Ask your electrical utility workers about the last time they took a training course.
Their reaction? It’s probably cringe-worthy.
Seriously, their training courses may remind them of classroom situations with a lot of note taking, books to read, and nerve-wracking tests. That’s not to mention being bored with a capital “B” when they had to sit for hours.
Education has changed, and it’s moving into a different direction of learning from which your employees can benefit.
It’s known as e-learning, and a new brand of Learning Management System is bringing “anywhere” electrical training online to your utility workers.
The Face of Education
Education is greatly changing.
With the high adoption of e-learning in the corporate and academic sectors, it’s now moving into numerous industries, including the utility industry. According to Global Market Insights, Inc, the e-learning market share will reach $200 billion by 2024. The market is also growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7% from 2019 to 2025.
Here are some fast facts about e-learning:
- The e-learning environment emphasizes learner-centered activity and system interactivity, and remote learners can outperform traditional classroom students.
- Social learning plays a role as workplace attendees take part in forums and sharing sessions.
- E-learning can suit students with different learning styles.
For utility workers, electrical training online courses are the latest way for your employees to gain their compliance-related certifications or recertifications, get up to speed on new safety protocols, or educate them on existing skill gaps. Electrical training online courses can work to effectively and efficiently train your workforce via e-learning rather than the old way of learning—back to the traditional classroom.
The Ways to Learn
Learning experts have long said that different individuals learn in different ways. Everyone absorbs and remembers what they’re learned, whether it’s through hearing, viewing, or doing. Teaching in any form means addressing the needs of diverse groups of students.
Auditory learners
Auditory learners—who make up 30% of the population—learn by hearing. They would rather listen to something or talk with another person to help recall information than learning through whiteboards filled with charts and diagrams.
Auditory learners excel in lectures, study groups, and classroom presentations. They’re out of their comfort zone when it comes to written assignments.
Visual learners
Visual learners make up 65% of the population. They need to see what they’re learning as they can visualize ideas and relationships. They do well with charts, maps, timelines, models, diagrams, and other illustrations when information is provided on a whiteboard, allowing them to better remember the material. They also learn more successfully when images and videos are used.
Kinesthetic or experiential learners
Those who are kinesthetic or experiential learners make up just 5% of the population. They’re the hands-on types who learn by doing or experiencing things. They best learn through manipulating or touching materials, and are always on the move. These students often need to have frequent study breaks because they have trouble being in one place for any set period of time.
Learning Styles and the Online Learner
Everyone has their own style of learning. The online learning environment can suit all of these groups. This method provides a collaborative atmosphere that complements many students’ learning styles. For those students who prefer to study alone in a quiet environment, online learning can be successful for them. Those who are visual learners can benefit from the online advantages of videos, graphs, and images an e-course offers. The kinesthetic learners would also appreciate the ability to take part in social learning groups.
The Electrical Training Online Course Benefits for Utility Workers
There are benefits for the electrical training online for your utility workers.
Your workforce contains a diverse number of individuals with their specific ways of learning. Some may need the ability to take part in an instructor-led course, while others are set to work on their own. Some are visual learners, while others are auditory learners, and still others are kinesthetics learners. Their e-courses are designed to be customized so everyone can benefit from their individual learning experiences.
With e-learning, your utility workers can benefit from the personalized and flexible learning that electrical training online courses offer. They provide simpler and more effective learning than the old school setting, and there’s a quick delivery and real-time access of engaging lesson content, so your workers aren’t tied into attending long, traditional off-site classes that may require long commutes. The training accommodates their needs and lets them work at their own pace.
Online courses also result in improved scores on certifications, tests, or any other types of worker evaluations. A higher number of students achieve a “Pass” or “Mastery” level, important when it comes down to course materials involving compliance, safety, and other critical procedures in the workplace. There’s also better overall retention of the course information.
Customized Electrical Training Online E-courses
When it comes to your company’s electrical training online, you should look for customized e-courses based on the needs of your workers and their learning styles.
WestNet offers a Learning Management System (LMS) that provides your utility workers with “Anywhere” training that is accessible from their computers, laptops, tablets, or smartphones. E-course students are presented with an easy to use dashboard that enables them to work with their tiled landing page as it suits them.
Your workers can go into the WestNet LMS and search, browse, and view their courses or any events that are relevant to them. They can self-register directly from the LMS, and track their course registrations and completions. To keep their work engaging, they can participate in social learning discussion groups to help facilitate their learning further. To add more interaction, employees can compete to see who has the highest number of points during the course and at its completion. Then, when their study is complete, they can download their transcripts and certificates.
Complete Electrical Training Online from WestNet LMS
Online electrical training is made easier through the use of e-courses that cater to individual learning styles of students. WestNet LMS offers just the tools to produce the best learning outcomes for your utility workers.
If you’d like to learn more about the latest ways to teach your utility workers online, why not reach out and schedule a free one-on-one session with one of our specialists today!
