Life never stands still: There’s always something more to do, somewhere to go, someone to see. We’re always in motion. Indeed, we need that impetus to move forward.
The same goes with your employees’ careers. Perhaps you’ve onboarded some great new talent, they’re doing a great job and everything’s fantastic right now, but eventually they’ll feel the need to move onward and upward. And, of course, you’ll want them to stay with your organization if possible, so it makes sense to give your employees a helping hand up by keeping them up to date with developments in your corporate field and by encouraging them to keep learning.
eLearning isn’t just the best, most convenient way to help everybody with their professional development; it’s also a fantastic tool for career advancement.
You’re probably thinking right now, “Hold on, isn’t professional development the same as career advancement?” The answer is, well, not exactly.
You see, anyone can develop their professional skills via eLearning, but that doesn’t necessarily make them eligible for a promotion. It just means they’re getting better at doing the job they are doing right now. So how can you use the opportunities that your LMS offers to help your people move up in your company?
Careers take off when you maximize every learning opportunity
The first step relies on engaging your employees’ curiosity, ambition and drive to learn. Encourage them to do research and, during the evaluation process, discuss the training opportunities that are available. Remember, active learners are a huge asset in the corporate workplace, as they are more engaged and productive.
Online learning gives them the chance to learn when they can and at their own pace, but crucially it also offers them choice. While these learners may have to go through the same training that everyone in your teams is required to do, as the course creator you can expand on that, either by providing more in-depth study or work in a related field. Your LMS is infinitely flexible and customizable right down to the individual employee, so it’s easy for you to make it work!
There have never been so many opportunities to learn online.
Employees don’t have to rely solely on the training your organization offers: there are literally millions of courses out there, from bespoke corporate training solutions to free Massive Open Online Courses (or MOOCs) offered by some of the world’s leading universities. Since many of these courses come with certification, they can work towards boosting their chances for career advancement and add some serious luster to their CVs.
It’s not just the sheer breadth of knowledge that can be acquired – it’s the fact that there have never been so many opportunities to access that knowledge. Whether they’re on their PC, tablet or smartphone, your employees will find that there’s an online learning solution right at their fingertips.
Here’s a figure for you to consider – according to the ATD, in the USA alone, research suggests that by 2020, 60% of all new jobs will require skills that only 20% of the working population actually have – and these percentages are changing in a corporate environment where more and more work is automated.
Now, are you sure that they’re well inside that twenty percent, or better still, in the ten percent? It clearly makes sense to provide every possible opportunity for study so that your employees and your organization stay ahead of the curve.
So, eLearning gives you the best possible chance of staying ahead of the competition in terms of breadth, but we also shouldn’t forget that its flexibility means that you can access the most cutting-edge, up-to-date training and knowledge out there, meaning that you’ll have the edge over rivals when it comes to moving up.
When employees get ahead, employers win big
It’s not just the employee who benefits from advancing their career, however: Employers can also find it extremely useful. In a crowded corporate marketplace, it’s never been more vital to attract the best and brightest talent to your organization.
One of the best ways to do that is to have a robust and comprehensive LMS in place. Ensure you have created a training ecosystem that takes care of everything to do with learning, from onboarding new employees to supporting them in their roles, and offering them the opportunity to flourish within your organization.
This kind of professional development and career advancement support is enormously appealing, as it shows that you treat your workforce as the valuable assets they are. It goes without saying that employees who feel supported in this way are more content and more likely to produce outstanding work.
It should be mentioned, however, that online learning doesn’t need to be career-specific. In fact, engaging with topics that are, as it were, off topic, is a great way to create a more rounded, holistic knowledge set. In a working world where cross-disciplinary thinking can lead to intriguing and exciting innovations, having the right eLearning tools in place can be great for business!
Conclusion
We never stop moving onward, and lifelong learning is a crucial part of this impetus. By embracing all the scope that eLearning offers, you won’t just feel more motivated and engaged with the job you love, you’ll open up exciting new horizons in your career.
