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Online training: The new normal

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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a big impact on the delivery of continuing professional development (CPD) in the workplace. Initially face-to-face courses were postponed and then subsequently cancelled. When people were forced to work from home, employers took the opportunity to use the time for training, often setting training tasks to do while working from home. The mode of delivery changed and online modules were launched allowing staff to access training materials online and work through at their own pace at a time that suited them.  Courses requiring tutor input and discussion were adapted and again the mode of delivery changed; technology was used to deliver training at a distance via Teams, Zoom or Skype. Employees were able to learn while at home. In fact, one positive that could be said to come from the lockdown is the increased CPD that took place.

Employers are now seeing the advantages of online training over face-to-face courses. For a start, there is no travel involved, reducing time and also costs, with no need to pay transport costs. Moreover, the reduction in travelling should have a positive impact on the environment. Furthermore, more people may be likely to attend the training if they know it does not involve a long journey to a distant venue. And a big advantage is that the cost of the training itself is usually cheaper, not requiring the hire of a central venue, often a hotel, no cost of catering and no travel or overnight expenses for the course leader.

Also, online learning modules which one can work through independently have lots of benefits. There is much greater flexibility and allows CPD to fit into our own schedule, which is better for other work and family commitments. Now that many of us have experienced online learning and have discovered the numerous pluses, there might be a reluctance to go back to the old-style mode of face-to-face CPD. It is true, the nice lunch and day out of the office might be missed by many of us, but on the whole it is very likely that conventional CPD is a thing of the past, replaced by online learning.

Of course, online learning is not new and many universities already offer degree courses via distance learning. However, now, other professional bodies and CPD providers are delivering training via virtual courses or providing online resources for self-study. Do you provide training or continued professional development? Have you had to cancel courses due to the current situation? If so, you could be missing an opportunity if you are not providing online training. Moreover, by providing training online, you could reach a far wider audience.

Participants at face-to-face courses are usually restricted to certain numbers due to the venue capacity. There is greater flexibility with online courses and the possibility to allow more course participants. Furthermore, you could offer your course more widely and perhaps across different countries. Some training may be country specific but other training might be suitable across borders. With so many people wanting to continue with lifelong learning, either for professional reasons or for enjoyment, you could reach a larger audience quite easily and quickly, simply by translating your training materials and publicity. If you need your training resources and presentations translated into another language to reach a further target audience, Linguation.com can support with this.

Linguation.com is an online translation agency with a team of professional linguists worldwide. The agency offers professional translation in a vast number of language combinations. Moreover, Linguation.com has a team of translators with expert knowledge of a range of specialist areas, including business, legal, technical and medical fields. Whatever sector your CPD training is aimed at, Linguation.com will assign an expert translator to your course materials.

More information about Linguation.com can be found at: www.linguation.com/en.

Author bio: Daniela Engels is marketing lead at Linguation.com, an online translation agency based in Munich, Germany.

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