How Corporate Teams Can Maximize Learning Through Hybrid Training

Corporate training programs mean well. Large companies and enterprises will go to great lengths to construct training centers outfitted with the latest equipment. But if you ignore practical training options like remote or hybrid classes, you risk sacrificing employee productivity.

Insisting on in-person training upsets production schedules. It also takes a significant cost investment to build a training facility, fly employees there, and house them for several days. Modern learning tools offer a better solution without compromising what trainees will learn. 

For instance, interactive whiteboards and other digital devices enable companies to offer effective corporate training programs in a hybrid setting. More importantly, they keep production up while ensuring workers learn the skills they need to do their jobs effectively.

How Companies Still Mess Up Corporate Training

It makes sense that enterprises want a healthy return on investment (ROI) on the behemoth training centers they built. Despite the availability of less costly and more efficient training programs, human resources still have to fill the training classrooms with warm bodies. 

We all know the hidden costs of flying trainees in to attend a weeklong seminar at corporate headquarters. Even if travel and lodging costs are safely within budget, pulling employees out of their daily routines can cost more in the long run. 

For instance, bringing a sales manager in from the field for a few days of training might seem like a small price to pay. But you leave the manager’s sales team in the cold. Without their coach, leads may grow stagnant and problems may go unsolved. By changing the dynamic of your sales team—even for a short time—you risk impacting relationships and revenue.

Another issue with traditional corporate training programs is that attendees tend to forget information that doesn’t apply to them and their jobs directly. Why should your internal IT team learn how to better deal with customer calls? What’s more, you risk creating a gap between employees that receive training and those that don’t. This can affect teamwork and morale.

Fostering Hybrid Training Programs Within Your Business

The COVID-19 pandemic proved that modern communication technology is mature enough to handle business affairs remotely. This includes client meetings, project management huddles, and corporate training. Even after the pandemic, the convenience and cost-efficiency of online training made it hard for corporations to return fully to the traditional, in-person mode of learning. 

But what about their earlier investments in training centers filled with state-of-the-art equipment? Hybrid training solutions let corporate trainers enjoy the best of both worlds. 

Employees who already work at corporate headquarters can still attend training sessions without losing valuable work time due to travel. Meanwhile, employees who live in other parts of the world can simply log in to a training program and learn from the convenience of their laptops. Instead of going away for a few days, they only need to attend sessions for a few hours daily. 

Setting up a Hybrid Training System: What Do You Need? 

The best part of setting up a hybrid training system is that most corporations already have what they need. During the pandemic, companies spent billions to set up remote networks so employees could stay home to work. Even as the world returned to normal and workers returned to the office, remote systems remained a great alternative to in-person meetings. 

Hybrid learning gives in-person and remote trainees equal access to training. So, your equipment should offer the same opportunities. For instance, a standard office whiteboard won’t promote engagement for online members of the class. 

Hybrid learning requires hybrid solutions. Interactive whiteboards are one of the best devices to have when you conduct hybrid training classes. The digital surface accepts both physical and virtual input. 

In-person trainees facing the interactive whiteboard have the same access as the virtual students. During interactive activities, in-person students can answer directly on the board, while remote participants can reply online. They can work together to solve problems, collaborate on discussions, and brainstorm solutions.

Preventing Digital Overwhelm for Better Retention

To use interactive whiteboards effectively, you must maintain, manage, and secure each device. Managing a corporate fleet of interactive whiteboards requires a device management platform that keeps system software, firmware, and applications updated to the latest versions. The right device manager also enables administrators to remotely perform needed repairs or apply patches without upending any previous training schedules.

In addition, the device manager can safeguard the use of interactive whiteboards by assigning different access levels to different user types. For instance, end-users can launch applications and open modules, but they can’t tweak system settings or erase or copy data files. IT administrators can look into system folders and perform repair and maintenance tasks. However, they won’t have access to training files and can’t run training software. Analysts and managers can extract user data to generate insights to improve training systems. 

Finally, security will always be a top concern. Whether in-person or remotely, some trainees might try to hack into the whiteboard. The right device management platform can fend off these attempts by remotely shutting down or freezing devices. Should an attendee try to steal or copy data, admins can wipe the device free of any information. 

Support Your Employees Through Hybrid Training

Online learning is here to stay, but maintaining in-person training systems is also a good idea. Companies that want to keep both training options can implement a hybrid learning system. This allows both online and in-person systems to thrive and coexist. 

There’s no need to choose online over in-person. A hybrid setup enables companies to train more people without incurring productivity downtimes or travel costs.

To implement and maintain a hybrid training system, companies should also invest in a capable device management platform that can serve their needs. This device manager should have the ability to manage, maintain, and secure each interactive whiteboard in the fleet. As a result, instructors can be sure their students will get a better training experience.