For both in-person and virtual instructor-led training (VILT) courses, organizations need capable people to engage learners and effectively deliver content. However, finding or developing great instructors, who can deliver the training and a positive learner experience in a cost-effective way, can be difficult.
Strategically sourcing your training delivery through a managed learning services (MLS) partner can become a key component to the success of your L&D operations and a competitive advantage to your company.
The Challenges of In-House ILT Delivery
The push to include as much digital learning as possible is popular because it minimizes instructor-led training (ILT), one of the most expensive types of training. Many organizations have dramatically reduced their training staff in response to this shift, but there is still a need for ILT in most industries. There will always be instances when your people need in-person, hands-on experience with equipment and techniques that high-tech solutions like augmented or virtual reality cannot replicate.Here are some challenges when managing ILT in-house:
- Employing, certifying, and maintaining the qualifications of a pool of instructors can be costly and time intensive.
- The bandwidth and availability of in-house instructors can easily become stretched thin.
- Trainers often need to teach in a variety of formats, which is not always a reasonable ask.
- In-person training content delivered in a local language can be expensive and difficult to support.
- Forecasting future learning needs can be demanding.
Strategically outsourcing training delivery services can address many of these challenges.
4 Reasons Strategic Sourcing Will Transform Your Training
There are several benefits to strategically sourcing training delivery through an MLS provider:1. Training is more localized and learner focused.
MLS providers have access to an expansive pool of professional trainers. Having a network of qualified candidates means you have quick access to instructors in multiple locations who have various skill sets, qualifications, and experiences.
Many MLS providers also offer virtual producers with an intimate understanding of the technology needed to host and manage VILT sessions. Leveraging virtual producers helps reduce disruptions and improves the learner experience.
2. Training processes will be more efficient and cost effective.
Training partners standardize the expensive and time-consuming processes necessary to properly identify, select, onboard, qualify, manage, and evaluate instructors.
By leveraging standardized procedures, your training partner will use data to determine the best instructor for your need, considering past instructor performance, availability, expertise, location, and experience level. Leveraging this pool of instructors provides a level of readiness not attainable when training delivery is handled within your organization.
3. You will be more agile and able to respond to variability in training demand.
Because your organization now has access to great instructors who can meet your specific needs in real time, your entire organization will become more agile and better equipped to react to changes in your industry.
The demands of training can fluctuate for many reasons. When you strategically source your training delivery, you no longer need to be concerned with maintaining a full training staff. You can focus on planning for future needs and optimizing current processes.
4. The administrative burden on L&D teams will be alleviated.
Performance management and maintaining training rigor require valuable attention. When you strategically outsource time-consuming and cost-intensive processes, you greatly lessen your L&D team’s administrative burden.
When they’re no longer concerned with maintaining candidates and managing performance, your L&D team can focus on more important endeavors, like optimizing current processes and building new programs.
