Using Virtual Instructor Led Training To Address Key Challenges 

Although moving from Instructor Led Training (ILT) in to virtual Instructor Led Training or (vILT) is not as widespread as one would think, it definitely is something that companies looking to maintain a talented workforce should seriously begin to plan for and build into their learning strategies and budgets.

Some of the key reasons for doing this include the growing Millennial workforce as well as smaller budgets for learning and development with growing learning groups and lastly, the consistent increase in popularity of the remote workforce.The Millennials

While Millennials are always looking for growth opportunities within their organization, they do not enjoy spending long periods of time in traditional classroom settings to learn.  What they do adapt well to are shorter snippets of information and content that can be accessed online or via their mobile devices.

Organizations that can build training modules that move to vILT and adopt some of these aspects will find a higher success rate of engagement with this demographic than with a conventional in-class structure. 

Shrinking Budgets, Larger Groups

Many of our clients here at TrainingFolks continue to be challenged with growing learning groups and smaller budgets to develop and deliver content.  There are a number of budget related benefits to moving from ILT to vILT.

Firstly, when dealing with larger groups that are geographically spread out, introducing a vILT course can cut down the costs of travel.  Tied with travel costs is the spend related to accommodations for those that may have to come in to a central location from other offices.

Another great way to cut costs with vILT is with training materials and job aides.  When providing a virtual course these materials can be created and made available via digital media and online tools.

Remote Workforce

A key challenge for companies with a large remote workforce as well as a larger Millennial workforce which prefers flexibility, is how to get everyone together for traditional ILT sessions.

Offering vILT to remote employees positively reflects the company’s attitude towards supporting this style of work and ensures that those that are working from home can still be part of the organization’s growth and learning culture.  It is important to ensure that your remote employees have the same access to the course as your in-house employees which could require an additional step in the planning and development process.

Overall moving to vILT is a great way to start shifting the organization towards a more robust form of learning and development that can easily adjust to changes in size, locations and demographics of the workforce. 

Before trying to adapt your current ILT  courses to vILT programs however, it is important to ensure that some key factors are considered.  These include having an instructor that can make the move from delivering in a live classroom to one that is virtual, as well as fully understanding what documentation will need to be moved online and most importantly, what your learning objectives are before you get started. 

Start planning for your shift to vILT with this free download on 6 Tips to Ensure A Smooth Transition from ILT to vILT today.

Remember to get in touch with the global training experts at TrainingFolks for further assistance on your upcoming vILT projects or to work with a contract vILT trainer.