Key Takeaways
- Effective training programs start with a clear understanding of business objectives, workforce needs, and desired outcomes—not simply the selection of a training platform or delivery method.
- Compliance training remains important, but organizations are increasingly using training to strengthen safety culture, improve decision-making, and build workforce competency.
- Modern training approaches include microlearning, mobile learning, webinars, interactive content, and AI-assisted learning tools that can improve engagement and accessibility.
- Learning Management Systems (LMS) are one option for managing training programs, but organizations can also leverage existing internal platforms and other technology solutions based on their needs and budget.
- A targeted needs assessment can help organizations identify the most effective and cost-efficient training approach for their workforce.
With ongoing advances in technology, EHS trainers have a greater array of choices in how they deliver training, from online training to eLearning to webinars and AI microlearning. But that evolving variety can feel overwhelming when it’s time to select the right solution.
EHS professionals know that many regulations applicable to our industries require some level of compliance training. However, the sheer variety of workplace training delivery methods available presents another challenge: How to evaluate the options to ensure that employees not only meet the minimum regulatory requirements but also learn something applicable to their role.
How EHS and Workplace Training Has Evolved
There was a time in the not-so-recent past when workplace training meant hours in a classroom, and an instructor armed with a big pot of strong coffee and a plate of cookies to keep attendees occupied. Many people have walked out of those training sessions wondering “What did I just learn? Was it even useful?” These sessions also took more time away from everyday work.
As workplace training began to evolve, companies could afford to introduce computer-based training (CBT). CBT courses were often dry, with uninspired content and sometimes even worse narration. The content was also a headache to manage, with complicated administration rights for early Learning Management System (LMS) access. In addition, employees often had to schedule time to utilize a shared workstation just to slog through hours of abysmal content.
Over the past two decades, training—and the means by which employees access it—has come a long way. We can now be more efficient in how we deliver training, but the growing number of available options can be downright confusing. Those who manage employee training content have many decisions to make. Today, organizations are supporting increasingly distributed, hybrid, mobile, and contractor-based workforces, making flexible training delivery more important than ever. Employees have also become more sophisticated in how they consume information, and workplace training programs need to meet those expectations.
More recently, organizations have begun leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to personalize learning experiences, recommend training content based on employee roles, and generate targeted microlearning campaigns. While AI can improve efficiency and learner engagement, organizations must still ensure that training content remains accurate, compliant, and relevant to operational realities.
With so many training delivery methods and technologies available today, determining the right approach can feel overwhelming. So, where should you start?
How to Assess Your Workplace Training Needs
Before evaluating delivery methods, technologies or platforms, organizations should first identify what they are trying to achieve through training.
Training options should be evaluated based upon a needs assessment that considers the following questions:
- Is there a business need? If so, is training actually the best way to meet that need?
- What does the learner need to know and why?
- Is there a gap in demonstrated employee knowledge or behaviors?
- Is there a target audience we need to focus on?
- What is the best (and perhaps most cost-effective) delivery vehicle for this content, to ensure our desired outcome?
- How do you assess if the training was successful?
Increasingly, organizations are also evaluating training based on their ability to reinforce safety culture, improve decision-making, support operational excellence, and build workforce competency, not simply satisfy regulatory requirements.
However, EHS professionals understand that performing a needs assessment can be a luxury when they have many competing priorities. Developing a comprehensive training management system, which can provide and track targeted engaging content for our employees, goes out the window in lieu of “fast, easy, and cheap” off-the-shelf web-based options. But it doesn’t have to be an either-or decision. Whether you need just-in-time training to reinforce key safety concepts or are looking to support more complex training program elements like employee onboarding, eLearning may be a good solution.
How to Choose the Right EHS eLearning Solution
If you are exploring eLearning, you may have already found that the options present staggering ranges of both quality and costs. Basic compliance training courses are readily available but may not meet the nuanced needs of your organization or your workforce. These off-the-shelf courses can check a compliance box, but they do not teach complex technical or decision-making skills that help your employees feel empowered in their roles and more confident in their competencies. They also can’t readily communicate just-in-time information you need your employees to critically apply in five minutes or less. All organizations—and corresponding organizational needs for employees—are different.
We often hear from our clients that competing priorities make it difficult for employees to sit through multiple hours of training content. Short-format training delivered through videos, AI-facilitated microlearning modules, targeted webinars, interactive scenarios, games, and quizzes continue to gain traction because it allows employees to access information whenever and wherever they need it. These approaches can improve engagement and retention while fitting more easily into busy work schedules.
Do You Need an EHS Learning Management System (LMS)?
As traditional in-person courses move to eLearning, that new and improved content needs a home and an owner. Most online EHS training, particularly very interactive content, is housed on a Learning Management System (LMS). Some companies choose to build their own LMS, while others purchase or rent space through a third-party LMS platform. A good LMS can make the headache of tracking and administrating EHS training programs less of a hassle, but it can be costly to start up. It also comes with annual fees to maintain, so it will depend on your organization’s focus on employee training and willingness to support this cost.
An alternative to an LMS is to utilize existing internal systems such as Microsoft SharePoint to host training content through a variety of newer file formats or embedding direct HTML links into internal web pages. Some third-party training platforms also allow employers to upload custom content that employees can directly access from a smartphone or tablet. These platforms can also generate AI-enhanced micro-learning training campaigns from existing content. Modern learning platforms now offer mobile access, automated reminders, competency tracking, reporting dashboards, and AI-assisted content delivery. Organizations can choose from enterprise LMS platforms, lightweight learning tools, or hybrid approaches that leverage existing systems such as SharePoint, Teams, or other internal communication platforms. No matter what your needs are as an organization, there are training content management and implementation options for all types of content and for every budget.
Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to workplace EHS training. The most effective programs balance regulatory requirements, business objectives, workforce needs, and available resources. Whether organizations are implementing a comprehensive learning strategy or simply looking to improve engagement with existing content, taking the time to evaluate training goals can help ensure employees gain knowledge that is both meaningful and applicable to their roles.
Working with an EHS Training Partner
For organizations looking to modernize their EHS training programs, selecting the right approach can be challenging. Questions around content development, delivery methods, competency verification, technology platforms, and program administration all play a role in long-term success. Identification of a partner that understands how to balance EHS regulatory requirements, business needs, and the needs and preferences of adult learners doesn’t have to be daunting.
As training technologies and workforce expectations continue to evolve, organizations that take a strategic approach to learning options will be better positioned to support compliance, strengthen competency, and build a more informed and engaged workforce.
Antea Group’s Health and Safety Training experts are here to help. Whether your team needs ideas to improve one course or your organization is looking for a complete overhaul of your training content, employee access, comprehension verification, means of access, or implementation of a complete training management system, we can help.
Antea Group offers fit-for-purpose training solutions that start with a targeted needs assessment to ensure that “more training” truly is the right fit for your organizational needs. Our team of EHS practitioners, trainers, and learning designers work cohesively to develop a training approach that makes sense and doesn’t break the bank.
Find out more about our Health and Safety Training services and contact us today to discuss the right fit for you and your organization.
