Classroom Training: Still the Best for Knowledge Transfer and Skills Development

At Happy we have been developing e-learning for over 12 years. More recently we have got excited about Live Online Learning, where you learn from your desk but with a real live trainer in a virtual classroom. But some of the most effective learning we deliver still takes place in the classroom.

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So I was interested to see the results of the 2013 Learning Survey, carried out by Martin Belton for the Learning & Performance Institute. The result of responses from over 450 training buyers, it found:

Classroom training is best for knowledge transfer
Classroom training is best for skills development
Classroom training is best for satisfaction & enjoyment
Classroom training is best for likelihood of completion

However classroom came below both e-learning and live online learning for efficient use of time, flexibility and value for money. The full ratings were:

2013 Learning Survey Results

The survey also asked about which elements they expected to increase or decrease in their organisation in the coming year. And classroom training is set to decrease while the online options (including use of social media, not included in the above table) are set to increase. That is because people do need the flexibility and good use of their time nowadays, and all budgets are under pressure.

However I think this finding is worth dwelling on. If you contact Happy about something your people need to learn, we will discuss a range of options, including all of the above. But it is worth remembering that if you want to be sure people complete their learning and learn the skills they need in the job, then good old-fashioned classroom training could still be the best option.

Learn the 10 core principles to create a happy and productive workplace in Henry Stewart's book, The Happy Manifesto.

Support your aspiring and current managers to be empowering and confident leaders with Happy

Happy offers leadership programmes at Level 3, Level 5 and Level 7, from new managers/supervisor level all the way up to senior leadership teams and CEOs. These programmes are based on the ideas of trusting your people. They are practical and based on applying what yo’ve learnt. We aim to inspire and ignite change in your organisation, as well as giving you valuable management skills such as business strategy, decision-making, negotiation and project management.

We also offer programmes tailored specifically to people from Global Majority backgrounds. The content is the same, but have been designed to give new and experienced managers the skills they need to navigate organisational culture with a clearer perspective on their own potential, as well as building their confidence and expanding their professional strengths.

Henry Stewart

Henry is founder and Chief Happiness Officer of Happy Ltd, originally set up as Happy Computers in 1987. Inspired by Ricardo Semler’s book Maverick, he has built a company which has won multiple awards for some of the best customer service in the country and being one of the UK’s best places to work.

Henry was listed in the Guru Radar of the Thinkers 50 list of the most influential management thinkers in the world. “He is one of the thinkers who we believe will shape the future of business,” explained list compiler Stuart Crainer.

His first book, Relax, was published in 2009. His second book, the Happy Manifesto, was published in 2013 and was short-listed for Business Book of the Year.

You can find Henry on LinkedIn and follow @happyhenry on Twitter.