E-learning for apprenticeship delivery - Is it worth it?

Off-the-shelf courses

As off-the-shelf courses are already created, easy to purchase and ready to implement, this type of package is the best option for apprenticeship providers who need to get their digital solutions established straight away.

Although they don’t provide the level of personalisation or range of options a bespoke solution would, they’re ideal for training centred on subjects such as compliance standards or industry best practice – anything which requires a more general overview of the topic.

Because of this, off-the-shelf courses can offer a fast return on investment and palpable benefits for apprentices.

Bespoke e-learning courses

If off-the-shelf courses are too restrictive or limited to meet your learners’ needs, bespoke e-learning courses might be the best solution. With this option, you’re able to develop a tailor-made system, so each aspect of the training – from the content, wording and visuals, to the delivery, technology used and values embodied – are custom-made to your own requirements.

Although this option requires a bigger investment in terms of cost, resources and time, the outcome will be perfectly suited to deliver the results you need – and, as your organisation will retain full ownership of the course and its assets, you can ensure the content remains up-to-date or even have it adapted to suit your future needs.

In essence, bespoke courses can form the bedrock of your strategy, enabling you to provide an embedded, long-lasting solution that you can use for years to come.

What’s the best solution for you and your apprentices?

There's no definitive response to this question, but the best option will always depend on the training needs and available investment – this might equate to an off-the-shelf solution, bespoke solution or a blend of the two. If you’re still unsure of which to choose, then try booking a consultation with an experienced vendor.

At Virtual College, we provide consultation services to assess your requirements – including your training goals, intended timescale, budget and resourcing availability – and identify the best possible package to meet those criteria. As Virtual College offers off-the-shelf, bespoke and blended training, we can advise you on the solution which best meets your needs.

Whichever option you select, Virtual College are on hand to support you during the purchasing and implementation stages, increasing your chances of achieving the very best outcomes for your learners and the highest possible return on investment.

How has Virtual College helped other providers?

We take pride in ensuring learner progression is at the heart of every solution, Virtual College is well known in the training and education sector. As such, we’ve supported employee development, qualification delivery and blended delivery models for a range of educational organisations and leading apprenticeship training providers.

As the learning technologies partner of Interserve Learning & Employment, Virtual College has provided a full consultancy offer – including Enable, our cloud-based Learning Management System (LMS), and a blend of our extensive off-the-shelf and bespoke online learning content.

Gregg Scott, Commercial Manager with Interserve Learning & Employment, commented: ‘We chose to work with Virtual College as they were able to offer a wide range of existing content and were also open to working in partnership to craft a blended solution for our apprentices.

The partnership is a long-term venture which will continue to evolve as our needs and those of our clients develop in response to the apprenticeship reforms and levy.’

For more information about apprenticeships and bespoke e-learning, please contact Jaison Cresswell from Virtual College at Jaison.cresswell@virtual-college.co.uk. We’d love to hear from you.