LinkedIn Learning has become one of the most popular platforms for corporate training, offering a vast library of professional development courses. With its ease of use, scalability, and broad subject matter coverage, LinkedIn Learning is a compelling choice for companies looking to invest in employee training. However, as with any platform, there are both benefits and drawbacks to consider.
This article explores the pros and cons of using LinkedIn Learning for employee training.
Pros of Using LinkedIn Learning
1. Extensive Course Catalog LinkedIn Learning offers over 16,000 courses in various domains, ranging from technical skills like software development and data analytics to soft skills such as communication and leadership. This wide selection allows companies to address diverse training needs across different departments and roles.
2. Flexibility and On-Demand Learning One of the main advantages of LinkedIn Learning is the flexibility it offers. Employees can access courses at their convenience, allowing them to learn at their own pace. This is particularly beneficial for remote workers or global teams who may need training solutions that accommodate different time zones and schedules.
3. User-Friendly Interface LinkedIn Learning integrates seamlessly with existing LinkedIn accounts, making it easy for employees to access training resources. Its intuitive interface ensures users spend less time navigating the platform and more time learning. Additionally, the platform provides personalized recommendations based on users’ skills and career interests, further enhancing the learning experience.
4. Scalability For organizations of all sizes, LinkedIn Learning is highly scalable. Whether a company has 10 or 10,000 employees, the platform can easily accommodate growing teams. Moreover, LinkedIn Learning for Business offers detailed reporting tools, allowing organizations to track learning progress, completion rates, and other key metrics at scale.
5. Mobile Accessibility The LinkedIn Learning mobile app allows employees to engage with courses on the go, making it possible to learn during commutes, breaks, or while traveling. This mobile functionality increases engagement and enables continuous learning beyond the traditional office environment.
6. Industry Expert Instructors Courses are led by industry experts and practitioners with real-world experience, providing learners with insights from seasoned professionals. This ensures high-quality content and makes the learning experience more relevant and practical for professionals in various fields.
Cons of Using LinkedIn Learning
1. Generic Content While LinkedIn Learning offers an extensive course catalog, much of the content is generic and not tailored to specific industries or organizations. Companies with niche training requirements might find it challenging to meet their needs solely through the platform, necessitating the use of supplementary or custom training resources.
2. Lack of Hands-On Learning LinkedIn Learning primarily delivers video-based content, which may not be ideal for employees who prefer hands-on or interactive learning experiences. While the platform includes quizzes and assessments, it lacks practical projects or simulations that some employees may require to truly master a subject.
3. Limited Customization While LinkedIn Learning offers personalized course recommendations, organizations have limited control over tailoring content to align with their specific goals, policies, or workflows. For companies looking to embed custom processes, company-specific examples, or proprietary knowledge, LinkedIn Learning may not provide the required level of customization.
4. Subscription Costs For organizations with large teams, LinkedIn Learning can become expensive. While it offers affordable pricing for individuals, the cost of a LinkedIn Learning for Business subscription can add up, especially for small or mid-sized businesses with limited budgets for employee development.
5. Not Suitable for Highly Specialized Training If your business requires highly specialized or industry-specific training, LinkedIn Learning may not always deliver the depth or specificity needed. In such cases, organizations might need to invest in more specialized training solutions or consider developing custom learning programs.
6. Employee Engagement Challenges Although LinkedIn Learning provides the flexibility for on-demand learning, some employees may struggle with self-directed learning and fail to complete courses without proper motivation or follow-up from management. Ensuring consistent engagement and course completion may require additional internal initiatives, such as setting goals or tying learning objectives to performance reviews.
LinkedIn Learning offers a convenient, scalable, and diverse training solution for organizations of all sizes. Its broad course catalog and flexibility make it an attractive option for many businesses looking to improve their employee development programs.
However, it’s essential to evaluate your organization’s specific needs and challenges. For companies requiring specialized content, interactive learning experiences, or highly customized programs, LinkedIn Learning may need to be supplemented with other solutions to deliver the desired outcomes.
Ultimately, LinkedIn Learning can be a powerful tool for employee training, provided that organizations approach it with a clear understanding of its strengths and limitations.
The Benefits of an LMS Over LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning is a popular choice for professional development, offering a wide range of courses on various subjects. However, when it comes to a more comprehensive, tailored, and scalable solution for employee training, a Learning Management System (LMS) may offer several advantages over LinkedIn Learning.
Below, we’ll explore the key benefits of using an LMS over LinkedIn Learning for employee training and development.
1. Customization of Learning Paths and Content
One of the major advantages of using an LMS over LinkedIn Learning is the ability to customize training programs. With an LMS, companies can create personalized learning paths for employees based on their roles, skills, and career goals. Content can be tailored to specific industry needs, company policies, and internal procedures.
LinkedIn Learning offers pre-made content that is general and designed to serve a broad audience. While this may work for some basic training needs, it lacks the depth and customization that many organizations require. With an LMS, companies can create or upload their own proprietary courses and integrate them with third-party content providers to deliver a fully customized learning experience.
2. Tracking and Reporting Capabilities
A significant benefit of an LMS is its ability to provide detailed tracking and reporting. An LMS allows managers and HR teams to monitor employee progress, completion rates, assessment results, and learning engagement. This data can be used to assess individual performance, identify skill gaps, and measure the effectiveness of training programs.
LinkedIn Learning provides limited reporting tools that focus on course completion and activity. However, it doesn’t offer the depth of analytics that an LMS can provide, which is essential for organizations aiming to link learning outcomes to performance goals, compliance, or organizational KPIs.
3. Content Flexibility and Integrations
An LMS offers greater flexibility when it comes to integrating different types of learning content. With an LMS, organizations can support a wide variety of formats, including SCORM, xAPI, videos, quizzes, assessments, and interactive simulations. Additionally, LMS platforms can be integrated with other enterprise systems, such as HR platforms, performance management software, or CRM tools, to create a seamless learning ecosystem.
LinkedIn Learning is limited to the content that it provides, which is primarily video-based. While useful for general learning, it doesn’t allow for the integration of custom content, making it less flexible for organizations that need to incorporate company-specific or hands-on training.
4. Compliance and Certification Management
For organizations in highly regulated industries, managing compliance training is a critical need. An LMS allows for the management and automation of compliance training, ensuring that employees are up to date with certifications, regulatory requirements, and mandatory courses. The system can automatically track and remind employees of recertification deadlines, reducing administrative overhead.
LinkedIn Learning lacks robust compliance management tools. While employees can take courses on compliance-related topics, there is no automated tracking or certification management to ensure ongoing adherence to industry regulations.
5. Employee Engagement and Gamification
An LMS can be designed to enhance employee engagement through interactive learning elements, such as gamification, leaderboards, badges, and rewards. These elements make learning more engaging and motivating, improving completion rates and learner satisfaction.
LinkedIn Learning does not offer built-in gamification features. While its courses are informative and well-produced, the platform doesn’t include these engagement tools, which can be key to maintaining employee interest and involvement in longer or more complex training programs.
6. Branding and White Labeling
For organizations looking to maintain a consistent brand image, an LMS can be fully customized and white-labeled to reflect the company’s branding. This creates a more cohesive experience for employees, as the learning environment aligns with the company’s visual identity and culture.
LinkedIn Learning is a third-party platform, and companies have no control over its branding. While it integrates into corporate LinkedIn profiles, it does not offer the branding flexibility or personalization that an LMS provides.
7. Cost Efficiency for Large Organizations
For businesses with large numbers of employees, an LMS can often be a more cost-effective solution in the long term. Many LMS platforms offer a fixed licensing model based on the number of users, while LinkedIn Learning typically operates on a subscription-based pricing model, which can become expensive for larger organizations over time.
With an LMS, companies can develop their own training content, reducing the need for expensive subscriptions to external content libraries. Once the content is created, the company can reuse and update it as needed without incurring additional costs.
8. Blended Learning Capabilities
An LMS offers support for blended learning, combining both online and offline training methods. This means that companies can offer instructor-led training (ILT) alongside eLearning courses, webinars, and virtual classrooms. Employees can attend in-person or virtual training sessions, while also completing self-paced learning modules, creating a holistic and flexible learning environment.
LinkedIn Learning is limited to digital content, which doesn’t provide the flexibility to incorporate instructor-led training or other offline learning methods. An LMS can bridge the gap between different learning formats, providing a more comprehensive approach to employee development.
9. Advanced Assessment Tools
Assessment is key to ensuring that employees not only complete training but also retain knowledge. LMS platforms offer advanced assessment tools, such as quizzes, exams, and interactive simulations, to test employee knowledge and provide real-time feedback.
While LinkedIn Learning includes quizzes and assessments, they are often basic and do not offer the depth or customization options available through an LMS. Companies that need robust assessments or certification testing will find an LMS to be a better fit.
Summary
While LinkedIn Learning offers a convenient solution for companies looking to provide basic and flexible training resources to employees, an LMS provides a more tailored and comprehensive approach to learning and development. The ability to customize content, track progress, integrate with other systems, manage compliance, and engage learners through advanced features makes an LMS a better choice for organizations with specific training needs and goals.
For businesses seeking to align training with broader organizational objectives, an LMS offers the flexibility and functionality to create a truly effective learning environment, ensuring long-term employee growth and success.
About LMS Portals
At LMS Portals, we provide our clients and partners with a SaaS-based, multi-tenant learning management system that allows you to launch a dedicated training environment (a portal) for each of your unique audiences.
The system includes built-in, SCORM-compliant rapid course development software that provides a drag and drop engine to enable most anyone to build engaging courses quickly and easily.
We also offer a complete library of ready-made courses, covering most every aspect of corporate training and employee development.
If you choose to, you can create Learning Paths to deliver courses in a logical progression and add structure to your training program. The system also supports Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) and provides tools for social learning.
Together, these features make the LMS Portals platform the ideal SaaS-based platform for our Employee Training clients and partners.
Contact us today to get started or visit our Partner Program pages
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