How Online Learning Is Transforming Workforce Education

Education has seen a significant evolution over the past few decades, and online learning—also called digital learning or e-learning—is one of the biggest factors in play. Online education can incorporate a lot of different techniques, from live virtual training to learning management systems to online simulations, and the courses themselves can be formatted to be taken entirely online or through a combination of online and in-person components, aka hybrid learning. 

But while most people think of e-learning in terms of college and university degree programs, in truth, online education is transforming workforce training as well.

The History of Online Learning

While internet-based learning is relatively new in the history of education, distance learning has been around for a while. There has long been a demand for a way to study and advance their education from their own homes versus attending at a university.

• 1728 — The first recorded example of distance learning was Caleb Phillips, who ran correspondence courses in Boston teaching people to write shorthand.
• 1840s — Sir Isaac Pitman in Gloucestershire, UK, taught shorthand through correspondence courses, sending instruction and feedback by mail.
• 1858 — The University of London is widely recognized as having launched the first distance degree courses through their External Programme.
• 1906 — The University of Wisconsin began recording lectures and sending them out to distance education students via phonographs.
• 1965 — The University of Wisconsin is credited with started running telephone-based instruction courses.
• 1968 — The University of Alberta’s Department of Medicine offered some of the first online courses, with 17 classes taught over the IBM 1500 network and over 20,000 students taking part.
• 1969 — The UK launched Open University, the first organization set up specifically to provide distance learning.
• 1984 — The University of Toronto, Canada, held the first completely online course. The topic was “Women and Computers in Education”, and focused on gender issues within educational computing.
• 1986 — The University of Phoenix became the first educational institution to establish a completely online college.
• 2012 — MIT launched MITx, helping popularize MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and expanding access to free online learning worldwide.

Since then, online education has seen massive growth, with the global market value projected to reach over $700 billion by 2030. In 2023, distance education enrollment across the U.S. hit 53.2%, compared to 36.3% in 2019.

The Trends in Online and Hybrid Digital Learning

Corporate and employer-sponsored e-learning are a major component of the online education market, and its popularity continues to grow. Two out of every five Fortune 500 companies utilize online learning, and the corporate digital learning market is projected to hit $90 billion this year. And it’s no surprise when one considers the rise in remote work, with 35.5 million Americans working at home.

In a 2020 survey by Udemy, 61% of corporate learning experts cited closing the skills gap as their top priority, followed by “driving organizational growth” (46%), “improving employee engagement” (44%), and “increasing job satisfaction (34%). And businesses that implement these e-learning programs can see results like:

• 40-60% less time to finish training versus traditional learning
• Increased business retention rates of 60%
• Nearly half of U.S. organizations that use online learning seeing a 42% revenue increase
• Companies with comprehensive training programs having 24% higher profit margins

The rapid technological advancements over the past two decades have fueled corresponding developments in the tools available for online and hybrid workforce training. And while online programs are conducted entirely over the internet, hybrid options can be great for employers and employees who benefit from incorporating that in-person connection. 

Some of the biggest trends driving continued adoption of digital learning:

• Education on the go: The widespread adoption of smartphones and learning apps makes it easy for people to be able to study wherever and whenever they want.
  
• Virtual and augmented reality: Already being used effectively in a number of online programs, these tools are becoming more useful, more affordable, and more successful, allowing distance education students to have a truly immersive learning experience.
  
• Artificial intelligence: The integration of AI-enabled tools on online education platforms is making digital learning more personalized and more engaging, adapting to the unique needs of each student. AI is also helping to boost accessibility.

The Benefits of Online Workforce Development

Statistics aside, what really matters is how developing online and hybrid digital learning models can benefit employees, employers, and a company’s bottom line. It’s become critical for businesses to integrate training opportunities—especially digital training—in order to stay relevant. Investing in the education of employees can bring increased productivity, revenue growth, reduced errors, and lower turnover, and e-learning is one of the quickest ways to upskill or reskill employees as the industry evolves and changes.

Online and hybrid digital learning for workforce development also offer:

• Flexibility: Letting employees learn wherever and whenever works for them is the best of both worlds. It allows them to continue to focus on their job and their work and gives them the autonomy to decide when they can be fully engaged. It also empowers employees to learn at their own pace.
  
• Lower costs: By implementing digital learning options, both the company and the employees save on overheard expenses. No one has to cover the costs of gas or airfare, hotel rooms, venue rentals, food and meals, etc. And employees don’t lose days of work to attend in-person training.
  
• Accessibility: This one works on multiple levels because the internet can be accessed almost anywhere by anyone. If a company has remote employees, they can update their skills without having to travel to the office. Large organizations employing hundreds of people can launch training programs that everyone can take at the same time. Courses that aren’t in-person and location-locked can more easily bring in high-level subject matter experts.
  
• Scalability: The world moves fast, and industries have to adapt. Leveraging online and hybrid training gives employers more freedom and the ability to react in real time. A new tool or product, a skills gap, a learning need—it can be tackled quickly and effectively by putting together e-learning materials and then simply emailing them to the appropriate employees.

Flexible Learning to Benefit Everyone

Online education can be a streamlined, cost-effective way to invest in the growth of employees and implement real workforce development strategies that drive growth. That’s why Ancora Training partners with companies to develop customized plans that meet their individual needs. Contact our team to start a conversation about how we can help you invest in online learning programs that bring value to your business.