Organisation-wide staff awareness training is an excellent way to ensure consistent learning on a topic, but how do you choose between bespoke and off-the-shelf solutions?
While off-the-shelf solutions may seem like the clear choice for most organisations, with cheaper costs and faster deployment, they might not be suitable for medium-sized and large businesses that want to ensure their goals are met and maybe even exceeded.
Engaging learners drastically improves their knowledge retention, which is what bespoke solutions do best.
What are the differences between off-the-shelf and bespoke e-learning?
Off-the-shelf training programmes are ready-made content intended for widespread use with LMSs (learning management systems). Managers only need to select the pertinent modules and upload them to the organisation’s LMS, and the course is ready to go.
Although such courses are simpler to use, they are inherently generic, as they need to be easily accessed and interacted with by the masses. Also, they provide standard features that you must accept, and which cannot be altered to meet your unique needs.
They are best for organisations looking to train their staff in general topics, soft skills, regulatory requirements, and compliance guidelines. They typically come in an online learning format.
Off-the-shelf course features:
- Rapid deployment
- More generic, less personalised content
- Cheaper option
Bespoke learning solutions are created to match your needs.
You can either create your own custom training courses in-house or outsource them to another business or vendor. Organisations use them to handle specific problems and requirements.
A bespoke course allows organisations more control over the training programme for a one-time expense and helps bridge employee performance gaps despite taking longer to develop and costing more.
The learning experience is customised to your programme and uses a strategy that is best suited to meet the learning objectives.
Bespoke course features:
- Medium to long-term development time
- Tailor-made content
- Usually a more expensive option
What are the advantages of a bespoke solution?
Bespoke e-learning solutions differ between each provider, varying in features, levels of customisation, scale, delivery methods, and more.
Professional bespoke solutions are (within the lens of an organisation’s business goals) creative, polished and, most importantly, engaging.
Bespoke solutions are more engaging through:
- Organisation branding
Customised e-learning programmes are branded with your organisation’s name and include elements of company culture. The tests would be created just for you, and the examples and case studies would be applicable to your organisation.
Including company branding can help further engage the learner. For example, if your employee is taking a course on company cyber security policy, then using scenario-based e-learning with a scenario set in a company office could help the learner connect to the content.
- Better personalisation
Personalised learning is where the learner controls the how, what and when of the learning experience, increasing engagement and retention. This includes controlling factors such as when they take a module or in what format they engage with the content.
Bespoke solutions give learners far more ownership over their learning, allowing them to engage through an LMS, but also through other mediums such as social media posts, newsletter email activities and quizzes.
- Powerful scenarios
Scenarios incorporate real-world examples to help learners relate to the material. This typically takes the form of an educational experience centred on a narrative, usually with characters and settings.
Closing the gap between training and employment, well-designed scenario-based learning guides participants through the exact circumstances they will encounter at work.
Instead of passively advancing through the content, learners actively participate in the scenario from start to finish, increasing engagement and learner enjoyment.
Bespoke solutions can include many more features that increase engagement, so ask the e-learning providers you are considering what makes their solutions engaging.
Bespoke learning solutions with GRC eLearning
At GRC eLearning, our experts will collaborate with you to create a training programme that is tailored to your needs.
We adopt a flexible approach with our bespoke service, letting you choose from a variety of media to make a programme that meets your goals, including multi-language options, animations, videos, newsletters, games, posters, quizzes, and more.
Through an in-depth study of your learning needs, we assess your requirements and pinpoint any obstacles or limits you are facing. Get in touch today to find out how we can deliver for you.
