How Can You Create an Effective Employee Virtual Training Program?

Workplace training is an integral part of any company, regardless of industry or size. It ensures employees and business partners are always in line with the company’s goals and operations, as well as increase efficiency and lower the chance of mistakes.

Successful managers who know how to create a training program can reduce employee turnover and optimize the onboarding process. Many use virtual training labs to maximize the benefit they receive from such training programs.

Creating an effective training course in business is not incredibly easy, however. Does the program fall in line with the company’s overall goals? Is the material relevant to what the participants need? What should you do after the course to continue improving it?

Let’s talk about some tips, tricks, and strategies if you want to learn how to develop a virtual training program. There are entire books written about this subject, but the following should be an excellent starting point.

Step 1: Know the Goals of Your Training

Blindly adding an instruction program without knowing what you will do with it is a waste of resources. Why does your organization need training in the first place? Some common reasons are:

• A lack of employee productivity
• Legal troubles due to lack of compliance measures
• New product launches requiring knowledge of the features
• Changes in business operations

Once you’ve pinpointed the goals of your training, it’s time to begin the course development. Ensure that the training supports the ultimate goal and that the materials help the participants solve the problem facing the company.

Step 2: Have the Participants’ Needs in Mind

Corporate training not only raises the productivity of employees but also makes them happier and more confident in their abilities. The participants in your program will want to know that the coursework aligns with their workplace responsibilities.

Think about what type of training works best for your workplace. Some might appreciate in-person classroom-based exercises, while others aim for the convenience of virtual instructor-led training. Maybe a blended approach combining the benefits of both would work out best.

Step 3: Spell Out Parameters for Success

What are the learning objectives? In other words, what should participants gain when they finish the training program? Having a specific definition guides how you will develop the training program, and any assessment measures at the end will test for these objectives.

Learning objectives can come in the form of textbook knowledge or practical skills. Either way, use the acronym S.M.A.R.T. to define them:

• Specific (non-ambiguous and apparent)

• Measurable (easy to assess)

• Achievable (realistic)

• Relevant (important for the success of its participants)

• Time-bound (point of success is clearly defined)

Step 4: Develop the Materials

There are many different tools to help you generate instructional materials. Office programs are useful for writing outlines and notes. Slideshows are useful for instructor-led segments of the class.

Work with experts in your market to determine the most important skills and knowledge that your employees need to do their jobs effectively.

Step 5: Implement the Training Program

How you deliver workplace education matters just as much as what the content entails. A learning management system (LMS) is useful in this step for assigning, delivering, and tracking the progress of coursework.

Above all, consider using eLearning tools to capture the advantages of online-based training. There are third-party services that offer SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) training, which is accessible from any location at any time.

Online courses are also much more scalable and less expensive to implement than traditional approaches, though you could miss out on the hands-on experience that a classroom provides. Find a balance using a blended learning methodology if you consider it suitable.

Step 6: Evaluate Employee Progress

Business training design is not a “set it and forget it” project. After each session, try to find out how you can improve the coursework and delivery methods.

Obtain feedback from participants after each class in the form of a survey and use the data to make adjustments. Soon, you’ll see tangible benefits in your business’s overall performance thanks to your training program.

Take Advantage of Cloud Training with CloudShare

Does the convenience, accessibility, and affordability of cloud sales training sound attractive to you? Don’t start another business education program without it.

CloudShare offers businesses of all sizes access to versatile virtual IT labs. Whether you need proof of concept presentations, sandboxing environments, or corporate training services, CloudShare has you covered.