Perhaps the best way to determine what your company does right and wrong starts by assessing the level of engagement among your employees. With that, you have the opportunity to understand better what drives your employees to succeed. Many companies use employee engagement surveys to gather valuable information -  but are they truly beneficial?

Start by understanding what this type of survey is and why companies use it. Rather than measuring the level of happiness among employees, the results of this survey indicate the workers’ dedication to the company and the customers they serve. Using an employee engagement survey provides you with incredible insights into how engaged your employees are, as well as the primary drivers of engagement within your organization.

With new knowledge, you can make critical decisions that streamline the operations of your business. You might discover that some employees cannot reach their full potential in their current department, that you have some issue with management, that some of the company policies need redefining, or that you have workers who should consider employment elsewhere.

Skilled Leadership – For your leadership to work effectively, they need to have some understanding as to the mindset of their team. With an employee engagement survey, your management can determine the emotional commitment of the employees under their supervision.

Broad Reach – Just like managers, no two employees are the same, meaning they all have different opinions and ways of working. A key advantage to using this type of survey is that it gives leaders a broader perspective of their team’s attitude. Before investing valuable time and resources on significant changes, use the survey results to understand both positive and negative aspects of your workers in how they perceive their roles and responsibilities.

Learning Tool – Remember, an employee engagement survey helps identify areas that need addressing. When used as a tool for learning about workers instead of a way to fix what they are doing wrong, the survey creates an opportunity to find viable solutions. Again, that could mean moving an employee to a different department, having someone perform a different task, or terminating employment altogether.

Making Comparisons – Another benefit of an employee engagement survey is that it allows you to understand the various groups within the company. For instance, are your part-time employees more dedicated than your full-time staff? Is the same level of engagement seen throughout the organization? Do workers under specific managers engage more than others?

Building Trust – While some people think that employee engagement surveys make workers distrusting, the opposite is actually true. These surveys show teams the commitment that both the company owner and leadership have in gaining a better understanding and making the necessary changes to benefit them. With that, the level of trust among employees grows, making the work environment more cohesive.

Potential Drawbacks of Employee Engagement Surveys

Not Following Through – You can gather a ton of information and identify the required changes, but unless you act, this survey is worthless. Remind yourself that the survey is merely a vehicle for gaining insight. After recognizing where things should change, it is imperative that you follow through. Your managers and employees are watching how you respond to the survey results. Doing nothing would damage relationships and trust. On the other hand, if you take swift and appropriate action, you instill hope and optimism in every worker, regardless of position.

Exhaustion – If you plan to use an employee engagement survey in your company, make sure that you only do so occasionally and never back-to-back with other surveys. Repetitive questions become exhaustive. They also create a sense of panic among workers who fear that you have something bad planned for the company. Use surveys when and if necessary. Also, send out a company-wide email that explains to your workers what an employee engagement survey is and why you chose to conduct it. You want to put your teams at ease so that they can continue producing.

With eLearning, you can select courses to boost their self-confidence and teach them what they need to know in their respective roles.

At GO1, we have thousands of available courses to help improve employee engagement. Not only are these courses affordable, but the majority take an hour or less to complete. With these, you will see a remarkable change in the level of engagement within your organization.

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Are employee engagement surveys beneficial?

When establishing a training program for your company, you want to focus on a variety of topics. However, training for soft skills should be your No. 1 priority. Why? As explained in a recent report published by LinkedIn, automation has become significant in the workplace, regardless of company size or industry, and it continues to advance.

This same report showed that among hiring managers, an astounding 58 percent said that job candidates lacked the soft skills required. That statistic is a clear indicator that a lot of businesses lose productivity because employees do not have proper training. If you want to stay competitive, it is critical that you bring your entire staff up-to-speed on soft skills.

With ever-changing technology, your staff is in a constant learning mode to keep up. Unless you have skilled employees to handle the automation in your organization, they will fail at their jobs, which puts the business at risk. For your company’s talent development endeavor, it is essential to focus on soft skills training.

In today’s work environment, it is critical to maintain technical fluency across the board, meaning that all employees need to learn soft skills to one degree or another. As demand for automation continues to rise, it becomes even more vital for you to have a leadership team consisting of critical thinkers, excellent communicators, and people who can easily adapt.

Leadership – Training needs to start with your managers. By completing online training courses, they gain new skills, expand on existing talent, and lead by example. Because your employees follow what their managers require, it is essential that you have your leaders up-to-date on soft skills. Otherwise, there is no way for them to lead their team effectively. Without training, you would either have disgruntled employees who leave the company or stay but make a significant number of errors that negatively impact the customer’s experience.

Communication – Excellent communication skills are an essential part of any successful business. Even when it comes to automation, there has to be a clear path of communication between your managers and their staff. As part of this, your managers can relay information or make requests in a way that employees understand. As a result, the department runs seamlessly. Both your leaders and employees need to know that communication is not just about talking but also listening.

Collaboration – Any time you have a team of diverse employees, there are going to be some bumps along the way. In addition to fundamental online training courses on collaboration, you want your managers to suggest some that pertain to soft skills. The focus is to have everyone work together to achieve a common goal. With the right learning opportunities, teams work cohesively. Along with a creating a more pleasant work environment, collaboration gives employees a sense of pride when completing a project as a team.

Critical thinking – For a business with excellent growth potential, you need to have critical thinkers in position. Especially when it comes to technology, this becomes even more vital. While some people are naturally self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-motivated, most are not. With the right online training courses, you can help your staff become critical thinkers who analyze, assess, and reconstruct to achieve optimum results.

Time management – A lack of time management skills is a huge detriment to any organization. Along with fast-advancing technology, customer demand in on the rise. Therefore, your staff needs the skills to work efficiently. As for the other things mentioned, you can find hundreds upon hundreds of online training courses developed specifically for people who need to improve on time management skills. You will see productivity improve, along with employee morale and customer satisfaction.

Role specific skills – For training courses, it is essential to select topics relevant to the business but also each employee’s role within the company. For example, a skilled computer programmer could complete a course like Objective C Programming while someone without much software knowledge could take a beginner’s course on how computer software works. With so many skill specific courses available, you can help all your employees improve and advance.

Our courses are also short, meaning that most are between 30 minutes and one hour. For manager and employee training, that makes it much easier for them to find time to devote to learning. Finally, all our courses have affordable prices. As such, you can develop an online training program for your company without compromising the budget. Regardless of your industry, stay viable by having both your managers and employees complete various soft skill courses.

Why training for soft skills should be your number one priority

The modern learner is at the heart of today’s digital transformation, with organisations racing to keep up with the pace of change, to leverage the mix of ever-changing technologies, data, and channels, and to provide learners with the support and resources they need to stay current.

With 80% of employees learning how to do their job simply by doing it, the focus is very much on the astute L&D professional to support learners in overcoming their everyday problems and challenges.

The smart L&D professional recognises that lengthy linear e-learning and time-hungry classroom training are not necessarily the best way to appeal to today’s busy learners, who are looking to solve problems at the point of need, whilst in the work flow.

When looking at the urgent, short term needs of the modern learner, L&D can be successful, by working with individuals and considering how they can directly impact the performance and productivity of a learner in the business. It’s important not to assume that the solution is always formal training, when short sharp work support and problem solving solutions such as microlearning could be the answer.

Additionally, when thinking about personal development, the modern learner’s motivation is often self-centred and driven by the need to keep themselves up-to-date with new knowledge and skills to remain marketable.

At MicroLearn, we’ve carefully considered how we can support L&D meet the short term problem solving and work support demands of the modern learner, as well as their longer term personal development aspirations. MicroLearn has developed a unique approach to our resource development with the creation of two resources which cater for just-in-time, day to day work support (Video Plus) and for the more reflective career development (Full Module).

What are you waiting for? Your modern learners are in a hurry!

Tracy Capaldi-Drewett is the Group Commercial Director at Microlearn. You can find MicroLearn courses in the Go1 Premium catalogue.

The modern learner is in a hurry: how L&D can help

In one study performed by a highly reliable source, researchers found that 56 percent of employees say they would gladly spend more time learning if their managers would recommend courses that would help improve their skills. This statistic alone confirms what you as a business owner already know; your management team plays a critical role in achieving overall success.

Your managers worked hard for their positions, and take immense pride in what they do. They should feel honored to motivate other employees to perform at a high level and advance their careers. An excellent way to achieve those goals is by offering their teams eLearning opportunities.

For whatever reason, some people need a little encouragement. One simple suggestion of taking online training courses is often all it takes to make a good employee great. With an entire team of qualified workers, it runs more efficiently. As a result, the business provides better customer support, which in turn, leads to greater success.

While there are different ways to improve employee engagement, eLearning is by far the best. Not only can your managers suggest a broad range of topics, but also outline the benefits of eLearning. In no time, you will see a larger number of workers eager to learn, and in response, become more engaged in the various positions they occupy.

In simple terms, qualified employees do not leave a bad company. Instead, they leave because of poor management skills. Because your managers and their employees have direct interactions on a daily basis, it is critical to have a leadership team in place that influences engagement in the workplace.

Unfortunately, many businesses overlook the value of a manager’s role in both employee training and development. Because your leaders have a much better understanding of the business, its philosophy, goals, requirements, and even employees, they should take a more proactive stand when it comes to training.

According to a study conducted by Gallup, only 15 percent of employees worldwide actively engage in their work position. That means that companies employ people who contribute very little to the business goals. Just imagine the disaster of having 100 employees but only 15 of them engaged? Regardless of the number of disengaged workers at your company, you can turn things around by having your management team take a bigger role in training.

Set an Example – Just as you want to encourage your managers to recommend online training courses for their employees, do the same for your leadership team. Make sure they have ample opportunity to learn new things and hone current skills so that they can become even better managers. What will happen is that once employees know they have the same opportunity, they will follow the manager’s lead.

Create a Learning Culture – Whether interviewing potential new hires or existing employees, create a learning culture within the workplace. Make it known that online training courses are available for anyone interested, regardless of position or time with the company. In addition to your managers making suggestions, you could post a series of courses on a bulletin board each month.

Make Learning Programs Enticing – Before your managers offer any online courses, they should first determine what their teams want and need. Your leaders have to have open communication with their employees, allowing them to find out what type of learning they should suggest. Of course, any upskilling opportunities need to fall in line with the kind of work an employee performs. For instance, a manager could recommend a course like Time Planning & Prioritizing for someone who struggles in those areas.

Explain Training Benefits – For some people, training is a waste of time. The reason they feel this way is because they have no idea of the benefits. Employees become disengaged or leave a company for one of two reasons. They either feel stuck in their position, or they do not see any option for advancement. Having your managers explain the benefits that come from finishing online training courses corrects both problems. Your managers need to remember the purpose of suggesting eLearning is to help employees advance.

Create On-the-Job Practice Opportunities – An excellent way to determine if an employee retained the information learned is by providing him or her with an on-the-job opportunity to put the newly gained knowledge to work. Not only that but performing the very thing an employee learned helps reinforce the message. For more challenging skills, it is essential for your management team to provide ongoing support and supervision until the employee confidentially and correctly completes the task or improves on behavior.

Set Realistic Goals – For eLearning to be successful, it is important to set performance goals. However, those goals must be realistic. If your managers expect their staff to complete 10 courses per month, workers become stressed, unfocused, and disinterested. Instead, your leaders should suggest several courses and then allow their workers to select the number they feel comfortable with and the ones they want to take. While there might be times when a manager mandates a specific course, for the most part, employees should complete them on a voluntary basis using the suggestions provided by their respective managers.

With a leadership team that recommends appropriate courses from us, you can expect to see increased productivity, less employee turnover, a higher rate of satisfied employees, and overall, more generated revenue.

How managers can increase employee engagement with learning

Some employees jump at the chance to learn as much as possible. However, others are similar to children parents try to sway to clean their rooms. If you want to get your workers excited about learning, you have to motivate them in the right way and give them the resources they need.

When it comes to eLearning, several studies, including one published by LinkedIn, found that getting workers to make time to learn is the biggest challenge that businesses face today. Everyone wants to get ahead financially. Even with a stabilized economy and growing job opportunities, many people either work more than one job or they spend long hours working for a single employer.

Make eLearning Part of the Work Culture – Starting with the interview process, let job candidates know that the company not only supports eLearning but also encourages it. That way, anyone who you employ already has the mindset that online training is part of the workplace culture. For existing employees, you can formulate a company-wide email or have a sit-down presentation that outlines your goals and expectations.

Introduce eLearning Opportunities – Explain to your employees that instead of attending class at a traditional college or university campus, they can complete excellent courses online. Let them know that they can either complete training while at work without their pay docked or in the comfort of their home. Also, advise your employees that the majority of courses only take between 30 and 60 minutes to finish, so they do not have to invest a significant amount of time. Giving your workers such an easy option to learn eliminates a great deal of stress.

Outline Online Course Benefits – By nature, people gravitate to things that benefit them, which is why you need to provide your team with the key benefits of taking online training courses. For instance, explain how eLearning will help them perform better in their current positions, but also prepare them for advances in their careers. The goal is to paint a clear picture of how learning opens new doors that they might otherwise never walk through. In addition to higher positions, online training sets them up for higher salaries. Because some of your employees genuinely want to be part of a successful business, express how eLearning is an excellent way to grow the business.

 Group Training – For employees who struggle with learning by themselves, you could set up a program that allows several of them to work in a group setting. As an example, schedule time for 5-10 employees to complete a course that would benefit all of them. Choose a reputable online source, run the course on a projector, and even provide lunch. Afterward, give the group 30 minutes to collaborate on what they just learned. In addition to gaining new knowledge or honing an existing skill, this shows your employees that you care about their success and will do what it takes for them to achieve it.

Select Relevant Courses – If you are establishing a training program for your company, make sure you offer your employees courses relevant to their jobs and goals. In other words, you do not want workers going through eLearning just for the sake of saying that your company offers education. The training your employees receive must make sense and prove worthwhile to them. Instead of feeling as though they are wasting valuable time, they will commit, knowing the courses benefit their careers.

Rewarding Training Efforts – People thrive on recognition. For the employees who voluntarily take online training courses, make sure you reward them in some way. As mentioned, when offering group training, provide lunch. While this might seem like an insignificant gesture, it can actually have a huge and lasting impact. Have recognition certificates professionally printed for everyone who finishes a course. You might even consider giving a monetary bonus or offering a day off work for anyone who completes a specified number of courses within any given month.

Empower Your Employees – Use eLearning as a platform for empowering your team. You can accomplish that by making the training sessions more personal, again, using the group scenario. Because you want your employees to retain the information, have them take a test following the course

If you can destress the process of learning, more of your staff will get onboard. Eager to move ahead in their careers, compete with others, and receive recognition from the executive level are all motivators instead of stressors.

While you want to encourage everyone in your organization to learn, always keep it on a voluntary basis. Initially, some employees will hold back, but as they see other members of their team advance, perform better, and receive accolades, more than likely, they too will begin to show interest in online training.

For the best selection of courses, all developed and sometimes presented by industry leaders, visit go1.com. We offer excellent eLearning for companies of all sizes and industries, as well as employees regardless of level or position.

How do you get employees to make time for learning?

Tracy Capaldi-Drewett, Group Commercial Director at MicroLearn challenges organisations to revisit their tired elearning.

The business ecosystem is more volatile than ever, with increased competition, the drive for digital transformation and an uncertain political environment. It’s become even more vital that the Learning and Development organisation embraces the need for rapid change, both in terms of attracting, retaining and developing its talent.

Learning is an intrinsic part of our working life, whether we are an entry level employee or a senior executive, if we are to demonstrate value and productivity to our organisation. However, time pressures are relentless, and learning is not immune, so it is imperative that L&D delivers learning that is efficient and effective.

For quite some time, it has been recognised that to optimise scale and flexibility, eLearning has been the direction for improving efficiency of training delivery. Much of the eLearning produced has been too long, too linear, uninspiring and generally lacking engagement – the “Wow factor”. And perhaps most importantly, eLearning has often lacked effectiveness in meeting learning objectives and engendering behavioural change.

Today we are all learning, whether at work or at home, using Google, YouTube and social media to find what we need and how to achieve it. This hunger for quick answers also translates to our time at work, when we are looking to attain the skills we need to do our jobs better, faster and more effectively.

Recent research is strongly suggesting that it is time to move away from the more “passive” elearning to a strategy of personalisation and video-rich microlearning, delivering bite-size content on any device, at any time.

Learners demand a more agile approach to training that gives them relevant information on a wide variety of subjects, accessible at the point of need, and they’re willing to go anywhere to find that information. The Learning and Development organisation needs to facilitate this by putting the best possible technology and content in the hands of learners if it is to effectively contribute to the success of the organisation.

At MicroLearn, we understand that today’s workplace learning culture is craving relevant content that is rapidly created to meet the demands of an information hungry workforce and not turgid electronic “page turning”.

In embracing a microlearning strategy, it must be time to revisit and evaluate the effectiveness of your elearning library!

Why do we need to reimagine learning now?

Regardless of the industry you’re working in, customer service is one of the most important factors when it comes to the success of your business. If your employees fail to deliver on customer service, you’ll find it hard to retain customers, hit sales targets, and stay ahead of your competitors.

You might be surprised to hear that customer service skills are just as important in the automotive industry as with any other field. But with many automotive staff working in logistics or sales, proper customer service training is a must.

Even in the mechanical workshop, it’s important for all team members to know how to work with customers to get the best results. After all, the way in which your employees interact with clients will have a positive or negative effect on your company’s reputation, success and longevity.

If you want to improve the way your employees are interacting with customers, you’ll need to provide them with the right learning and development opportunities and resources. How are you delivering customer service training to your employees? And proactively improving their service skills?

With the right employee training, you can improve customer service standards across your business, resulting in engaged employees and satisfied customers. Here’s how you can use online courses for customer service training in your automotive business.

Why Customer Service is Important in the Auto Industry

Many businesses tend to spend a lot of time, money and energy attracting new clients, running special promotions and deals for new customers, for example. But did you know that it costs five times as much to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one?

Instead of investing so much into attracting new customers, why not focus on building and retaining a loyal customer base? Increasing your customer retention rates by just a small percentage can lead to long-term positive profits.

For employers in the auto industry, training your employees in better service techniques is the best way to build up a loyal customer base. One of the most important aspects of good customer service is knowing how to build good rapport with your customers and showing people that you’re interested in finding the best solution for them and meeting their individual needs. When customers have a positive experience with a company’s employees you can expect higher customer loyalty, better sales figures, and greater success.

Another key component of good customer service is knowing how to handle negative feedback and complaints. We all know customer service can have its tricky moments. What’s more, with the ever-increasing impact of social media, providing excellent customer service has never been so important, as customers now have the potential to provide instant feedback on any company across social media and review sites. Customer service training will provide staff with the tools and techniques they need to draw on in difficult situations.

When companies deliver training to staff, it’s often presented in one solid block of training, such as an all-day orientation session or two-hour workshop.

You might want to consider using online courses instead, to deliver staff training. Online learning is a great way to improve your customer service skills, as you can learn aspects of customer service training through short and engaging eLearning courses.

When it comes to customer service training, employees need to know how to complete returns, carry out special orders, respond to product enquiries, handle customer complaints, and build long-term customer loyalty. Your staff can receive training across all of these areas through online learning.

With online courses, you can provide staff with access to targeted online training activities and modules based on their specific job description. This means the course content will be more relevant and interesting to them, and they’ll be more motivated to learn and actively participate in training on these subjects.

Employee Training for Your Staff with Go1

Ready to get your customer service teams involved in online training?

At Go1, we provide high quality online training courses specifically designed for employees working in the automotive industry.

Online courses provide everything you need to help you deliver effective employee training, while making the learning experience easier and more convenient for your staff. With online training, employees can log in and complete short modules at a time and place that’s convenient to them. There’s no need for your company to book out expensive conference rooms, or hire instructors and facilitators, saving employers money and causing less disruption to business productivity.

Get in touch with the Go1 team to start creating your own tailored training program.

You might also like to check out our top five online courses for customer service, to help employees improve the way they listen to customers, form positive connections, build customer loyalty, develop telephone technique, and handle complaints.

Why you should train your auto service staff in customer service

Learn the Art of Working as a Successful Financial Expert

From 2017 to 2018, online education and training have reached new heights. With an abundance of topics and affordable prices, an increasing number of people have turned to Go1 as their preferred source for e-learning. If you want to work in finance or advance in your current financial role, Go1 has the solution.

Compared to other sources that offer online training courses, Go1 is unique in several ways. You will discover an almost unlimited list of topics on virtually any subject, including finance. You will also find that despite that leading topic or industry experts develop and present the courses, the prices are incredibly affordable.

Why stay stagnant in your role as a financial expert when you can reach a new level of success through online education. Visit the Go1 Premium website, and after a quick registration, you will be on your way to securing the job you want or advancing in finance.

As mentioned, there are countless online training courses developed solely for people interested in working in finance or those who already do. You can bring your dream of success to fruition by focusing on three distinct areas.

1.     Accounting for Stock Transactions

For this area of finance, a course on mutual business ownership as it relates to finance is another excellent choice. In addition to learning methods that ensure accurate accounting, you will develop the skills needed to explore common equity transactions that can impact even a basic accounting equation. The course also touches on things like accounting processes and concepts for preferred and common stocks, dividends, and treasury stocks.

You should also consider “How to Conduct Fundamental Analysis to Pick Profitable Stock,” which is fantastic. An investment analyst and stock market researcher with years of experience and unparalleled expertise designed this course for the finance and banking industry. With this, you will learn how to choose profitable stock without dealing with a lot of confusion.

The goal of this online training course is to help you understand how to use analysis to screen an investing company or industry. Upon completion, you will walk away with newly acquired knowledge of using different fundamental tools to screen profitable stocks. Unlike courses offered by sources other than Go1, this one is easy to follow and apply.

If your interest in finance focuses on making money by trading profitable stocks or learning accurate accounting methods, these are the right courses to take. All you need is a desire to learn.

Ron Miolla, a leading expert in financial leverage, offers a remarkable course called “Analyzing Financial Leverage for a Business: How Do Changes in the Operations of a Business Affect Its Earnings Per Share?” With this online training course, you will learn why analyzing a company’s level of financial leverage is so critical.

This course covers the ratio of debt to equity and the capitalization amount of a company. Also included is information pertaining to the concept of the price-to-earnings ratio and the way it relates to the value-per-share of a company. If you want to pursue advancement opportunities with your employer, you should have a good understanding of these subjects.

The third course called “ROI: Calculating Net Present Value” will also help you further your career in finance. Because net present value is the number one preferred method used to calculate ROI in the world of finance, this course offers incredible value.

One part of the course will teach you the proper way to use this calculation to help you determine if you should or should not move forward with a project or investment. The course also explores a unique concept known as the time value of money. Like the other courses mentioned, this one is essential for gaining or honing financial skills.

In addition to the financial courses listed, Go1 has a full library of management topics. Depending on your long-term goal in the field of finance, taking one or more of those would also prove beneficial. After all, you could end up in a position with financial responsibility and a team to manage. For you to succeed in both areas, you need to expand on your qualifications.

Benefits of Completing Finance Courses Online

Especially if you already work in finance, more than likely, you have little time to spare for attending traditional college classes. With online education, you can learn while relaxing at home, and learning at a pace that coordinates with your schedule. For instance, you could take a 30- to 45-minute course after the kids head off to bed or early on a Saturday morning when the house is quiet.

In addition to well-planned and easy-to-follow courses, you will appreciate the convenience of online education through Go1. Instead of feeling pressured to complete a course at a certain time, you have full control of the schedule. Not only does that eliminate stress from the learning process, but it also helps you retain the information better.

Instead of watching other people get promoted within the company or move on to bigger and better things with a different employer, take a step in the right direction by completing these financial courses. You deserve to work in a position that you enjoy. Thanks to online education through Go1, you can do just that. Visit our site today, select the preferred course, and start your journey.

Take your role in finance to a new level with online education

Like many people, you probably know that e-learning has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. However, you may not realize just how far-reaching online education has become. As demand continues to rise, experts anticipate even further growth.

When it comes to how wide-ranging online education is today, you should look at it from two perspectives. First, this is something that benefits people from around the globe. All they need is a computer, reliable Internet access, and a desire to learn. Second, online training courses create incredible opportunities for anyone interested in learning, from stay-at-home moms to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and everyone in between.

Just within the past few years, a staggering number of people have started taking online training courses, some for personal development and others for career advancement. If you look at the Babson Survey Research Group’s most recent Online Report Card, you would see that in the United States alone, almost 6 million people account for the current enrollment in some online education program.

Many people cannot take time off from work or time away from home responsibilities, making traditional education difficult, if not impossible. Instead of putting their dream of earning an education on hold, they can learn a new skill or hone an existing one through online training courses. With the right forum, interested parties can gain access to thousands upon thousands of viable programs developed by subject or industry experts.

As far as the first reach factor, online education gives people all over the world the opportunity to learn. The climbing number of participants proves that online learning is no longer an alternative way of getting an education but a mainstream solution.

The second factor in how far online education reaches has to do with the vast number of people and businesses that take advantage of it. As mentioned, some people take training courses to better themselves on a personal level. For example, they might complete a carefully formulated course on time management, communication, or organization.

At the same time, online education reaches virtually every industry. With so many training courses available, there is something for every company. Business owners and management associated with the construction, medical, automotive, agricultural, hospitality, and a host of other industries see the value that online training courses provide, not just for themselves to become better leaders but also to help staff members improve.

If you have a team of employees in an office work environment, you might consider training courses on any of the following:

If you have a business that deals with potentially hazardous materials, and thereby needs to adhere to strict compliance laws and regulations, the following online training courses are exceptional:

If your company is part of the medical or health care sector, online education is an excellent way to ensure that management and employees stay up-to-date on training required to maintain a certification or licensing. Some of the available courses include:

Something else to consider is that in addition to developing or refining a skill, people can use online education as a way of confirming their decision to enter a specific field. With so many affordable courses through a reputable source and many that people can complete in 30 minutes, there is no financial or time lost by trying.

For example, if someone thinks they want to enter the medical field, he or she could start by taking a few basic training courses such as:

Keep in mind that these are just a few of the many online training courses available to give you a better understanding of just how far-reaching online education is for any person and industry. In addition to courses for people in the United States, there are many that address topics for other countries. “Basic Finnish for Medical Professionals” is just one example.

There is no question that online education is growing fast. Whether taking a basic course or one mandated for a specific profession, e-learning does not limit itself to a particular type of student. Everyone, regardless of where they live in the world or their age, can complete training courses online. Currently, 26.5 percent of enrolled students are between the ages of 15 and 23, 36.5 percent between 24 and 29, and 40.9 percent 30 and older.

Although the courses are expert made, the majority take little time and cost only a nominal fee to complete. That makes it possible for a lot of people to learn who would otherwise miss out due to time and money constraints. Adding to the appeal is the fact that people can complete online education from the privacy and comfort of their homes and at a pace and time most convenient to them.

If you want to improve yourself personally, start a new career, or become better at your current the job, take advantage of online education and training through a trusted and reliable source.

Go1 offers the best online training courses available. With a reach around the world to different people and industries, we offer diversity and excellent learning opportunities. Take a step forward in the right direction by choosing courses provided by an established leader in the online learning and education arena.

As an employer, you might sometimes have to make the decision between hiring a young and promising graduate or an older, more experienced candidate.

Some managers may have reservations about hiring younger employees, being concerned that they bring less experience and knowledge to the table and are still unproven in the industry.

This may be a valid point, particularly in highly technical or creative roles. But it’s also worthwhile looking at the many benefits fresh graduates can bring to your business.

Here are some of the advantages of taking a chance on less experienced candidates and investing in the next generation.

One of the clearest advantages of hiring fresh graduates is their aptitude for technology. Most millennials have grown up on the internet, using smartphones, mobile devices and social media on a daily basis.

While older generations may feel hesitant and even change-resistant towards new technologies, younger employees are likely to embrace and adopt the latest gadgets and tech tools. They’ve grown up with technology as a part of everyday life and will have no trouble picking up and using new technologies in the workplace. They’ll also be more up-to-date with technology trends, offering valuable information and tremendous insight into your market.

In this way, bringing younger employees on board can have a very positive impact on the way your organisation moves forward with new technologies in the future.

It’s also likely that candidates who have just graduated from school, university or college will still be in a strong learning mindset. They’ll be used to studying and retaining information on a regular basis, helping them to remain ‘switched on’ and ready to learn.

It can be a lot easier to get graduate employees excited about participating in training and development programs, whereas more experienced workers may think they don’t need any further training.

Amit Chauhan, CEO and cofounder of Recroup, believes young employees can bring fresh perspective and a different way of thinking to your business.

“Most young workers are eager to learn, build their experience and apply their skills in the workforce. This enthusiasm is great for team building, productivity and workplace morale,” Chauhan says.

What’s more, graduates will often possess the most up-to-date knowledge in their field. Just because someone has been around for a long time in the industry doesn’t mean that their way of doing things is the best.

Younger generations are also considered to be very innovative and agile in the workplace, adapting well to changes and not being afraid to take risks.

As Chauhan says, “with less prior experience and likely no mortgage or children to take care of, new professionals have a lot less on the line.”

While more experienced workers might hesitate to make quick decisions or take risks at work, younger employees are showing that they are better equipped to respond to sudden change. In fast-paced, changeable work environments and industries, this agility and adaptability can bring a lot of value and reward to your business.

Another great benefit of hiring graduate staff is that they are more easily moulded to the kind of work culture you want for your organisation.

Employees who are fresh and new to the industry will be coming in without any pre-conceived ideas of the workplace. They can more easily adapt to the habits and processes of your company, rather than older workers who may have been doing things their own way for a long time.

Without previous work experience, younger employees can be considered a blank slate, ready to be developed and mentored in line with your organisational goals.

Last, but not least, there’s no doubt that you can reduce costs by hiring less experienced candidates.

When you take on a graduate who is just entering the workforce, or a younger worker with less experience, it’s generally expected that their salary will be lower than those with a higher level of experience. Considering that salaries are the greatest expense for most companies, you could be saving your organisation a considerable amount of money.

Before you dismiss the idea of hiring younger candidates, you might like to take some of these benefits into consideration. Young graduate employees could be just what your organisation needs, bringing fresh insights, technical knowledge, innovation and energy to the business. And after all, everyone needs to start somewhere, right?

Why you should invest in the next generation

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