In the past, many Training Companies have been reluctant to adopt eLearning as a medium for training delivery. They have viewed this as compromising on their core competency – human mediated training. Most training companies have been successful in selling their trainers’ expertise (and charisma) as a USP.

While this has limited them from expanding, it has helped them hold on to their regular clientele and survive through earlier downturns. However, this recession is markedly different; no one can doubt it is more severe than any of the earlier ones. More importantly – this slump has occurred at a time when the very structure of training and learning is undergoing change. Corporates today are considering multiple technology-enabled-training options as part of their long term strategy. The lower costs of eLearning, the foreseeable ubiquity of mLearning, the promise of Social Learning, are all forcing a major reshuffle in focus (and budgets) in corporate training.

Training Companies seem to be realizing that when we come out of this recession, human mediated training would not be in demand as much. They are now exploring options to keep running their business profitably by cutting the cost of training for their clients, while adapting to the changing nature of training and learning itself.

This will grow further as more training companies consider blended learning options to deliver greater value to their clients and customers.

1.  Client Demand: The provider’s clients have started demanding eLearning solutions (and training providers want to retain them). This is a pure survival and growth reason. Undoubtedly, in the current economic situation there is a BIG push for training companies to move towards eLearning.

2. Cost of Training Delivery: To reduce cost of delivery for training companies and their clients. This is mentioned universally and has come into focus even more due to the recession where budgetary constraints (especially on travel) have impacted the off-take of classroom training in big way

3. Flexibility: Increase flexibility of access (anytime, anywhere). Most training companies mention it’s becoming difficult to pull employees out of their jobs for 2-5 day instructor-led sessions. With managers forced to do more with less people (several organizations have retrenched people) letting anyone off for even a day can become difficult.

4. Increase delivery options: Blended learning options to cater to the unique requirements of different clients. Some want more eLearning and some want less of it, others want mobile learning. This helps training providers reach client companies who otherwise had not been able to afford their classroom training – opening up a new stream of business.

5. Improve efficiency: Improve efficiency & effectiveness of instructor led training with technology enabled components. Adding pre-workshop eLearning modules, post-workshop eLearning sessions (can be synchronous), mobile learning components for follow-ups that help increase retention. Using technology such as ARS (Audience Response Systems) in classrooms & providing collaborative environments can create learning opportunities for users. As training providers, they want to make their courses the ‘best in class’ using technology enabled learning affords them that opportunity.

6. Learning Management: Making management of reporting easier and be able to check off some important checkboxes (guess more relevant to compliance type training). As the paradigm shifts, Learning Management Systems will change and focus would be on truly managing learning and not just checkbox compliance.

7. It is better now: ELearning has improved since the time they last considered it. There is NO doubt about this; eLearning has come a long way. The addition of games, simulations, mobile based learning, social learning frameworks, collaborative tools and much more has come to instructional technology.  Rather than simple page-turners the industry is slowly turning to provide instructional experiences, both interactive and online.

8. Am I late: Don’t want to miss the boat. Well none of our prospects said this but it seems to be the overriding feeling amongst training providers. All of them realize that the days of classroom-training only are limited and they’d better start now.