The Benefits of CPD Course Personalization
In the past, most companies have offered rigid, one size fits all CPD programs, mainly encompassing in office training courses taking up significant working hours. The benefit of this system is that you know exactly what every employee has learned and can base future decisions on this knowledge. The downside is that there can be issues with relevance between departments and experience levels.
The rise of online learning has brought more online video and audio based training systems. These new systems don’t require exact scheduling and classes can be more targeted and adaptable. A major benefit of these learning methods is the ability to offer personalized CPD course packages. Here are just a few of the major factors that make custom professional development a valuable tool.
It can be tailored to individual employee job requirements and skill base
According to Linkedin’s 2020 Workplace Learning Report, over three quarters of employees value getting personalized course recommendations based on their goals and skill gaps. Among respondents, Gen Z was the highest percentage at 80%.
Personalized CPD Course programs allow for targeted learning based on learning goals and skill deficiencies. More basic programs can often be one size fits all for every learner. The benefit of offering tailored PD is if done right no amount of training time will be wasted.
Learning can be done from anywhere at any time
This is one of the largest benefits personalized CPD Courses offer over in-person seminars and conferences. They differ from these methods in the fact that there is no specified time requirement, courses can be worked around schedules instead of the other way around.
CPD Sources like online courses and podcasts take this even further. They allow for instantaneous attendance, if you have an hour on your hands you can take a course and get some learning done. This opens up more free time and can lead to better engagement and overall experience as you can start and stop courses at your leisure.
Allows for targeting by level of experience
Static company wide courses can be useful in many ways, but one area where they fall short is individual targeting. Employees at different levels will often require vastly different training, both in course subject and method of presentation.
If someone with years of experience participates in a course composed of material they already know they will likely tune out and not gain much. Conversely, if someone more junior takes a course that requires a more advanced level they may get lost and not be able to follow and retain information.
A bigger picture consequence of this is it could make some employees jaded at the entire professional development process and view it as merely compliance rather than an activity they can gain something from.
Offering classes at a variety of skill and job experience levels can be done in one size fits all training programs, but it is often harder to organize and quality control. With personalized courses, it’s easier to segment courses and it is easier to make changes based on feedback on the relevance and difficulty of material.
Gives employees autonomy in their professional development, Boosts engagement and usage
Personalized CPD course offerings give the learner freedom in their Professional development process. They can discern and pick courses that are relevant and interesting to them. Allowing for personal preference in course selection lessens the chance that the material will not connect and not benefit the learner.
To assuage fears that learning won’t be relevant, employers can also offer a hybrid program. Consisting of a base of required courses with the remainder up to the discretion of the learner. This provides confirmation that basic knowledge requirements are being met while still giving employees a say in the direction of their development.
Can aide employee satisfaction and retention
Learning and development has become more and more of a focus at some of the most forward thinking companies. Employees generally want to know they will be provided with the tools for future career success.
These programs provide assurance that by staying with the company they will be set up for career growth and if they leave they will not be left without crucial skills. This boosts psychological safety which in turn leads to greater job satisfaction.
Quality personalized L&D, including CPD programs can also be a major positive factor in recruitment. Offering these programs shows the company culture is one that aims to set employees up with the specified knowledge they require.
Learning can be tracked more easily by employers
Many online CPD Providers will give employers periodical usage reports. This can quickly summarize the total amount of organizational hours listened, this can be broken down further by department or by team. They can also provide insight on individual employees, how many hours and which specific courses they have completed.
This provides employers with a basis on the direction of learning and development at their company. Additionally, it shows the types of learning and subjects valued by members of their team. This knowledge can aid with decisions on future direction and can help to spot where there is a deficit in areas of required knowledge in current programming.
New courses can be developed based on employee feedback
No one knows if courses being offered reflect better than the people doing all the day to day work. When every employee has the chance to explore all courses available, they can better identify the learning they require that is not currently offered.
Feedback from users combined with learning reports can make a big difference in both review of current program success and changes that are necessary for future improvement.
They can better target specific areas of desired improvement
Career skills training can be tailored to areas individual employees are looking to improve. An employee that struggles with assertiveness in the workplace may not benefit as highly from a course based around managing conflicts. Offering an assortment of career development can help learners pick and choose lessons that suit their unique needs.
How LumiQ Fits In
LumiQ has a library of over 300 episodes. Covering all technical content necessary for CPAs along with soft skills and career development, as well as deep dives into some of the most interesting stories in the accounting world.
CPAs can choose the courses they find interesting and switch episodes at any time if the content is not engaging. We offer detailed usage reports to our business accounts to make sure all necessary learning is being fulfilled.
If you want to try LumiQ you can get 5 CPD hours free to start. Try LumiQ now.
