Lifelong learning means providing employees with continuing learning experiences over their tenure with the firm. This helps with the aims of ensuring they have the opportunity to learn the skills they need to do their jobs and to expand their horizons. By one estimate, about 39 million people in the UnitedStates have learning disabilities. Employers often turn to private firms to provide the requisite education.
Teamwork is not something that always comes naturally. Companies therefore devote many hours to training new employees to listen to each other and cooperate.
Trainers increasingly employ Internet-based learning to deliver programs. There are two basic ways to offer online courses to employees. First, the employer can arrange for its employees take relevant online courses from either its own online offerings or from online training vendors on theWeb. The second approach is to arrange with an online training vendor to make its courses available via the employer’s intranet-based learning portal.
Learning management systems (LMS) are special software tools that support Internet training by helping employers identify training needs. An LMS also can help in scheduling,delivering, assessing, and managing the online training itself.
A virtual classroom uses special collaboration software to enable multiple remote learners to participate in live discussions, communicate via written text, and learn via content such as PowerPoint slides.
Mobile learning (or “on-demand learning”) means delivering learning content on demand via mobile devices like cell phones, laptops, and iPads,.
Employers also are moving from textbook and classroom-based learning to interactivelearning.