Since it introduction to the workplace in the early 2000s, online training has grown to nearly a $100 billion global business by 2015, and is expected to top out at $325 billion by 2025. Online training videos offers a number of advantages that make it attractive to both employers and employees alike. The online platform is cost effective, customizable, company and industry specific, and easily accessible from anywhere there is an internet connection. Also,the training software is flexible so that it can accommodate specialized training for individual companies.
Perhaps the most popular advantage to online company training is its flexibility. It is time-independent, therefore employees can work at their own pace or a schedule determined by the employer. It also allows the employee to repeat sections of a course, if desired, or the entire course, if necessary. The training content is usually streamed through the platform, but it can be offered on DVD. Most of the online video training platforms are browser-based, meaning the employee can access the training from anywhere by simply logging into the training site with a unique username and password. There is a system administrator who chooses and assigns courses, monitors progress and scoring. The most popular types of online training including:
- HR, ethics and compliance such as workplace violence and sexual harassment
- Environmental and health
- Safety, e.g., OSHA standards and requirements
- Quality systems
- Utilities
- Insurance and finance
- Industrial skills
- Food safety
- Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response or HAZWOPER
Research compiled as recent at 2018 suggests that online sexual harassment training was more effective for most employees than face-to-face training, and that the most notable determining factors were the quality of the training material and execution of the presentation. The National Safety Council online training platform is used by many companies to address basic safety fundamentals and offers individual, company, as well as state-specific training. The customization feature of an online video training platform is a situation employers in Delaware are facing. In the wake of increased scrutiny being placed on sexual harassment following the #MeToo movement, the state legislature passed HB 360, the Delaware Discrimation Act, which addressed sexual harassment in the workplace and responsibilites of both employers and employees. Among other things, the bill required employers to provide interactive training to all employees on the subject. To address this important issue, many Delaware companies turned to online training platforms which had developed specialized training on the Delaware sexual harassment law.
New information on the future of online training discusses the reductions in the limitations to the technology, therefore more sophisticated presentations with virtual learning, animation, interactivity and employee customizable features will be advanced. Online training is not going anywhere, as it is growing in popularity with both employers and employees.
Some individuals do better at self guided study than others, but research indicates that these same individuals have a similar attitude toward both types of training. Most employees surveyed had positive feelings about online training and believed they enjoyed the training more, and experienced greater comprehension and retention of the material. Another of the notable points made by employees who had experience with training online, is by removing the human element, there was not a possibility of personality clashes with an instructor.
As online training continues to develop, more and more uses will no doubt emerge. Just as employers in Delaware are using it to address their compliance issues, there is ample potential for the online training platform going forward.
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