Which Are The Must-Have LMS Features For Upskilling And Reskilling Employees?
The most important step in the LMS selection process is narrowing the scope so that you know which key selling points to look for in your new skill development training platform. Let's review the top LMS features for upskilling/reskilling that you should add to your vendor vetting checklist to help you kickstart your search.
8 Essential LMS Features For Skills Development Training
The trickiest thing about choosing the best LMS for skills training is that every organization has unique needs and expectations. While one company might focus its efforts on blended learning, another goes full-fledged VILT. That said, there are core features that no LMS for skills development training is complete without.
1. Comprehensive Tracking
Effective training and development relies on actionable data. How do you detect a skill shortage and intervene before the gaps grow too wide? Learning analytics help you map employees' competencies and pinpoint L&D weaknesses. You should be able to track individual progress, as well as user groups based on roles and job responsibilities. Furthermore, your LMS of choice needs to chart every stage of the learning journey, from assessments to skill-level attainment.
2. Personalized Learner Home Page
How do you create personalized training programs for your employees if they are scattered around the globe and have diverse L&D needs? A personal learning home page includes drag-and-drop widgets, course recommendations, and completed milestones so that everyone gets an individualized experience. This also makes it easier for them to track personal gaps and get a detailed overview of their performance whenever they visit the skill development training platform.
3. Gamification Support
Badges and leaderboards go a long way in terms of employee motivation and participation. Staffers are more likely to engage with your content and achieve the upskilling and reskilling goals because there's a true sense of achievement. However, gamification support also gives you the opportunity to track their progress discreetly and identify top talent within your company, namely talent that might otherwise fly under the L&D radar. For instance, a member of your call center team earns several badges in the negotiation and product knowledge training course, indicating that they may be a good fit for sales leadership.
4. Offline Learning
Modern learners expect training that travels with them, regardless of the topic or scope. Thus, you need an LMS that supports offline learning to improve accessibility and facilitate on-the-go skill development. They're able to download the native app to participate in activities anytime, anywhere. This is also ideal for remote performance management support since they can brush up on skills, then sync their progress when they reconnect.
5. Automated Learning Plans
This feature gives employees the chance to pick up where they left off and participate in activities based on past performance. You're able to auto-assign training exercises and resources, as well as plan branched learning. Of course, you should also look for an LMS that allows for a-la-carte learning in the form of Just-In-Time training aids. There are times when employees simply need a refresher, rather than having to enroll in a comprehensive course.
6. Integrated Skills Dashboard
Your new skill development training platform should include an integrated skills dashboard as well so that employee leaders get a holistic overview of team performance. Managers can quickly assign skill development plans, track progress, and gaze into the future to identify potential roadblocks. A tie-in feature to consider is Team View pages, which cover everything from compliance to individual skill building at a glance.
7. Recurring Certifications
Certifications are one of the most effective ways to monitor skills development training and hold employees accountable. The system automatically notifies staffers when it's time to renew their certificates so that you never risk a compliance lapse. However, even non-mandatory training is a perfect fit for certification paths. For instance, launch an interpersonal or team building certification course for employees who want to move up the corporate ladder.
8. Social Learning Equipped With AI
The COVID crisis has reminded many of us just how social human beings truly are. This brings us to the final feature on the list, which is AI-powered social learning support. This function allows you to launch topic-based message boards to spark remote discussion and collaboration. Coworkers can follow boards based on their own gaps and goals, or even contribute User-Generated Content to facilitate knowledge sharing. Yet another AI must-have LMS feature is training recommendations. The platform suggests relevant courses on the personal landing page based on traits and interests.
How Do You Choose The Right Training Program For Skills Development?
Upskilling and reskilling training programs should be flexible but provide enough structure to achieve your organizational objectives on time. The right solution for your team greatly depends on your goals, gaps, and current L&D framework. The first step is to conduct a needs analysis to identify strengths and shortcomings, then clarify your budget and implementation schedule. Whether you choose to outsource or develop content internally, a Learning Management System will serve as the central hub. It's the virtual space where employees can access training materials quickly, but it also gives your L&D and HR teams the insights they require.
How The Right LMS Helps Overcome Challenges When Upskilling Staffers
Continuous learning in the workplace is the cornerstone of talent development and skill-building. The right LMS gives you all the actionable insights you need to enact change within your organization and foster lifelong learning. Adobe Captivate Prime features gamification, social learning support, and a variety of other tools to help you overcome obstacles and empower remote staffers. You can award badges to boost motivation and track performance, encourage peer-based feedback and collaboration, and identify patterns with intuitive data visualizations. In short, all your upskilling and reskilling needs can be handled under one virtual roof.
Download the eBook Upskilling And Reskilling Essentials: How To Address The Emerging Challenges Of The Future Of Work to learn how to foster internal talent, regardless of your budget or staff size. You can also join the webinar to leverage learning to move your business in the right direction.
