What role do specialty learning platforms play in the lives of individuals and businesses?
In a world where everything changes and evolves so quickly, constant learning is imperative in every industry. The emergence of agile startups and nimble small and medium businesses (SMBs) has accelerated these changes and intensified the significance of constant improvement. Life science and pharmaceutical industries are undeniably characterized by this requirement.
The pharmaceutical industry and health care companies are among the top high spenders in R&D, proving the importance of competent human resources; otherwise, R&D expenditures become a waste of resources.
Upskilling over new hiring
Learning and development departments set policies and procedures for upskilling and reskilling employees aligned with rapid transformations and new requirements. In many situations, it is simpler and more cost-effective to train current personnel for upcoming tasks and occasions than search for fresh talents. The most straightforward reason to support this claim is the lengthy and costly procedures of selecting and onboarding candidates. Furthermore, there is always an inherent risk of hiring the wrong person, or a new employee might take longer than expected to acquire the required skills and knowledge for the role. It is even probable that if the probation period fails, the hiring cycle will restart again and again.
Some organizations provide in-person and face-to-face learning opportunities for their employees and new hires. This strategy is not scalable or repetitive in short periods because it is extremely resource-dependent, money-intensive, and time-consuming.
How to find the best learning platform for your organization?
Various businesses implement a learning management system (LMS). In 2000, the LMS became popular but declined gradually when unexpected problems arose, specifically the ability to provide content justified for employees. Besides, it costs more than one-third of the learning technology budget. The need for qualified human resources is another crucial factor to consider when managing an LMS. Excluding the learning system content creation that can be in-house or outsourced, infrastructural support needs expert personnel, too. While an LMS has numerous undisputed benefits, managers are still hesitant to deploy one due to factors such as setup costs and times, infrastructure upkeep, shutdown times, and the need for experienced staff. The cons continue to outweigh the pros when considering the possibility of immigration to another LMS due to potential failures or circumstances.
Despite these pain points, some advantages alleviate those challenges:
- e-learning takes 40% to 60% less time to complete when compared to traditional learning
- e-learning increases learning retention rates by between 25% and 60%
But is an LMS the only solution?
How to survive in a deep ocean of training materials?
Being lost in the middle of an ocean is the nightmare of even the best seamen. The fog and darkness worsen the trouble, although the forthcoming waves make everyone unarmed. It is time to keep the faith and let go of the situation. This metaphor fits various scenarios and cases, including that of finding the best learning platform for yourself or your organization. Assume you struggle to find a learning course among numerous education platforms with differing presentation styles and implemented pedagogical methods.
How is it possible to identify the best material? Have you ever experienced entering a massive open online course (MOOC) or general learning platform and getting lost among distinct topics and becoming confused with the qualities and outcomes? You scrutinize each platform to check as many courses and lectures as possible. Then you shortlist some from diverse resources to compare. The last milestone is overcoming the dilemma of selecting the best for yourself or your organization. All your resources like time, money, and patience are scarce. You need to allocate them carefully, plus consider the job application deadlines you are planning to apply. It’s an overwhelming moment, and just thinking about it makes you shiver.
Why would specialty learning platforms become popular soon?
For a better decision, realizing the benefits of e-learning and the drawbacks of LMS or face-to-face training is necessary. Can MOOCs support organizations in this regard? The answer is yes, and no. MOOCs are mostly an alternative form of higher education, so they do not necessarily suit industry-centric content and training. Furthermore, finding the best learning content amongst the massive courses is another challenge for organizations, even though MOOCs offer B2B solutions and support organizations.
In contrast, niche-focused platforms like Pharmuni are in constant communication with a large number of clients with various interests and backgrounds. As a result, these platforms can recognize the needs and demands of the market or anticipate them much earlier than their competitors, allowing them to produce relevant learning content earlier on. So, their agility to develop novel content is far ahead of time compared to unspecialized platforms. Such organizations can swiftly switch from one topic to another while ensuring quality and thoroughness. Specialized learning platforms are the best way to create lifelong learning (LLL) and continuous professional development (CPD) for individuals and organizations. These skills are among the core competencies targeted in modern pharmacy curricula and addressed in the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) global pharmacy education vision and standards released at the end of 2016.
Specialized learning platforms provide clear benefits for individuals and enterprises. They may quickly and easily access a selection of excellent lectures and courses that focus on their needs and requirements. From now on, expertise-centric learning platforms will make finding and choosing training materials a piece of cake for both parties.
