Alexis Kestler
Hey there! As a tech leader and lifelong learner, I‘m obsessed with leveraging technology to help teams skill up. The pace of change today demands that we continuously upgrade our skillsets. After all, even the most advanced skills have an expiry date in our rapidly evolving industry.
I‘ve experimented with numerous training platforms over the years. In this post, I‘ll share my top picks that I believe are real game-changers for upskilling employees. But first, let‘s look at why continuous learning matters more than ever today.
Why Continuous Learning is Crucial
The shelf-life of skills is shrinking. According to the World Economic Forum, nearly 50% of employees will require re-skilling by 2025 as adoption of emerging tech like AI, blockchain, IoT accelerates. Key drivers necessitating ongoing upskilling include:
Dealing with the pace of innovation: Cloud, AI, automation – disruptive tech is transforming how we work. Learning helps us adapt tools like data analytics, cybersecurity etc. that improve productivity and decision making.
New ways of working: Remote collaboration, agile methods, DevOps are becoming mainstream. Training helps transition teams into digital-first ways of working.
Customer expectations: Today‘s customers demand hyper- personalized experiences and real-time responsiveness. Skilling up is key to meeting escalating expectations.
Competency gaps: Even highly qualified employees have knowledge gaps due to the breakneck pace of change. Focused learning initiatives address these gaps.
Engagement and retention: Learning opportunities enhance employee experience making people feel valued and motivated. This directly reduces attrition.
Attracting talent: Continuous learning and upskilling are now hygiene factors for candidates. Brands that support growth attract and retain top talent.
Workforce transformation: Automation will require reinventing many roles over the next decade. Upskilling helps ensure employees remain employable.
Business performance: Capable and confident employees directly translate into greater agility, innovation and improved business metrics.
The bottom line is upskilling is now indispensable for organizations. When done right, it simultaneously benefits employees and the business.
So without further ado, let me reveal my top picks for training platforms that enable impactful and engaging team learning experiences.
1. Coursera for Business
Coursera is my personal favorite given the breadth and pedigree of content. With courses from 150 top institutions like Stanford, Google, IBM and Accenture it offers a truly world-class learning experience.
I like how Coursera combines scale with personalization. While there are 5000+ courses, companies can curate custom learning programs based on their specific needs.
The diverse content spans in-demand tech skills like cloud, data, AI as well as leadership, innovation and other topics. Courses feature great quality video content and activities like peer-to-peer projects that drive collaboration.
Learners earn shareable certificates on completing courses which is great for motivation and recognition. For companies, in-depth analytics provide insights to benchmark skills and identify gaps.
Why Coursera works:
Breadth of catalog: Leading course library covering technical and business skills. New content added regularly.
Top-notch content: Extremely high production quality given professor-led courses.
Credentialing: Shareable completion certificates. Some courses qualify for university credit.
Personalization: Companies can build custom learning programs with recommended courses.
Mobile access: App enables learning on the go with downloadable videos.
Analytics: Individual and cohort-level analytics reveal engagement, completion rates.
Coursera is my top choice for delivering cohort-based programs like leadership development accelerated by peer learning. Learner experience is superb given the university-style pedagogy. It‘s ideal for enterprises seeking scale along with specialization.
2. Udemy for Business
With 130,000+ courses, Udemy for Business is the largest curated online learning marketplace. It offers both technical and non-technical courses taught by industry experts.
The platform makes skill development accessible with engaging video content optimized for short attention spans. I like their bite-sized tutorials that distill complex concepts into easy takeaways.
For tech training, you have courses on every popular language and tool like React, Python, Photoshop etc. The courses incorporate lots of hands-on exercises which accelerates learning.
Subject matter ranges from data science, coding and design tools to soft skills like public speaking, productivity, mindfulness and more. Companies get access to premium content and features for running training programs at scale.
Why Udemy works:
Massive choice: Largest selection of courses covering every skill area.
Practical focus: Quick lessons focused on real-world application and skills.
Quality instructors: Passionate industry experts share practical insights.
Mobile-friendly: Consumable content accessible via iOS and Android apps.
Personalization: Employees can choose skills they want to build.
Affordability: Competitively priced subscription plans for unlimited access.
For self-motivated learners who know their learning goals, Udemy is a cost-effective platform to skill up. The expansive course library ensures you can always find relevant, quality content.
3. LinkedIn Learning
With 15,000+ expert-led courses, LinkedIn Learning helps build in-demand business, tech and creative skills. It covers areas like leadership, software development, design thinking and more.
Courses feature quality video content in quick 5-10 minute chunks. I like their conversational presentation style – it feels like the instructors are talking directly to you!
LinkedIn‘s algorithms recommend courses based on skills gaps and interests which is super handy. Learners can engage via Q&As and apply skills through downloadable exercise files.
The platform provides visibility into what skills your network is learning. You can also add certifications to your LinkedIn profile to showcase expertise.
Why LinkedIn Learning delivers:
Relevant content: Courses tackle in-demand skills for modern business needs.
Snackable videos: Concise lessons make learning easy to fit into busy schedules.
Smart recommendations: Course suggestions based on skills and interests.
Discussion forums: Enables peer learning by discussing projects/challenges.
exercise files: Downloadable resources to apply concepts hands-on.
Visibility: Showcase certifications on your LinkedIn profile.
LinkedIn Learning helps build a culture of learning driven by relevance, application and collaboration. Integrating training with a professional network is a bonus.
4. Pluralsight
Pluralsight focuses on online tech training with 1500+ expert-authored courses. For developers and IT teams, it‘s a go-to platform to build in-demand skills.
Their courses blend video tutorials with hands-on coding exercises. I‘m a fan of their interactive browser-based labs that provide real IDE environments to practice coding in.
Skill assessments benchmark expertise across different technologies. Using these insights, you can create customized channels based on skills gaps within teams.
Pluralsight IQ allows skill measurement at scale, delivering visibility into competency levels across the organization. You can even test candidates‘ skills during recruitment.
What makes Pluralsight powerful:
Tech-first learning: Courses focused exclusively on technical skills.
Interactivity: Coding labs and sandboxes mimic real job environments.
Assessments: Tests benchmark skills across different technologies.
Channels: Curated content around specific skill areas and roles.
Analytics: Organization and role-level analytics reveal competency levels.
Integrations: Plug into existing systems like ATS, LMS and HCM.
For closing technology skill gaps, Pluralsight offers structured, immersive learning experiences coupled with robust analytics.
5. edX for Business
Founded by Harvard and MIT, edX offers online courses from leading global institutions. It covers diverse topics from programming and data science to leadership and finance.
I like how you can audit edX courses for free to preview before deciding. Their MicroBachelors programs offer credit that counts towards a full degree.
For companies, edX provides turnkey solutions like cohorts, learning tracks, customized portals and HR integrations. Hands-on labs and team projects make for engaging peer learning.
The edX recruitment platform lets you source talent from within the learner community. You can even deliver assessments to screen and upskill candidates.
Why edX hits the mark:
Prestigious content: Courses from leading universities like MIT, Harvard etc.
Academic rigor: Real college coursework aimed at deep capability building.
Microcredentials: MicroBachelors and XSeries programs provide credits/qualifications.
Customization: Tailored learning programs based on needs analysis.
Learner community: Forums and teams enable peer learning and collaboration.
Recruiting: Integrated platform for hiring learner talent.
For a rich learning experience that employees are motivated to complete, edX delivers academic-quality content relevance.
Now you‘ve got the lowdown on my top five picks for corporate elearning platforms. But making your choice requires assessing a few key factors:
Key Factors to Consider
Your business goals: How does learning help achieve strategic priorities? Which skills are critical for future needs?
Your learners: What motivates them? Which formats do they prefer – video, practice labs, cohorts?
Content relevance: Is there sufficient depth in critical skill areas like cloud, data, leadership?
Personalization: Can you map programs to job roles and customize content?
Learner analytics: How will you benchmark skills and track program efficacy?
Budget: Does the pricing model suit your needs – per user, content hours, access period?
Integration: Does the platform plug into your tech ecosystem – LMS, HCM, SSO?
Ease of use: Is the platform intuitive for both learners and administrators?
Support: Is timely assistance available in case users need help?
Choosing a platform that aligns training to real skills needs while optimizing for learner experience is key. I hope this guide provides a starting point to identify the best option for your organization‘s unique requirements.
The takeaway is that corporate learning must evolve from a ‘once in a while‘ event into an ongoing journey that equips your people to adapt and succeed.
So empower your team with the tools, resources and culture needed to skill up for the future. If you‘ve any questions on getting started with training platforms, I‘ll be glad to help out. Just drop me a line!
