Because of the rapid pace of change within the business environment, the diverse learning needs of the multigenerational workforce, and the complexities of learning strategies, the demands and pressures on internal learning and development (L&D) staff are greater than ever. What happens when your internal resources do not have the bandwidth or expertise to meet the training needs of marketing, IT, management, sales, and customer service? What happens if hiring more L&D staff is not an option? Which business goals will go unmet?
For organizations of all sizes, outsourcing all or part of the L&D function is becoming an increasingly attractive option to address the following issues:
- In-house staff cannot keep up with the pace of change. A responsive and experienced training partner can quickly assemble the resources needed — the facilitators, program designers and subject matter experts — to help your organization deliver the diverse training programs required by your stakeholders. Whether your training needs are being driven by new regulations, deployment of new technologies or organizational change, an outsourced training partner can take the tremendous pressure off your staff and help ensure your people are getting the enhanced skills they need to perform at their optimal levels.
- Cost reductions. Contracting for outsourced training expertise is a controllable cost. The design and delivery of employee training programs is a variable activity that can be scaled up or down as demand dictates. The cost of full-time internal staff is a constant, fixed cost that does not fluctuate with the demand cycles for training.
- The internal L&D department has become stale or resistant to change. An outsourced corporate training partner can bring fresh new insights and expertise to an internal department that has lost its edge. If your current L&D staff is overwhelmed by trying to absorb new learning strategies, conducting needs assessments and skills gap analysis for multiple lines of business, or deciding which combination of learning modalities will produce the desired results, an experienced training partner can be a valuable asset.
- Organizational transformation. An ongoing, dynamic relationship with an outsourced corporate training partner can help sustain a continuous learning environment within your business, transforming it into a learning organization. A learning organization is defined by its ability to quickly acquire knowledge that enables it to innovate and meet the challenges of a rapidly changing environment. In his seminal book “The Fifth Discipline,” Peter M. Senge, author and founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning, states, “The organizations that will truly excel in the future will be the ones that discover how to tap into people’s commitment and capacity to learn at all levels in an organization.”
Why you should consider outsourcing your Employee training through a partnership with your local community college
The mission of a community college is multifaceted and includes an economic and workforce development component. That component tasks a college with impacting regional economic growth and competitiveness through the development and delivery of industry-specific education and customize employee training programs that help create a highly skilled workforce. It is the employee training division within a community college that is uniquely positioned to respond quickly and effectively to employers’ short-term training needs.
“At the Employee Training Institute, we have the subject matter expert instructors who not only have deep industry knowledge and experience doing the work, but also have skill in designing and delivering curriculum that is tailored to employers’ needs and the needs of adult learners in the workplace,” says John Milburn, interim vice president, Workforce and Economic Advancement for College of the Canyons.
Milburn adds, “Our approach is not focused on just single training events but rather on training programs that contribute to the continuous learning culture of the organization. In this way we become an essential strategic partner for our clients.”
A statewide network of expertise
When you partner with your local California Community College you are engaging with a statewide system that holds the largest body of workplace-specific training curriculum in the world. The more than 100 community colleges act as vast network of subject matter experts, educators, and consulting professionals that can be utilized to design and deliver training programs on virtually any topic requires by business—from advanced manufacturing and mechatronics to cybersecurity and leadership development.
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Learn how the UpSkill California Community College Collaborative shares extensive resources and expertise to deliver virtually any training solution required by business.
For more information about the customized training programs offered by the Employee Training Institute at College of the Canyons, contact:
John Milburn
Interim Vice President, Workforce and Economic Advancement
Email: [email protected]