Today’s enterprises frequently find themselves in a position where they’re taking on many tasks that fall outside the scope of their core expertise. Increasingly, delivering specialized training and education content is among those tasks, whether that means helping employees meet professional development requirements or getting channel partners up to speed on products, services, and processes. Creating those resources and delivering them effectively can often mean the difference between a growing business and one that can’t seem to take the step to the next level.
Features of a Mature Learning Program
Organizations must do more than simply offer a basic portfolio of course content if they want to build an education program that keeps learners engaged. At best, this approach leads to a reactive learning framework that reflexively responds to the immediate needs of a vocal minority of learners rather than making proactive decisions to create a long-term development strategy.
Successful professional development programs tend to have several features in common that allow them to take a more innovative approach to engaging learners and meeting their continuing education needs.
Strong Leadership
One of the most difficult challenges for any organization is securing buy-in for sweeping change or challenging initiatives. Without the right leadership in place that’s capable of articulating the desired vision and goals for a learning framework, it’s almost impossible to successfully implement the necessary processes, technology, and planning to achieve them. The most effective leaders also hold themselves and others accountable for results as well as constantly push to improve, explore new opportunities and find ways of doing things.
Clear Strategy
Mature learning frameworks are complex systems with multiple interconnected elements. Managing those resources requires a careful strategy that minimizes ambiguity and clearly defines learning objectives and key metrics correlated with high performance. Good programs are able to identify existing development needs and also predict where learning trends will be moving in the future, which allows them to generate content and resources that engages with learners at all points of their professional journey.
Robust Technology
Today’s organizations depend heavily upon online tools to deliver learning content. With in-person training options still limited due to public health concerns, virtual and on-demand resources make it possible for learners to remotely access the material they need for training and professional development. Mature learning frameworks leverage technology to deliver educational content over a variety of channels for a personalized experience that keeps learners coming back for more. When learning systems integrate with other essential business platforms to share data and track continuing education credits, they make it much easier for organizations to manage their training and development strategy.
Strong Marketing
The best continuing education content in the world won’t provide much benefit to learners if no one knows it exists or where it’s available. Organizations with mature learning frameworks understand this and have implemented marketing campaigns that reach out to carefully segmented personas across a variety of channels with specialized messages. These companies also understand the broader market and have identified ways to make their brand stand out from the competition.
Building a Mature Learning Program with the Right LMS
Although having the ideal technology in place is just one component of a truly mature learning framework, it’s often the most important on a day-to-day basis. Without an online education system capable of delivering content and cultivating an engaging experience across multiple devices, platforms, and channels, no amount of leadership, strategic planning, or marketing will be able to produce better learning outcomes.
Selecting the ideal learning management system (LMS) to support those objectives doesn’t have to be difficult. Organizations simply need to prioritize the features needed to make their learning strategy a reality. Customizable interfaces and centralized learning hubs make it easier for learners to navigate content and find the courses and materials they’re looking for without difficulty. Since not everyone will be accessing those resources from a traditional desktop computer, the LMS should also support multiple devices without compromising the overall user experience.
Personalization is essential for almost every business today. A 2019 McKinsey study found that companies utilizing personalization techniques can increase their revenue by up to 15 percent. The research firm also predicts that almost 30 percent of global sales will go through personalized ecosystems by 2025. An LMS platform capable of supporting personalized learning paths can structure content around highly specialized and unique learner needs, from delivering essential training to building competencies as part of a pathway to certifications. Systems that incorporate an assessment and testing engine make it even easier to prepare for certification and licensure tests. They can also make life simpler for learners and staff alike by quickly issuing and tracking continuing education credits without having to rely on a separate system.
Partnering with a learning technology provider that also offers comprehensive content creation is another good way for organizations to build a mature learning program. Experienced instructional designers can help them create course material that aligns with both immediate needs and long-term learning goals. For organizations that lack the expertise to produce content with interactive features and high-quality audio/video elements, working with a trusted partner who is steeped in the latest learning engagement trends can ensure that their learning resources stand out from the competition.
Enhance Your Learning Framework with Crowd Wisdom
The award-winning Crowd Wisdom LMS is a powerful tool for enterprises looking to give their mature learning program the versatile platform it needs to deliver the learning experience today’s professionals are looking for. With a centralized learning hub that features built-in authoring and curriculum development tools, reporting tools that make it easy to evaluate learning efficacy, and seamless integration into AMS/CRM platforms, Crowd Wisdom offers the robust features organizations need to build a sustainable and scalable learning strategy.
To learn more about Crowd Wisdom’s versatile capabilities, talk to one of our LMS experts today to schedule a guided demo of the platform.
