As the face of corporate training continues to evolve, accelerating time to competence is taking precedence on many business owners’ radars.
After all, no one likes to waste time (especially when it costs money), so focusing on strategies to reduce time to competence is a smart business move for any employer running training programmes.
But, as well as the heightened productivity of more effective learning, accelerating time to competence also impacts employee engagement and satisfaction.
In fact, according to research by the Wynhurst Group: “22 percent of staff turnover occurs within the first 45 days of onboarding with the cost of losing an employee in the first year estimated to be at least three times the salary”.
While there may be other factors at play here, these sobering statistics demonstrate – if you want to design a successful training programme – you must incorporate strategies to help learners quickly and efficiently retain new information.
What is time to competence?
Put simply, it’s the measure of time spent upskilling an untrained individual or group with the skills, knowledge and confidence to apply in the workplace.
By understanding and measuring the distance between subject delivery and retainment, you’re more informed to make necessary training adjustments to speed up competence.
Common causes for time-lagged learning could be unengaging delivery, unidentified cognitive barriers, unclear targets and outcomes or, perhaps, the lack of opportunity to practise and repeat newly learned information.
Whatever the reason for a reduced time in learning, arming your learners with the right set of educational tools is a sure-fire way to see higher levels of engagement, productivity and results in your training programme.
Ways to reduce time to competence
In the modern corporate world, having the ability to upskill quickly seems to be a prerequisite for employees starting any new role.
But for some learners, the capability to absorb new skills within a set time frame comes with individual challenges that need to be supported through the correct strategies. For example:
Set clear goals and outcomes
Setting a clear path for learning with relevant goals is a smart way to streamline learning. It takes learners on a journey with your curriculum, helping them see the purpose of content and what it aims to achieve.
As a result, learners become more engaged with a stronger desire to understand and retain information relevant to their role.
Contextualise through scenarios
To add another layer of relevance, contextualise new material to a scenario learners may experience in their new roles.
Depending on the demands of their new position, training scenarios could include a variety of soft and hard skills to give learners the knowledge, experience and confidence to apply theory in a practical situation.
For example, trainee managers could practise the soft skills of empathy in the workplace, whereas trainee doctors could role-play the preparation requirements for complex surgery. Of course, contextualising for some roles may prove to be trickier than others. But that’s where virtual reality (VR) fills the void (which we’ll talk about later).
Differentiate material
An ongoing conundrum for many instructor-led sessions is how to align course content with varying learning styles.
Where some learners might prefer a didactic and theoretical approach, others might excel in a more hands-on and kinaesthetic setting.
For this reason, every training programme should be user-centred, fully adaptable to individual learning needs.
Because if it isn’t, the time between delivery and competence will likely result in a deflated, demotivated and unengaged learner.
How VR can reduce time to competence
By harnessing the power of VR, corporate training suddenly bypasses the widely recognised limitations of auditory and written learning styles.
As proven by various experimental studies, such as Hermann Ebbinghaus’ “Forgetting Curve”, including a practice-based virtual platform in your training programme is a game changer in the world of education – and here’s how.
Immersive learning
By stepping into a virtual world, learners immerse in a participatory environment where newly attained skills can be applied to a lifelike scenario.
Instead of becoming passive participants, subjects are presented with an accessible learning experience where they can develop holistic understandings through encouraged self-learning.
Repeated learning
Studies suggest for information to be retained, it has to be revisited at least three times.
By wearing a headset like an HTC Vive or Oculus Quest, VR learners are given limitless opportunities to apply knowledge, build confidence and perfect their craft, all through self-driven learning.
It means more time can be spent applying knowledge and less time spent being passive in a classroom-based environment.
Measurable learning
Built with evaluation at the heart of any experience, our VISIONxR™ platform allows peers, teachers and trainers to track progress made through an immersive digital experience. It means you can monitor real-time progress with a live window for both formative and summative feedback.
To conclude…
VR offers a streamlined and cost-effective way to accelerate time to competence with your staff.
As well as the tangible benefits you won’t find in a traditional classroom setting, VR contributes to a safer and planet-friendly alternative continuing to change the educational landscape in schools, colleges and the workplace.
Thinking about introducing some immersive technology into your company’s training programme? Book a demo with us today to experience the benefits VR can bring to your business.
As the face of corporate training continues to evolve, accelerating time to competence is taking precedence on many business owners’ radars.
After all, no one likes to waste time (especially when it costs money), so focusing on strategies to reduce time to competence is a smart business move for any employer running training programmes.
But, as well as the heightened productivity of more effective learning, accelerating time to competence also impacts employee engagement and satisfaction.
In fact, according to research by the Wynhurst Group: “22 percent of staff turnover occurs within the first 45 days of onboarding with the cost of losing an employee in the first year estimated to be at least three times the salary”.
While there may be other factors at play here, these sobering statistics demonstrate – if you want to design a successful training programme – you must incorporate strategies to help learners quickly and efficiently retain new information.
What is time to competence?
Put simply, it’s the measure of time spent upskilling an untrained individual or group with the skills, knowledge and confidence to apply in the workplace.
By understanding and measuring the distance between subject delivery and retainment, you’re more informed to make necessary training adjustments to speed up competence.
Common causes for time-lagged learning could be unengaging delivery, unidentified cognitive barriers, unclear targets and outcomes or, perhaps, the lack of opportunity to practise and repeat newly learned information.
Whatever the reason for a reduced time in learning, arming your learners with the right set of educational tools is a sure-fire way to see higher levels of engagement, productivity and results in your training programme.
Ways to reduce time to competence
In the modern corporate world, having the ability to upskill quickly seems to be a prerequisite for employees starting any new role.
But for some learners, the capability to absorb new skills within a set time frame comes with individual challenges that need to be supported through the correct strategies. For example:
Set clear goals and outcomes
Setting a clear path for learning with relevant goals is a smart way to streamline learning. It takes learners on a journey with your curriculum, helping them see the purpose of content and what it aims to achieve.
As a result, learners become more engaged with a stronger desire to understand and retain information relevant to their role.
Contextualise through scenarios
To add another layer of relevance, contextualise new material to a scenario learners may experience in their new roles.
Depending on the demands of their new position, training scenarios could include a variety of soft and hard skills to give learners the knowledge, experience and confidence to apply theory in a practical situation.
For example, trainee managers could practise the soft skills of empathy in the workplace, whereas trainee doctors could role-play the preparation requirements for complex surgery. Of course, contextualising for some roles may prove to be trickier than others. But that’s where virtual reality (VR) fills the void (which we’ll talk about later).
Differentiate material
An ongoing conundrum for many instructor-led sessions is how to align course content with varying learning styles.
Where some learners might prefer a didactic and theoretical approach, others might excel in a more hands-on and kinaesthetic setting.
For this reason, every training programme should be user-centred, fully adaptable to individual learning needs.
Because if it isn’t, the time between delivery and competence will likely result in a deflated, demotivated and unengaged learner.
How VR can reduce time to competence
By harnessing the power of VR, corporate training suddenly bypasses the widely recognised limitations of auditory and written learning styles.
As proven by various experimental studies, such as Hermann Ebbinghaus’ “Forgetting Curve”, including a practice-based virtual platform in your training programme is a game changer in the world of education – and here’s how.
Immersive learning
By stepping into a virtual world, learners immerse in a participatory environment where newly attained skills can be applied to a lifelike scenario.
Instead of becoming passive participants, subjects are presented with an accessible learning experience where they can develop holistic understandings through encouraged self-learning.
Repeated learning
Studies suggest for information to be retained, it has to be revisited at least three times.
By wearing a headset like an HTC Vive or Oculus Quest, VR learners are given limitless opportunities to apply knowledge, build confidence and perfect their craft, all through self-driven learning.
It means more time can be spent applying knowledge and less time spent being passive in a classroom-based environment.
Measurable learning
Built with evaluation at the heart of any experience, our VISIONxR™ platform allows peers, teachers and trainers to track progress made through an immersive digital experience. It means you can monitor real-time progress with a live window for both formative and summative feedback.
To conclude…
VR offers a streamlined and cost-effective way to accelerate time to competence with your staff.
As well as the tangible benefits you won’t find in a traditional classroom setting, VR contributes to a safer and planet-friendly alternative continuing to change the educational landscape in schools, colleges and the workplace.
Thinking about introducing some immersive technology into your company’s training programme? Book a demo with us today to experience the benefits VR can bring to your business.
