The specific, measurable and proven benefits of online learning

It's a new year, and your C-Suite has big plans for the business in 2018 – more development, bigger growth and higher productivity.

But great things don't happen without great people. Building the workforce you need involves either development or recruitment – and the latter is more difficult than ever.

The CIPD Resourcing and Talent Planning Survey 2017 revealed that 75% of HR professionals are currently experiencing recruitment difficulties; with Brexit on the horizon, the same percentage predict the problem will worsen in the coming years.

But what if, instead of worrying that your workforce won't be able to meet the demands of progress, you could tell your CEO that the HR department has increased revenue by 10%, reduced costs by 18%, and increased productivity by 15% across the business?

This isn't a pipe dream. It's a reality for many of the businesses who have embraced digital learning technology.

A review of some big hitters shows that digital learning allowed British Airways to reduce their costs by £1.1 million over 3 years. McDonalds saved £2 million and achieved a 10% growth in sales. British Telecom trained 23,000 employees digitally, saving £12 million and almost 5 years in delivery time.

However, you don't need to be a corporation working with vast numbers to see specific, measurable results. The Towards Maturity: Unlocking Potential 2016-2017 Learning Benchmark Report shows that on average, companies that adopted online learning:

• Increased revenue by 10%
• Reduced costs by 18%
• Increased productivity by 15%
• Reduced learning delivery time by 27%
• Reduced time to competency by 15%
• Sped up change to new systems by 24%
• Reduced staff turnover by 7%
• Increased employee engagement by 18%

It should be no surprise, then, that higher-than-average percentage of budget allocated to learning technologies is a strong predictor of a top-performing company. These top companies don’t have the biggest budgets or the most L&D staff – they utilise learning technology to maximise results with the resources they have.

The flexibility, location independence and minimal disruption afforded by online learning also makes it an ideal Apprenticeships Levy solution. The levy can be used to train existing staff from beginner to postgraduate level as well as to hire ‘traditional’ apprentices.

With talent shortages increasing and the Levy propelling investment, 2018 is set to be a year of strategic staff development. A business is only as good as its people – make sure yours have the expertise you need to succeed.

ICS Learn is an award-winning online learning provider with more than 128 years’ experience in delivering flexible learning solutions. They provide accredited qualifications and apprenticeships in HR, Accountancy and more. Find out more at icslearn.co.uk

Case study: an employee's-eye view on online learning

Just over a year ago, I started on the CIPD Level 3 Diploma in HR Practice with ICS Learn, and I'm pleased to say that my studies are now successfully complete.
The skills you learn on the course are wide-ranging and very relevant to the world of work. Employee motivation and reward, strategically future workforce, attracting talent, recruitment strategies - all of these areas covered in the course enhanced the knowledge that I'd developed from management roles.

ICS Learn have been an excellent partner in my learning experience. Being online learning, I thought it might be slightly anonymous, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Through feedback on assignments, interactive webinars (that are truly interactive with a live tutor and student participation rather than just presentations), the ability to contact a tutor via email (with quick responses), and even tutor call-back phone options, you develop a relationship with your tutors for each unit.

The tutors take a real interest in your progress and knowledge and provide insightful feedback on assignments; you can develop a good rapport quite quickly. They are keen to develop your individual skills.

That's what really stood out for me: the tutors are really dedicated to helping you develop your knowledge. You feel their passion, enthusiasm and knowledge come through in your interactions. It's not just a case of passing the assignments to receive a certificate, it's about really developing your skills and equipping you to put them into practice.

Learning online isn't a solitary experience. You interact with other students via the online forum, the online classrooms and mainstream social media. You have the best of both worlds with learning in your own time while still interacting with others.

What I have found through studying CIPD is not just a deep appreciation of HR and how it has evolved and increased in strategic importance, but also career skills that I think will be universally very valuable in any career, particularly those in management.

If I was asked if I would recommend choosing ICS Learn, I would say yes. It's the best of both worlds: online learning combined with tutors who take a real interest in your progress.