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How Training Content Networks Make It Easier to Manage Your Training Program

Compared to classroom training and seminars, e-learning has opened up a broad selection of content for training managers to offer employees. There are numerous providers of e-learning content, and the content covers a wide-range of formats. Many organizations buy content from many different content producers in order to meet the demands of training requirements they must cover.

Purchasing content from multiple content providers can create issues for an organization. Users have to adapt to many inconsistencies in course features and navigation as well as differing device support amongst the various content providers. For the user this can be confusing, particularly for users who only have basic computer skills. Once they adapt to the format of one course, the next course they take may have a completely different user interface, or it may not run on their preferred browser or mobile device.

Not only do these inconsistencies cause confusion to users, it also creates grief for training and IT staff. Providing technical support and troubleshooting problems for such a wide-variety of content is a headache. Support staff members must provide assistance for the varied technologies, and ensure they work properly within their organization’s systems, as well as on employees’ mobile devices.

Training managers have to maintain multiple vendor relationships, while dealing with the consequences of frustrated users and IT staff. Having to seek out content for all training requirements from multiple content providers can be time-consuming, and even more so when you have to ensure all of the content being purchased meets the technical specifications of your organization’s equipment.

As an antidote to these issues, several companies in the e-learning industry have emerged as Training Content Networks.

What is a Training Content Network?

A Training Content Network (TCN) acts as a connector between content producers and organizations/customers. For content producers, TCNs help distribute content to a broader market than the content producer could reach on their own. For customers, TCNs offer access to a large library of content through a common platform. Customers like the ease of working with one vendor to meet their training needs.

Mastery Technologies, the first Training Content Network, has taken the concept one step further by adding a second platform, a common courseware platform.

How Does a Common Courseware Platform Help?

A common courseware platform helps alleviate support concerns for IT staff, while offering users a familiar format for every course. Users get comfortable with the controls and navigation of the courseware. Users prefer a common course platform because they can take courses in any topic and have a familiar learning experience.

Courseware should work across all devices and browsers, so users can train from desktop computers, smart phones and tablets. Users can save time by being able to start a course on one device and pick up where they left off on another. Users get the same learning experience on their mobile device as they do on their desktop computer.

How Does a TCN Help?

TCNs offer customers a course catalog with selection and depth. Employers can offer training on all the topics they want, for employees at every level of the organization. They also have the choice of which title(s) to offer on a particular topic. For example, instead of having one course available on lockout tagout or bloodborne pathogens, there may be 10 or more on each topic to help employers select the training that best suits their work environment.

Additionally, if all of the courses are built on a common courseware platform users will be comfortable with the navigation and controls for all training topics. Furthermore, an employee who makes a job change within the company to a new role or department would already be familiar with the training format.

TCNs help organizations make the most of their training budget by offering courses for employees across the entire organization. Since courses cover such a wide-range of topics training costs don’t fall all on one department’s budget and instead can be spread company-wide. Plus, employers benefit from volume discounts only TCNs can offer.

The Future of e-Learning

Training Content Networks are the future of e-learning; the new market model for workplace training. TCNs have helped navigate technology changes in the e-learning industry and will continue to be on the frontlines of helping meet the demands of the marketplace with new technologies. For example, the undeniable strength of video-based e-learning has been brought to the marketplace in a big way through the work of TCNs.

To learn how you can benefit from the e-learning offerings of a TCN visit www.mastery.com now.

This article has been featured on OH&S (Occupational Health and Safety).