Visionary business leaders, top-notch products and services, loyal customers, and a sound business strategy can all influence success. Still, the most valuable asset of a company is its employees.
As the business landscape changes, organizations must adapt and improve their performance by upskilling and reskilling their talent. Learning and development (L&D) sits high on the priority list of many organizations, according to the 2019 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends research.
However, with only half of the companies feeling they’re well-equipped for the constant reinvention and iterations required to enable their learners to keep up with future demands, it’s apparent that L&D is not always a core strength of companies. Many have turned to outsourcing this crucial aspect of talent management to experts in training, instructional design, learner support, and LMS management.
Managed Learning Service (MLS) providers do not only offer cost-effective programs, but also bring their wealth of experience, expertise, and updated knowledge to the table to fill whatever gap companies might have in terms of L&D.
How Companies Benefit from MLS
Businesses who switched to using MLS instead of facilitating L&D in-house reap a wide range of benefits, including:
Cost-Effectiveness
Managing training entirely in-house involves spending hundreds, if not thousands, of work hours, as well as a significant amount of money and resources.
By tapping into the expertise of an MLS provider, you can unburden your in-house teams from administrative tasks, and the company can divert resources towards core projects that drive business growth. With these providers’ network of niche experts, taking an MLS approach eliminates the need to bring in such costly expert-level talent to train your staff in-house.
Simply put, partnering with an MLS provider grants you access to an extensive roster of experienced L&D professionals without increasing your fixed costs.
Best-in-Class Support
Each employee learns at a different pace, and learning styles may vary from one talent to another. However, because in-house training usually follows strict timelines, these variances may sometimes be overlooked.
MLS providers have a dedicated support team to ensure each learner gets the right support they need to acquire the necessary skills and prevent anyone from getting left behind. When you aim to replicate this approach in in-house training, you will have to commit additional internal resources or work hours to help learners struggling with the program.
Flexible Training and Personalized Learning Experience
MLS providers offer expertly curated educational content and materials that can be personalized to suit the specific needs of your talent. They also have data tracking to give business leaders some insights on how to address gaps in your team’s skills and knowledge.
By using MLS, you can also quickly adjust the level of training depending on the current situation. For instance, during calm periods where you don’t need to train your team extensively, you will be able to reduce costs. And in case you need to train new staff full-time, you can scale up quickly as well.
In a nutshell, you are in total control over the level of training that your in-house team receives.
What to Look Out For in An MLS Provider
Not all MLS providers are created equal– the following are the key factors that you should look out for when choosing one:
- Ability to identify your needs and customize the program accordingly
Companies worldwide are wasting a whopping $97 billion on ineffective training. A competent MLS Provider can see through what your in-house team actually needs and help stretch your budget by cutting the fat from the program.
- Offers easily scalable bespoke training programs
Just as each role is unique, the training needs of your learners can be just as diverse. A reliable MLS provider can swiftly provide custom programs for all your learners to support growth across your company without compromising the quality of training. They can also pivot skills training whenever necessary.
- Provides up-to-date training programs
The L&D landscape is constantly changing, and rapid reskilling remains one of the top trends for businesses. Excellent MLS providers can offer updated training programs covering new skill requirements, tools, and methods to help your talent stay competitive.
Final Thoughts
Because L&D is paramount for the survival and growth of a business, practical companies opt to use Managed Learning Services to free up the management from tedious and time-consuming administrative tasks, offer convenience and a better experience for learners, and cut down costs.
APEX Global, the learning solutions arm of ECCI, aims to promote professional excellence through results-oriented Managed Learning Services. Training over 3 million professionals on 300+ topics over the last decade, our expertise in instructional design, effective instructional materials, and extensive network of expert trainers from around the region make us one of the most trusted providers of MLS.
Learn more about us and how we can help your organization reach its training goals– get in touch with us and book a meeting.
