The COVID-19 pandemic has altered traditional workplace dynamics, and we now witness the “New Normal” of remote operations. While the percentage of organisations with remote workforces may diminish over time, it is clear that working remotely will continue to be an integral part of organisations in the future. This includes organisations who need to train their teams; organisations who have traditionally had an onsite or trainer-led approach to their employee training will have experienced a significant impact. With the training landscape continuing to evolve in favour of online training solutions, it is clear that Learning and Development teams will need to adjust their strategies in order to deliver seamless training results.

Onboarding
The onboarding phase of employee development is perhaps one of the most challenging process faced by an organisations Learning and Development team. There is a need to constantly ensure that new team members have been onboarded in such a way that they are immediately exposed to the company culture, this has become particularly important in remote workforces. The process of a smooth onboarding cannot be overstated – it is not only essential for the easy handover of employees, but also to ensure that the work culture is handed over with a clear idea of how to use the training platform sustainably. The least challenging way to effectively onboard new employees is through a simple, easy-to-use Learner Management System (LMS). FUEL’s unique LMS has been developed to ensure that all users are constantly engaged in a dynamic, yet cost-effective manner and are continually assessed against their roles and given the required training at the right time in accordance with their learning pathways. The LMS is created in line with an organisations corporate identity, and enables managers to administer users and track learners progress.
Change management
Effective change management plays a vital role in the success of online training implementation. Large businesses that are looking to revise their employee development strategy, often have a defined Learning and Development team, with well-established budgets and training strategies in place. However, with the majority of the world’s workforce now working remotely, and the rise in online training and technological advancement, the accepted traditional training practices are becoming archaic, costly and unsafe in comparison to the efficiency of online training. The biggest challenge to businesses in this situation, is the effective integration of online training into an environment used to traditional training methods. Weaning the work culture onto new methodologies requires diligence and guidance from a trusted online training service provider.
Content
As with the integration of online training into a workplace culture that is set in traditional training patterns, content becomes a challenge. All training content needs to be revised to suit the new training strategy and adjusted to suit the online training methodology. No content is unusable; all existing legacy content can be adjusted to suit delivery through an online training methodology, organisations just need to understand how to utilize what currently exists. An experienced online training service provider, like FUEL, is more than capable of ensuring that all existing content is revised and utilized so no skills knowledge is lost during the implementation phase. FUEL excels at successfully converting existing training content into engaging, online training modules for maximum return on investment. We offer a full-service production service, from script to screen. Our ‘Presenter to camera’ methodology provides a vital transitional link for learners moving from classroom-based learning to online training. Our green-screen studio is equipped with state-of-the-art camera and lighting equipment and we offer a range of production packages to meet both your learning objectives and your budget.
Support
I order to ensure the success of your new online training platform, support is vital. Your Learning and Development team is the first area of support; encouraging employees to engage with the training content and explaining its value. Employees are eager to engage with training content once they realise the value is what is offered. Without the support of the Learning and Development team, and organisations online training platform runs the risk of failing before it has the chance to fully integrate into their work culture.
It is also essential to bear in mind that for many employees, this may be their first time interacting with an online training platform. Having easily-accessible technological assistance available to employees with help to guarantee the successful adoption of the online training platform into your work culture. FUEL’s Customer Support department is dedicated to ensuring that our users are supported in their learning endeavours quickly and efficiently, and that service levels are met and exceeded. Our Support Centre makes regular inbound and outbound calls to all your training sites to provide general information and training. Our team takes great pride in the role we play in educating the thousands of users we support and will continue to find ways in which to improve our service to our end users.
Learner engagement
The organisations Learning and Development team is a strong influencer when it comes to ensuring employee engagement with training. Making the LMS the go-to platform when any sort of training or workplace assistance is required will contribute to the success of your training strategy. The LMS needs to be treated as only one part of a whole – it cannot stand alone as an island where occasional training is done. Employees need to think of it as their resource whenever they feel they need some assistance in learning how to complete a work-related task, or job.
There are plenty of opportunities and challenges facing businesses that are looking at revising their employee development strategy. Ensuring that you work with a trusted online training service provider will ensure the successful implementation of an online training academy into your business.