Using training budgets for virtual training
For many organisations, English is considered a basic skill for their workforce. To win high value commercial transactions and form profitable partnerships with overseas companies, businesses must establish relationships with their prospects and clients. This process relies on interactions which often involves input from whole teams of people. To achieve and maintain these relationships successfully, organisations usually set a minimum skill level benchmark for the whole team.
Having a workforce with the ability to communicate globally and across cultures is essential in building a resilient business that can adapt quickly to change. Whilst workers or recent graduates may already have some English skills, often they do not have the confidence or the specific vocabulary for their industry or role. Research by Pearson found that although 97% of global employees said that English is important in their profession, only 7% felt they could communicate effectively at work through email, telephone, at meetings or when making presentations.
The return on investment of workforce training can be instrumental to recruitment and business development, and it can be achieved in a cost-effective manner through virtual training.
Here are the top 5 reasons why you should factor in virtual training when setting a training budget for your organisation:
1. Virtual training does not disrupt productivity
Virtual training will cause minimal disruption to day-to-day business operations, and employees will be able to put their new skills into action immediately.
2. Better employee acceptance and compliance
Being able to train from the office or from home will be helpful for people with families or busy personal lives, and they will therefore be more receptive to learning that recognises that this balance is important.
3. Personalised learning plan and feedback
Choosing a course delivered by a person, rather than self-serve online apps, means employees will get tailored content aligned to the business objectives, their skills gaps, using real-life material directly relevant to their job function. Learning will be targeted and staff will achieve the level they need more quickly.
4. It will save you money
Changing priorities can be better handled if you choose training that allows for flexibility. This will help you stay within your budget and protect you against unexpected costs. Virtual training is still excellent quality, but is cheaper than face to face training as it comes with fewer overheads for the training provider. Prudent use of budgets is key and it can be useful to demonstrate that you have chosen an economical solution while achieving the company goals.
5. Lower your carbon footprint
Does your organisation have a corporate environmental policy or a legal obligation to report on its carbon emissions? According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, 2% of total global carbon emissions are from air travel. Investing in online learning for your staff can play a key role in reducing your company’s carbon impact and contribute to your green goals.
We are specialists in workforce training solutions.
How can we help you?
- Review your existing training processes and carry out a needs analysis
- Test your employees’ skills levels
- Recommend training options
- Provide training
- Provide ongoing skills monitoring
What will you gain?
- Cost-effective virtual training solutions
- Accelerated training delivery and efficient reporting
- Increased employee engagement and confidence
- Improved international communications leading to better business performance
More from the corporate blog:
- How to assess the language levels of your employees: a step-by-step guide
- How to adapt your cultural style and language for virtual networking
Find out more
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