As we launch our new charities campaign we wanted to consider why, as a charity, you should be using e-learning.
After all, the idea of training online and at your own pace can seem quite alien, especially when most of us were taught in a classroom environment when going through school. Or maybe some of your team are technophobes who think, “I couldn’t possibly do that…”
But today, learning and technology are essential; and they work side-by-side to help us work safely and within the law.
Most charities have part-time staff and volunteers distributed in different places – getting people together in a room to do training is very difficult and is often prohibitively expensive.
It typically also requires staff resources to organise; people who are likely better used on more productive tasks.
So, here are our Top 5 reasons why we are passionate in our belief that all charities should implement and love e-learning.
1. More money towards a good cause
In recent times, a big topic in the media has been the amount of money donated to charities and how much of it actually goes to the cause. With e-learning, it’s as easy to manage 10,000 learners as it is to manage one; making it more cost-effective with every new learner.
Compared with traditional classroom style sessions, you can expect to save over 50% on your training costs per year and that means more money can go towards the causes that charities so tirelessly work for.
2. Increase staff productivity
42% of organisations who invest in quality online training say that their revenue has increased*. How?
By implementing e-learning and giving your staff the ability to manage their own training, you are empowering them. This makes staff more capable of dealing with situations as they arise. It represents career progression in their skill-sets. It creates loyalty and increases motivation. As a result, staff perform better and productivity increases.
Many of our customers first come to us for compliance – to do the training that they absolutely have to do in order to stay the right side of the law. But many stay with us because, far from just ticking boxes, training proves to be a valuable productivity asset for the entire organisation.
3. Learn and Refresh
Classroom training is great from an interactive point of view, but once the session is done… it’s done. How much do learners remember if it’s not something that is either implemented repeatedly or there are opportunities to revise the training?
As a result, the effectiveness of classroom training can tail off and ROI is difficult to measure. Of course, arranging follow-up sessions can be very expensive.
With e-learning, each learner’s progress can be measured with continuous questioning throughout the training commitment. With Me Learning the learner will be able to access their courses for a full 12 months – even after the course has been completed – so that their knowledge can be revised and refreshed.
Many organisations choose to make this sort of refresher mandatory every 3-6 months; especially as it doesn’t cost a penny more!
4. Herding cats!
So many of our charity clients say the same thing – and it always makes us laugh: “organising classroom training is like herding cats!” The administration effort required to book rooms and trainers, paying them and inviting attendees is always greater than anyone anticipates. And that’s before you deal with the complexity of people who don’t receive their invitations or miss the session.
There will always be legitimate reasons why attendees can’t attend on the day – which then begs the question: do you run another session, with all the associated expense? It is inevitable that, sometimes, training sessions will need to be cancelled and/or rescheduled, which adds the additional – and unrewarded – effort of getting in touch with everyone and repeating the whole process all over again. Any ‘course administrator’ (for which, read ‘unsung hero’) will relate to all this.
E-learning eradicates all this pressure and time-wasting at a stroke; replacing it with an easy digital workflow whereby you can set users up (individually or in bulk) and let learners themselves schedule their own training.
It’s simpler and more efficient for administrators – our Learning Managing System (LMS) will automatically remind learners to log in and complete courses, and even handle the distribution of credits and certificates. But it’s also more effective for your organisation: with more flexibility, more learners will participate; and enjoy their training.
5. Everyone needs their space
One factor that many Learning & Development managers may recognise in feedback from learners, is that the training content in this sector can sometimes be very emotionally challenging, complex and difficult to digest. Courses such as Child Sexual Exploitation or Modern Slavery are good examples of this problem.
A classroom may not always be the ideal environment for these potentially upsetting subjects – especially as in a group situation, less confident learners may not want to raise a hand and admit to feeling uncomfortable. As a result, in classroom settings, some learners may not take in all the necessary information, and this can lead to problems further down the line.
Again, with e-learning, your staff can complete training in convenient chunks, as and when they are able and feel comfortable doing so. The system will pick up from when the learner last left off if they take a break, and it is easy to go back to recap and review material.
If a learner has had a busy day or simply isn’t in the mood – no problem: e-learning is not tied to a single time or event. The learning process becomes more enjoyable and meaningful when learners can work at their own pace and even in their own space.
We hope you find these reasons to consider e-learning relevant and compelling. They are all based on our experience and real conversations with our customers across the charity and welfare sectors.
If you would like us to help you further build a business case for e-learning with your management team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
If you are a charity and would like to speak to us as to how we can support your training needs, take a look at our charities page , email us or call 01273 499100.