. Multiple rounds between different groups of learners can be run and the contest winners be awarded attractive prizes, which provide an additional incentive for continual learning and a thirst for increased competency.
8. Add Assessment Information
Added assessment information, like classroom assignments as well as other offline assignments, can be uploaded to the extended learning portal to create a cumulative picture of learners’ progress and true competence. For all assessments, the learner can be allowed to re-take tests and re-enforce the learning. The portal can display the best score of all the attempts. This helps the learner set target and proceed accordingly.
9. Create Reports
With all the learner information available, customized reports can provide accountability for the training initiatives so that stakeholders can ascertain the progress of learners. Findings from certain reports are displayed on the learners or admin interface for better utilization; this provides learners with the required push for learning. High performers can be suitably awarded, while those lagging behind are being encouraged.
Final Thoughts
An extended enterprise learning program increases the overall satisfaction of the external partners: They are connected to the organization and have access to the latest learning content. They can appraise themselves on newer products and schemes for their prospective clients. This increases work satisfaction and provides better sales figures.
The greatest benefit of an extended enterprise learning program is that organizations are able to understand and manage available external manpower better. They are able to ascertain the number of trained manpower at all times, create attainable targets, and achieve them as well. It becomes easier for them to align their training efforts as per the needs of the external partner – motivating excellent performers with suitable incentives, and creating re-enforcements for those underperformers. This provides a better work environment and ensures increase in profit; within and beyond the confines of the organization.