Training your employees can make or break the success of your team. This is why understanding the pros and cons of different training delivery modes for your team is crucial. It not only makes your employees feel invested and cared for, but the tangible skills staff learn in comprehensive training translate into measurable results.

Having a good understanding of the different options available may increase the likelihood of a deeper understanding of topics and generate an increased level of interest amongst your team.

Let’s explore the 3 most common training delivery modes:

Self-Paced Online Learning

Whether your team works remotely or you’re looking to upskill in the civil construction industry, self-paced online learning provides the flexibility of learning to fit study time around your working environment.

If you are working with a large group, self-paced learning may be the best way to educate a lot of people at once. This is because each employee can take the necessary time to understand each module. They can digest knowledge at their preferred pace.

For those who pick things up quickly, they are not held back from employees who take longer to absorb knowledge. Students who are struggling with specific topics are also able to revisit these topics as they please.

The benefits do sound great, but keep in mind that with self-paced online learning, patience is imperative. Each learner is in charge of their progress. Your employees must take responsibility to find time each day/week to complete the set lecturers or assignments. These may fall low on the priority list leaving them behind in their attendance. One way to overcome this is to set deadlines. For example; take as long as you need to complete the requirements as long as you’ve finished all modules by the end of the month.

Live Webinar

A click of a button can have thousands of people in one place learning about one thing. Looking for a quick, easy, and flexible way to conduct training? With remote work becoming increasingly common, webinars and live video meetings are an easy and versatile way to educate.

Webinars are a simple way to convey information. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic majority of universities offered lectures via pre-recorded or live webinars.

You can reach every inch of the globe with webinars (providing you have internet access) making webinars the most accessible and inclusive training mode. Our favourite aspect of using webinars as a training delivery mode is the ability to include guest speakers or construction industry experts at any moment in time from anywhere in the world.

Technical issues are the biggest cons when it comes to webinars and online meetings. These are beyond your control. Internet interruptions can interrupt learning sessions and can be just as frustrating for the educators, as they are for the student. Webinars have the potential to come across as cookie cutter and impersonal if they aren’t carried in a way that’s engaging and interactive.

If you are looking for a simple and basic way to teach a large group of people, webinars may be the way. Just remember to include some personality and have the option for questions available.

Face-to-face

The tried and true way to learn, face-to-face learning, allows students to bond with other students, the educator and interact and glean knowledge from others, not easily done in webinars or self-paced learning.

Face-to-face learning leaves the staff accountable for their progress, but the results have proven those who complete the course have a better understanding and recollection of information. This is because of the more personal approach to learning. You can watch body language, hear different worldly opinions and experiences from your peers, and will have fewer distractions around you. This is why face-to-face learning has a five-time higher completion rate than any other method of learning.

Do remember with face-to-face learning you are limited with your availability to offer classes so this may limit what you can cover. It also may limit the number of questions or opportunities for students to speak.

Going off to a class is a completely separate commitment so remember that not every employee may be able to attend every class. It may be that you have to offer makeup classes or record every class, giving the option of a hybrid of training delivery modes. This leaves face-to-face possibly more expensive to offer.

At AM Project Partners, we provide different training modes to suit your continued professional development requirements. Whether you’re interested in our short courses for project managers or formal qualifications in civil construction, there’s a huge range of options available. Fill the gaps left by tertiary institutions that’s imperative to construction operations today.