The COVID-19 pandemic with its associated lockdown and physical distancing measures caused not only unparalleled disruption in the provision of education and training but also catalysed innovation in distance learning.

2020 was the year traditional corporate training boxes got shattered.

Organizations couldn’t gather employees in a conference room for a typical instructor-led training, because they weren’t in the office; they were home, taking important calls in sweatpants and training had to compete against distractions like pets, children and Netflix.

While everybody was adapting to this new way of life, CloudTrain Academy was working behind the scenes to incorporate their training into a fun and interactive online learning management system that offers both:

• Synchronous online training where students participate in live, interactive, online classes with our specialist trainers, receiving a top quality, enjoyable learning experience and
• Asynchronous online training where students learn at their own pace, on their own time and on several devices.

CloudTrain Academy also realised that the pandemic has placed a resource constraint on many businesses, forcing people to work longer and harder. Many employees are hesitant to take on anything that’s too time consuming outside of their normal job activities.

To respond to this growing concern we are developing and blending training courses with micro learning.
Microlearning is essential for us at CloudTrain Academy as we are looking not only to reach remote employees with training content but also to personalize their experience.

Most employees across the generations seek a more personalized experience “based on their career goals and skills gaps.” Our microlearning presents employees with short 5-15 minute interconnected learning modules that they can ingest anywhere and on any device, provided they have an internet connection.

The absence of classroom training also paves the path for just-in-time learning in 2021. It’s easy to earn a passing score on a test in a classroom on material you just learned. What’s much harder is applying those same lessons seven months later when the instructor is gone. For these instances, organizations need to provide their employees with specific information the moment they need it.

Let’s say that a member of your sales team is preparing to meet a client. She knows that the client wants to discuss a particular feature of the newest product that just rolled out and needs a quick refresher. With just-in-time learning, the salesperson quickly identifies available training modules to bring her up to speed and ensure that her pitch is on point. Specific definitions, quick product guides; anything that gives employees the resources for success without requiring them to go through an entire module or course to find the answer is valuable, if not crucial.

Content distribution and access is critical in the “new normal”. With employees operating literally throughout the world, information must not only be available to employees 24/7 but also accessible in multiple formats, including video and audio. Remote employees are relying heavily on different devices to perform their day-to-day tasks.

To meet this need CloudTrain Academy delivers content in a way that is exciting, tangible and useful.

The world has changed drastically, but employees’ need to continue their career journey, upskill and otherwise engage with their employers hasn’t ebbed. With employees dispersed like never before, training and educational content are the glue that will hold an organization together.

CloudTrain Academys’ role is more important than ever as employees face new challenges and technologies and we align learning materials with real-life experiences and scenarios, whether documented in text with helpful visuals or demonstrated in a recorded role-play, to aid in retention.

Businesses that can support their teams during these trying times will be rewarded in years to come.