Outpace the Competition: How to Win With Virtual Training Programs

In nearly any industry, staying competitive is a top concern for leaders, as it helps to ensure both success and longevity. And keeping a competitive edge in any organization would be impossible without the people that power it. Offering your workforce opportunities to upskill and grow is essential to staying competitive, but how do you provide training that’s effective and scalable without driving up costs or losing productivity? Virtual learning programs offer a handy solution to this question.

By delivering high-quality, flexible training to employees wherever they are, you can enhance employee skills, boost productivity, increase engagement, and ensure your organization is always a step ahead of the competition. To help you start your virtual training journey, let’s take a closer look at the competitive advantages of virtual training, how to build the best virtual training programs, and how to choose the right solution for upskilling and reskilling your teams.

Unlocking the competitive edge: How virtual training drives success

A 2024 report on workplace learning by LinkedIn shows that the business case for continued education is clear, with a strong learning culture correlating with higher retention rates (57%), internal mobility (23%), and promotions to management (7%). But the benefits don’t stop there. Virtual training is also cost-effective, allowing organizations to remain agile in their training offerings and tactics. These factors combine to make virtual training programs a cornerstone of an organization’s strategy for driving growth and long-term success. By eliminating the need for travel, physical facilities, and material costs, companies can significantly reduce training expenses, and virtual programs are easily accessible to global, distributed teams, which enables consistent, high-quality learning opportunities no matter where employees live.

Virtual training also increases a workforce's speed and adaptability. With access to just-in-time training on high-priority topics and initiatives, employees can quickly acquire new skills or refine existing ones. When designed thoughtfully, a balance of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (on-demand) learning helps employees learn at their own pace while still benefiting from real-time collaboration and support. Agility is key in this approach, allowing organizations to respond to evolving demands and industry trends faster than competitors who rely on more traditional training methods.

Diving deeper into the subject of retention, virtual training helps to improve retention rates by more easily enabling a culture of continuous learning. When employees see their organization is committed to their professional growth and demonstrates this by actively investing in it, they’re more likely to be more engaged and satisfied at work. By creating clear career paths and preparing the next generation of leaders, virtual training helps organizations maintain a position of strength in an increasingly competitive talent landscape.

But how do you create a virtual training program that wins? Let’s look at some specific tactics and components.

5 Steps for building the best virtual training programs

Building the best training program requires thoughtful planning and a strategic approach. We’ve distilled the process down to five steps that you can use to create a program that not only boosts employee skills but also supports your organization’s goals and vision for long-term success.

Align with business goals

The foundation of any successful training program is alignment with your organization’s broader objectives. Before you design your virtual training programs, identify your key business goals and make sure your training program directly supports them. When training is tied to tangible business needs, it becomes more relevant, garners more support from the overall business, and motivates employees to engage with and apply what they’ve learned.

Offer personalized learning paths

Not all employees learn the same way, and a one-size-fits-all approach to training may not deliver the best results. By offering personalized learning paths, you’ll be able to cater to individual needs, experience levels, and career aspirations. Personalized learning also enables employees to focus on skills that are most relevant to their roles while giving them the flexibility they need to pace their learning based on their availability and goals.

Design sessions to be interactive and engaging

Engagement is a huge part of the success of virtual training programs. Consider incorporating interactive elements such as polls, Q&A sessions, and breakout groups into your live sessions. You can also record live sessions to allow employees to fit training into their own schedules if they need to miss a session. By making the learning experience dynamic and flexible, you’ll help employees remain interested and connected.

Find the right balance between synchronous and asynchronous learning

A truly effective virtual training program blends both asynchronous and synchronous learning. Synchronous sessions, such as live workshops and back-and-forth discussions, allow for real-time collaboration and immediate feedback. Alternatively, asynchronous content allows employees to learn on their own schedule, which is crucial for accommodating different time zones and personal commitments. By finding the right mix of both formats, you’ll create a well-rounded training experience that blends engagement with flexibility.

Track and measure impact

To ensure your virtual training program is effective, it’s important to track and measure its impact. Use key performance indicators such as completion rates, engagement levels, and post-training assessments to evaluate the success of your programs and courses. Collect feedback from participants on what’s working and what’s not working, and iterate on your programs accordingly. By regularly reviewing your metrics and results, you can refine your approach and continuously improve the effectiveness of your virtual training programs.

Choosing the right solution to stay competitive and improve performance

Choosing the right virtual training solution is extremely important. Whether your focus is upskilling existing employees or reskilling your workforce to meet new demands, you want to select a platform that aligns with your goals and supports effective continuous learning. Look for a solution that offers flexibility, can scale with you, and blends synchronous and asynchronous learning formats to accommodate different learning styles and schedules. With the right solution in place, you can empower employees to grow, adapt, and thrive—all while staying ahead of the competition.

It’s also helpful to consider the real-world experiences of others when choosing your preferred platform. Amy Drozd, Leadership Development Program Manager at Schoox, shares how her company has leveraged the Class platform to meet its needs: “Class really supports all of our learners wherever they are. It helps us serve our entire diverse population, and it supports our innovative culture by allowing us to provide the best tool for our customers. We’re growing a lot as a company, and Class empowers us to offer more courses to more people, so our L&D program can scale alongside the business.”

Looking to build a more agile and scalable virtual training program? Connect with a Class expert today to discover how our platform can help you stay ahead of the competition.