Custom content or off-the-shelf learning? It’s an ongoing L&D dilemma, but luckily with Transform you can have it all. We’ve been deliberating the pros and cons. Here’s everything you need to know.
With almost 75% of businesses choosing off-the-shelf learning content, it’s obvious it has many pros. The Transform platform provides hundreds of off-the-shelf courses, created by industry experts, covering an array of subjects for numerous industries. From skills testing to regulated compliance training, Transform has you covered, but if you can tailor your content around your individual learners, business and culture, are you not guaranteed a better learning experience by giving custom content a go?
While both forms of content are popular, teams often find it difficult to know when one type of content is more suitable than the other, leading to an amalgamation that doesn’t fully address the original issue.
So, when is off-the-shelf learning your best option, and when does bespoke content come out on top? Let’s find out.
Why choose off-the-shelf learning?
Cost – it goes without saying an easy way to reduce spending is buying a ready to use product. This type of content allows you to deliver informative and engaging learning for your employees at a lower price than most bespoke training programs. By using off-the-shelf learning, you also do not need to hire consultants, designers, or experts to create a course — you simply buy the course and deliver it through your LMS.
Did you know – the Transform LMS is FREE when bought alongside our learning technologies.Â
Time saving – the beauty of off-the-shelf learning is content is available exactly when you need it, immediately as soon as you buy it, meaning a quick turnaround time for your learners. This option is far less time consuming than creating content from scratch.
Wide variety of topics – the Transform course directory covers a wealth of generic, skill-based topics like working at height or manual handling, plus a range of compliance training, so a breadth of diverse courses is suitable across various organisations.
Quality – you are assured a very high level of quality and expertise when buying off-the-shelf courses as they are written by subject matter experts who are trusted creators in that area or field.
When is custom content my best option?
There are some situations where off-the-shelf learning just isn’t suitable. Instead, you’ll benefit from using custom content to provide your employees with a bespoke learning experience specific to your organisation.
Tailored content – every organisation has unique training needs that relate directly to its culture, processes, systems, and job roles, so there may be times when you can’t source relevant content for these unique requirements. One of the biggest benefits when it comes to custom content is that it can be customised to meet any learning objective, to your company’s exact requirements.
Personalised branding – using your brand, corporate colours and logo within your bespoke training materials, allows your courses to reflect your company’s brand, and align with other internal communications.
It’s easy to see the benefits that both bespoke and off-the-shelf content bring, with many businesses choosing a combination of both, but we also understand the challenges of choosing the best option for you and your learners. Keen to learn more? We’d love to chat you through your options. Book a meeting here or contact us here and one of our content experts will be in touch.