Classroom Training Is Not Dead

Mobile learning, virtual and e-Learning and Apps are all continuing to grow across corporate learning, but contrary to popular belief, classroom training is not dead and it still has a place in modern day workplaces. In fact, almost half (47 per cent) of training hours conducted in 2015 were delivered in an instructor led classroom only setting.

What we are seeing at ILX is a continued growth in blended learning. Organisations are demanding high quality training support by experienced trainers, but they are being delivered in a more flexible manner.

The growth in Apps is one example of this shift. Interestingly, Speexx’s 4th annual research found that the majority (64 per cent) of companies said that “blended learning” will continue to be the primary approach for corporate learning.

These findings clearly signal that companies are evolving training to meet their specific requirements and that greater staff mobility has perhaps accelerated the need for a more blended and flexible approach.

Benefits of classroom training

Classroom learning continues to be an important part of a blended approach. It provides in-person support and human interaction with other learners. Good trainers who combine experience in implementing what’s being taught with teaching skills can offer highly effective practical coaching that e-Learning simply cannot replicate.

To ensure that classroom training is truly effective, organisations need to broaden the focus from the training programme itself and devise a schedule that includes preparatory work, ongoing reinforcement, continual embedding of learning and assessment of training effectiveness.

There should be a continual feedback loop to the original business objective and ROI embedded in the process. This method provides an effective solution to the inherent problems associated with the ‘spray and pray’ approach, where training is administered across the board and organisations hope that it has been effective.

The successful training cycle can be summed up in the following five steps:

1. Determine training needs: A training needs analysis should be conducted at the start of the process to help identify issues in the workplace. Some of the workforce may only need an overview of the new process or initiatives, others m