How e-learning can close employee knowledge gaps

A recent McKinsey study shines a spotlight on the serious gap between the knowledge employees need to do their jobs and the knowledge they exist with from educational institutions in the United States.

The study indicates that although 72 percent of the educational institutions insist that their graduates are ready to enter the work force with the skills they need, only 42 percent of employees agree.

That is a huge split, and more and more human resources departments are turning to e-learning to help close that gap. It is a way that those seeking employment and those with the jobs to offer them can come together and ensure that the newcomers quickly absorb the additional training they need.

By delivering the extra training to the employees’ mobile devices, where they can learn at their convenience and even within the comfort of their own homes, at a pace they can handle, the gap closes.

The new employee is also competent with the delivery methods of e-learning and is use to gathering information from their phones or tablets, so they are naturally fit for this kid of learning.

Some of America’s biggest companies are going this route, including Goldman Sachs, Macy’s and Target. They hire new college graduates, and then involve them in e-learning to get the additional skills training that the company still believes is lacking.

In some cases, employees are being asked to engage in intense month-long e-learning sessions before they actually begin their new positions. The idea is to bring everyone in the organization to the same page.

As the new employee learns, they are assessed to determine the best fit for their aptitudes.

The benefit of using e-learning to close the knowledge gap is that it allows companies to hire the best graduates with the most potential, knowing that the training gap can be closed quickly with their own programs. Less experienced applicants are looked at in a new light because of this.

Often the company can save money and make better investments by hiring the new graduates and setting them up quickly for e-learning rather than hiring more experienced people who demand higher starting salaries.

While using e-learning is effective to bring college graduates up to date with real-world skills employers demand, companies must also take some responsibility to communicate their education and training needs to learning institutions.

If your company is a major employer in your region, for example, it makes sense for your human resources manager to hold regular meetings with nearby learning institutions to make them aware of key areas of learning that are falling into the gap.

Be innovative. There could be a way that your e-learning program could be offered as an option to students hoping to work in your organization. You might be able to have key segments of your online courses incorporated into some of the college curriculum.

Which of the courses offered at the University or College in your area would be most applicable for would-be employees to take? Why not provide this information to the registrar’s office and have it distributed to area students?

Closing the knowledge gap will require creative solutions, and top of the list is the development of effective e-learning programs.

For more information on effective e-learning programs, contact Skyprep today!