Like every aspect of business, corporate training is in flux as companies revamp their training regimes to provide critical ongoing support to their employees. Ongoing corporate training programs are critical to the growth of individual people and the furtherance of the company’s goals as a whole, and that is why the historic mission of human resource departments, employee onboarding, has exited the human resource office as learning and development programs move out to the sales floor and the customer service phones.

The corporate trainer of yesterday has been replaced by the savvy floor manager of today who understands that there should be little daylight between the day-to-day working operation of their employees, and the ongoing learning and development that will continuously hone their skills moving forward. Furthermore, the ongoing commitment to your employee’s growth signals to them that you are committed to their professional development. Employees, who feel as if they are in the loop and being groomed for professional success, are far less likely to leave their position in search of greener fields. By reducing the attrition rate alone, companies are more than recouping any training costs by not having to make the expensive investment in hiring an entirely new staff every three months.

Corporate training trends

When exploring corporate training trends and conducting a corporate training industry analysis, you may see that the old notions that governed the corporate training market have changed dramatically over the past decade. Indeed, trends in corporate training are tilting towards the harnessing of training technology trends and recognizing that employee development is an ongoing process that doesn’t end after the employee’s first few days or weeks on the job. In fact, trends in training and development indicate that ongoing support is instrumental to employee retention rates, and successfully providing a sense of purpose and community within the company for the employee.

New trends in corporate training will mirror and expand on the corporate training industry and online employee training and development trends that we saw last year. Towards that end, we can expect to see an increased reliance on the use of learning management software, and an increased commitment to ongoing training that enhances the employee’s skills and contributes to the company’s mission.

New trends in corporate training will mirror and expand on the corporate training industry trends that we saw last year. Towards that end, expect to see increased reliance on the use of learning management software, and a ready commitment to ongoing training that enhances the employee’s skills and contributes to the company’s mission.

Helpful corporate training materials

The best corporate training software supports a variety of training materials. Some examples of different forms of corporate training materials are course kits, training manuals, instructor guides, PowerPoint slides, exercises, quick reference guides, video training clips, and books and eBooks. There are many online learning platforms that consolidate all of these corporate training materials into one place. Online corporate training is quickly gaining ground due to the following advantages:

  • Online classes offer flexibility for busy employees. You can allow employees to take classes through online corporate training during the workday or fit it into their evenings. Online classes are available to your employees whenever they have spare time to take them. They can do the online classes while traveling, at work, or during downtime at work.
  • Online training software also saves employees time. Your employees will not have to set aside time to commute to the classes. Instead, whenever they have some spare time, they can simply open up their laptop and make some progress.
  • Online classes are cost-effective. Online classes typically cost less because you don’t have to pay professionals to travel to your office and work directly with your employees. Online classes also cost less due to the elimination of all the costs associated with live classes, such as the classroom.
  • Online learning is simple and easy. All your employees will need for online learning is a computer and access to the Internet. In most cases, they can start immediately after signing up. In general, online learning involves reading the material, completing exercises for practice and retention, and taking quizzes and tests at the end of every unit to test learning.

The list of online learning platforms to choose from is long and constantly growing. This is because many companies are beginning to realize the many advantages of online learning platforms for training platforms. The best corporate training software typically offers support for a course management system or learning platform.

The importance of corporate training programs

Not all employees develop evenly, so there is no one-plan-fits-all when it comes to developing company training programs for them. As such, management training programs, utilizing training technology trends, are recasting the way firms train and maintain their pool of talent. The beauty of technology-based learning modules is the ease in which training programs are created. Simply stated, all corporate training managers need to do is create training programs with training software, based on your training goals,

The new rationale behind corporate training programs is the realization that “if it can’t be measured, then it cannot be managed.” As such, training programs establish built-in metrics that allow the training supervisor to establish firm benchmarks for success. All a supervisor needs to do is plan their lesson based on their goals, build the lesson in Lessonly, and then track employee progress to document who has done what and how well they completed the lessons.

The new face of corporate management training programs understands that the bulk of corporate training will be conducted far afield from the traditional human resource setting. More often than not, this ongoing learning and development will be under the tutelage of the employee’s day-to-day supervisor, and this hands-on immediacy allows for specific targeting of problem areas in the department whether it is on the sales floor or the customer service phone banks.

Never stop growing.

Best practices from corporate training companies

Like most things in life, some people excel at accomplishing certain things while others do not. When it comes to assessing the success of a company’s training program, certain teams stand out as committed to the mission of ongoing development. Indeed, regardless of their core business model, they are also known as “corporate training software companies.” Training Magazine releases an annual report that highlights those companies that go the extra mile in the training and retention of their employees.

The report notes that of the 125 corporate training software companies highlighted, certain characteristics emerged in the training realm that set them apart from others. Specifically, these companies devote both time and resources into developing the ideal workforce, which makes them the best training companies to work for when employees are looking for a partner in career development. Furthermore, these companies provide a great example for corporate training organizations looking for models to emulate.

Just some of those successful characteristics include:

  • Mean training budget represents almost 6% of payroll
  • Nearly all, 99%, of companies offer tuition reimbursement programs
  • Successful companies utilize satisfaction surveys, competency maps, personal development plans
  • More than two-thirds tie supervisor compensation to employee development progress

The best training companies have earned that status based on the investment they make in their employee’s continued development. The companies that offer the best employee training software or the best corporate training software also focus on tracking and reporting their training efforts. That way, you will have a good idea of how your company is improving in terms of the training of employees. Based on these reports and the training tracker, you will also be able to pinpoint new areas for improvement in terms of training employees with the employee training management software.

Getting started with your corporate training program

Corporate training software is a necessity in your training program. Lessonly by Seismic is a SaaS specializing in employee enablement, training, and coaching. By using our automated learning software and incorporating corporate training trends, you can have employees up-to-speed in no time.

We believe that great learning sets the foundation for great performance. Lessonly enables effective learning in a timely manner. This way, everybody wins; employees gain confidence in their jobs and grow in the company. The company sees less turnover, less cost, and a better culture. Interested in learning more? Schedule a demo.