The budget is tight, the executive suite has antiquated ideas? HR developers, speak up in your demands! Because e-learning should be part of a long-term strategy, not a 6-week project.
How can it be that on one hand digital learning is everywhere deemed future-proof, while at the same time major obstacles are still being put in the way of HR managers? E-learning is not a project into which some money and time is pumped once and which is then finished! E-learning is a method that needs to be much better integrated into existing structures. Whether didactically or financially – many e-learning experts are still stuck far too much in outdated corsets today.
That is why today I am writing about 3 demands that cannot be loud enough. HR developers, fight back against the rigid structures in further education!
End the digital parallel world!
More budget for e-learning!
Strategy instead of actionism!
End the digital parallel world!
About one in five companies has its own e-learning department. How does that look in your company? Whether it is a separate department or everything in one: e-learning is a PART of further education, which really should be clear to everyone today. Why the artificial separation? There is not "further education" on one side and "e-learning" on the other!
Article Tip: Whether e-learning or seminar: Adapt the format to the goal
Some managers behave as if digital learning is a passing fad. Yet the opposite is the case! On one hand, many methods that seem young already existed over 20 years ago: For example, microlearning used to be called just a "One Point Lesson". And unlike a passing fad, e-learning is spreading more from year to year and will certainly continue to be an important topic in adult education for the next 20 years.
More budget for e-learning!
Due to Corona, the budget for further education has been redefined in many companies. According to the latest benchmarking study by the eLearning Journal, the budget for classroom training was limited in almost 40% of companies, while the budget was increased in almost as many companies. But how does it look specifically with the budget for digital methods?
Shockingly, many HR developers and learning developers fail simply because their budget is squeezed into rigid requirements.
Frequently, management in companies does not yet recognize the added value that learning (both digital and analog) can have. And is therefore not willing to invest accordingly.
Sünne Eichler, Director of the Steinbeis Institute for Digital Learning & Leadership
And even if the overall budget for further education is quite good, often only a tiny part may be spent on e-learning or digital methods. What is the point behind this restriction? Shouldn't you, as an HR developer, be able to decide for yourself how the total budget is sensibly spent?
Therefore, stand up for more budget in e-learning – or against the financial separation of face-to-face and digital measures!
Symbolic image: End separate budgets in further education! Far too often, e-learning receives only a homeopathic share of the total further education budget.
Conclusion: Strategy instead of actionism!
Sustainable e-learning does not need short-term individual measures, but a long-term strategy that firmly anchors digital learning in the company's further education.
From the previous points it should have become clear: E-learning is a method, not a project of a few weeks or months. Granted, it can be a project to start with e-learning in the company. But digital learning itself is a strategy that must be thought of long-term.
My appeal to you as an HR developer is therefore: Stand up for your convictions! Due to the pandemic, many HR departments were characterized by actionism for the past two years. Quickly doing something digital in order to exist at all.
But now it is about finding a long-term strategy. And that includes a seamless integration of e-learning or digital learning into the further education of the entire company.
End separate budgets for e-learning. End the "e-learning" project that is temporarily squeezed onto existing structures. Move towards a long-term strategy to find the best method mix for your needs. What are you waiting for? Convince your executive suite now to rethink learning.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Why should e-learning not be treated as an individual project?
An individual project has a defined beginning and end. Digital learning, on the other hand, should be permanently integrated into further education and continuously adapted to new requirements, learning goals, and needs.
How can e-learning be strategically anchored in the company?
Digital learning opportunities should be planned as an integral part of the overall further education strategy. This includes long-term goals, suitable learning formats, and the necessary financial and human resources.
Should face-to-face training and e-learning be planned separately?
No. Face-to-face training and digital learning opportunities are different methods of further education and should be selected and combined with one another depending on the respective learning goal.
What role does the further education budget play in an e-learning strategy?
The budget should be oriented towards the further education goals and offer sufficient leeway for suitable learning methods. A rigid separation between budgets for digital and classic measures can complicate a sensible choice of methods.
