How do you cut training costs and still retain quality?

The UK news isn’t painting a positive financial picture of late.

• Reports of rising fuel prices with young drivers hit hard after a record three and half year high; 11% of drivers are cutting back on car use. [1]

• A third of British homeowners are now priced out of their own property at today’s value with the average property now coming in at £220,962. [2]

• Retailers recently suffered a sharp sales drop owing to a squeeze in household budgets and a lack of consumer spending. [3]

It’s therefore no surprise L&D teams are having to think smart with how they invest their money. The cost of face-to-face training hasn’t reduced over the years and the digital solution of e-learning can similarly be as expensive and/or not an appropriate equivalent.

So how can you save money on workplace training, deliver suitable opportunities for staff development and keep the personal interaction e-learning often lacks?

A virtual classroom may provide the answer

An online environment that allows for live, collaborate and interactive learning.

Attendees participate remotely and fully engage with other learners, communicating and sharing through a structured approach to the delivery. Training takes place over a series of sessions, so learning is achieved in short bursts – a more effective and modern approach to training delivery and no expense costs to be reimbursed…

Virtual classrooms are used for many learning purposes – management training for example, change management awareness, skills improvement, new systems training and more.

The structure of a virtual classroom training programme can vary, based on the number of participants, the need for the training and the subject matter. The training is delivered in plenary (one room/screen) and/or in smaller groups via online breakout rooms to focus attention and discussion.

Real-life examples:

• The British Council used virtual classrooms to implement a new HR and management programme across locations worldwide, covering over 30 countries.

• Blue Cross used virtual classrooms to reach a wide audience of volunteers and staff – reach included retail outlets, animal care centres and volunteer homes, two different target audiences covering 400 people.

• Royal Bank of Scotland required a more effective use of an existing platform. They cut costs by adapting content from face-to-face training across the UK, Europe and USA and ensured their staff were fully trained.

Virtual classrooms provide an interactive and engaging approach to workplace learning and a smart solution to cutting costs – not quality.

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