Right-for-our-time training: reduce cost not volume or quality
‘Right for our time’ training
In times of financial turmoil, organisations often look upon training as a soft target, something that won’t be missed for a while. So it becomes one of the first budgets to be reduced or even cut completely. This can prove a false economy.
While training should take its fair share of budget cuts, failure to develop staff hits competence, motivation, productivity and, ultimately, customer service and profitability - just at the time when finding and keeping customers is an imperative. When everyone else is following the traditional line of reducing training why not gain competitive advantage by maintaining your investment in people and performance, but at a significantly lower cost?
Traditional classroom-based training is both expensive and time-consuming. For many subjects it can be replaced with equally educationally-effective but lower-cost interactive, online learning. Text-based and fully-featured eLearning further reduces costs and administrative overheads.
Text is a familiar medium to learners and with proper pedagogical design is a dynamic and engaging form of study. A wide range of interactive devices can be incorporated to make the learning fully immersive, together with self-assessment to reinforce study and to provide evidence of understanding and progress. The addition of graphics, audio and video elements can be achieved economically where their use is essential for the learning design.
On-line learning creates the initial knowledge and then remains available to remind people of that knowledge when they require it in their jobs.
Echelon has been producing effective learning programmes for more than 20 years. Much of our content is custom produced for clients who demand the educational rigour of effectively designed material but who also seek ease of access, flexibility of use and economy. Echelon has also built a library of more than 2,000 generic learning modules that offers even lower-cost access to quality learning and development (www.learningmatters.com).
Developed using our own authoring tool and content management system (CMS) we are able to produce materials both quickly and economically, and then publish to print, on-line and mobile device. The authoring tool uses Microsoft Word as its author interface enabling client staff to collaborate in the development of materials and to take future editing and updating in-house using a familiar tool.
Well-designed text-based learning delivers knowledge and skills efficiently and can be deployed quickly, another bonus in times of rapid change. So, rather than follow the herd and the ‘conventional wisdom’ of only developing staff when times are good, invest wisely now to capture new customers and retain employee and customer loyalty. It will provide you with a competitive edge at the time you most need it and give your company a head start when the economy revives.
Take a look at our introductory video that explains our process.
Echelon, Angles House, 210 Sheen Lane, London SW14 8LB; 020 8274 9965