Seeking to sharpen your team’s skills and future-proof your business? Employee training and upskilling platforms offer a strategic solution.
This guide examines the top 5 platforms empowering organizations to build world-class workforces resilient to ever-evolving workplace demands.
Top 5 Employee Training & Upskilling Platforms
- Udemy: Massive content library spanning business, tech and creative skills make Udemy a top budget-friendly option.
- Coursera: Get advanced certifications from leading universities like Yale, University of Michigan and more on industry-aligned topics.
- LinkedIn Learning: An intuitive platform tightly integrated with LinkedIn‘s powerful professional ecosystem.
- EdX: High quality courses from Harvard, MIT and other globally renowned institutions, customizable for enterprise needs.
- Pluralsight: Specialized technology skills development through hands-on lab environments, assessments and analytics.
Now let’s explore the business case, solution landscape and best practices to make your organization‘s training programs thrive.
The Strategic Imperative of Continual Learning
With rapid digital transformation, evolving workplace tech stacks and shifting customer expectations, nearly 50% of employees will require significant reskilling by 2025 per the World Economic Forum.
Investing in training presents a smart strategy for companies to:
- Close pressing skill gaps: Tailor learning to address shortages in areas like data science, digital marketing and coding.
- Boost productivity levels: Help people do jobs faster and more efficiently through upgraded expertise.
- Improve retention: 94% of employees say they‘d stay longer at companies that invest in their career development (LinkedIn).
- Enhance recruitment: 72% of learning opportunities strongly influence job seekers‘ decisions (Growth Engineering).
- Drive innovation: New knowledge sparked through courses can catalyze creative internal solutions.
With proven benefits from strengthened employee capabilities and motivation, leading an effective training program delivers immense organizational ROI spanning talent, performance and culture.
Key Factors for Choosing Training Software
Myriad solutions exist in the corporate eLearning platform market projected to reach $37.4 billion by 2028. When evaluating options, focus on elements like:
Course Quality and Variety
- Tutorials taught by credible experts
- Content clearly communicating complex topics
- Library frequently updated with fresh, relevant material
Personalization and Relevance
- Assessments identifying individual strengths and gaps
- Recommendations based on interests and aspirations
- Aligns courses to development goals
Accessibility and Ease of Use
- Compatible across all devices
- Intuitive, aesthetically pleasing interface
- Smooth LMS and existing tech stack integration
Tracking and Analytics
- Dashboards monitoring program engagement
- Reports demonstrating completion rates
- Data illustrating business impact
Budget
- Predictable per user pricing, discounts for groups
- Option for unlimited access to content library
- Bulk purchases and custom builds available
Let‘s explore 5 highly-rated platforms against these criteria.
1. Udemy for Business
Key Stats:
- 170,000+ courses in 75+ languages
- 467 million course enrollments to date
- 75 Fortune 100 companies use Udemy for employee training
Overview
With the largest catalog spanning technology, business, design, health, languages and more, Udemy makes skill-building practical through hands-on learning.
Standout Features
- Assessments benchmark skills across individuals and groups
- Personalized course recommendations
- Enterprise administration features like bulk enrollment
- Certificates upon successful course completion
Use Cases
Udemy‘s affordable pricing and enormous marketplace of on-demand courses make it a flexible option for companies seeking to address diverse learning needs – from sales training to technical certifications and leadership development.
Pricing
Available plans:
- Basic: $240/user/year
- Pro: $360/user/year
- Enterprise: Custom Quote
Verdict
With quality content at scale led by practicing experts rather than academics, Udemy is a leading choice – especially for technology skills training given tool-based curriculum.
2. Coursera for Business
Key Stats:
- 3,000+ courses and 400+ specializations
- Support for 2,000+ enterprise skill certifications
- 90 million+ learners globally
Overview
Coursera partners with 200+ renowned universities and companies worldwide to deliver flexible, personalized learning grounded in real-world application.
Standout Features
- Recognized certificates from schools like University of Michigan
- Admin portal providing engagement analytics
- Customizable learning paths aligned to development goals
- Hands-on projects and peer collaboration
Use Cases
Ideal for larger companies seeking rigorous, credentialed programs spanning tech, business, data and leadership skills. Especially great for compliance, data science or sales training given relevant university-designed content.
Pricing
Available plans:
- Coursera for Teams: $399/user/year
- Coursera for Enterprise: Custom Quote
Verdict
With premiere instruction from schools like Yale, Coursera elevates workplace learning through accredited, multidisciplinary courseware grounded in practical application.
3. LinkedIn Learning
Key Stats:
- 13,000+ expert-led courses
- Available in 7 languages
- Used by over 15,000 organizations
Overview
With the entire LinkedIn ecosystem at your fingertips, LinkedIn Learning helps professionals stay relevant by mastering business, technology, and creative skills.
Standout Features
- Bite-sized tutorials from industry practitioners
- Skills assessments benchmarking expertise
- AI-recommended courses based on goals
Use Cases
A strong option if already using LinkedIn tools given tight integration. Especially great for leadership training given renowned soft skills courses taught by executives. Ideal for individuals directing own learning journey.
Pricing
Available plans:
- Standard: $21/user/month
- Premium: $42/user/month
Verdict
The high quality content and community features positioning LinkedIn Learning as a top choice for working professionals seeking to remain competitive through self-directed learning.
4. EdX for Business
Key Stats:
- 2,100+ courses from 140 leading institutions
- 307 million course enrollments to date
- $206 million in scholarships provided
Overview
Edx provides premium digital education in partnership with leading universities and companies worldwide.
Standout Features
- Interactive learning tools like virtual project rooms
- Custom course builder tailored to company needs
- Certified programs authored by schools like MIT and Harvard
Use Cases
The ability to build a custom curriculum along with respected university pedigrees makes EdX a strong choice for companies seeking rigorous programs around in-demand skills like data science, engineering and leadership.
Pricing
Available plans:
- Enterprise: Quote-based
Verdict
For multinational companies seeking reputable, targeted instruction grounded in real scenarios, EdX delivers an unparalleled combination of education quality and content flexibility.
5. Pluralsight Skills
Key Stats:
- 1,500+ tech courses
- 9,000+ skill assessments completed daily
- Trusted by 70% of Fortune 500 companies
Overview
Pluralsight offers specialized technology training for developers, IT pros, and tech leads to gain in-demand skills through expert-led video courses and interactive labs.
Standout Features
- Analytics measuring skill proficiency
- Lab environments for hands-on learning
- Paths aligning courses to tech positions
- Custom content and portal options
Use Cases
Ideal option for closing technical skills gaps and keeping developers/IT teams up-to-date as programming languages, cloud platforms and cybersecurity issues rapidly evolve.
Pricing
Available plans:
- Flex: $29/month per user
- Pro: $45/month per user
- Enterprise: Quote-based
Verdict
With rigorous, specialized content constantly updated, Pluralsight accelerates technical mastery enabling innovation and competitiveness within IT and engineering teams.
These top-rated platforms feature enormous course diversity, robust personalization and analytics empowering measurable workforce development tailored to strategic skills objectives.
Now let’s examine recommended practices for orchestrating high-impact training programs.
10 Best Practices for Successful Training Initiatives
Simply purchasing an employee training platform enables content access – but sound implementation determines program success.
Follow these guidelines to drive engagement, completion rates and skill application.
1. Clarify Program Goals
- Start by carefully evaluating current capabilities compared to target staff proficiencies.
- Outline specific skills and knowledge to be built through learning initiatives over 12-18 months.
- Confer with managers to identify high-priority gaps limiting performance. This alignment ensures maximum business impact.
2. Secure Leadership Buy-In
- Present executives with data quantifying how training initiatives support retention, recruitment, innovation and other organizational priorities.
- Emphasize development culture as a differentiator elevating employer brand, even driving market leadership.
- Explain associated costs but also showcase projected ROIs through boosted productivity and new service offerings expanded skills may catalyze.
3. Promote Enrollment & Engagement
Strategic communication and change management prevents lackluster participation. Tactics include:
- Emails from C-suite endorsing training opportunities
- Internal marketing campaigns sharing participant testimonials
- Managers personally recommending relevant courses to reports
- Easy self-enrollment portal with pre-approved time allotted for learning built into employee calendars
4. Incorporate Multiple Learning Formats
Cater to diverse preferences by blending solution capabilities:
- Instructor-led training (virtual or in-person)
- Self-paced eLearning courses (video, readings, etc)
- Microlearning (short bursts on focused topics)
- External learning (conferences, seminars)
- On-the-job training (job shadowing, stretch assignments)
- Peer-to-peer learning (lunch talks, mentorships)
5. Develop Skills Reinforcement Strategies
Retention worsens when learnings get quarantined rather than applied. Tactics helping cement concepts include:
- Post-training certification exams
- Periodic refreshers on previously covered topics
- Relevant project opportunities letting participants implement tools/tactics from courses
- Workplace coaching/feedback from managers related to trained skills
6. Track Quantitative Metrics
Leverage platform analytics and manual data collection to monitor:
- Program enrollment
- Course completions
- Content consumption (hours logged, resources accessed)
- Test scores quantifying knowledge gains
Dashboard visibility into metrics demonstrates adoption and helps refine strategies to enhance engagement.
7. Gather Qualitative Insights
Regularly survey participants on program satisfaction through questionnaires and focus groups examining elements like:
- Course quality/relevance to role
- Knowledge gains/gaps
- Implementation barriers faced
- Suggested improvements
Feedback fuels iterative enhancement informed by learners‘ needs and preferences.
8. Recognize Achievements
Showcase certifications, test scores and project applications in employee newsletters or local "brag boards". Consider rewards like gift cards for completion milestones to motivate continuous learning.
9. Report ROI
Tie skill gains to performance—for instance, measuring sales improvements after a selling skills course. Such data builds leadership buy-in for sustained funding by demonstrating training’s enterprise value.
10. Continuously Enhance Program
- Add emerging content to address new technologies
- Update course recommendations as needs shift
- Pilot alternative learning approaches based on feedback
Ongoing, responsive changes ensure offerings remain relevant to ever-evolving individual and organizational objectives over multi-year horizons.
While next-generation platforms power personalized, measurable skill-building, companies pilot multiple formats, incent completion, track data points and regularly refresh efforts to create maximally effective training institutions.
Upskill Employees to Uplevel Organizational Capabilities
With smart implementations, modern learning platforms strengthen talent pipelines, accelerate innovation cycles and drive readiness for future opportunities and threats.
Bernard Marr effectively harnessed knowledge-building software in his company’s digital transformation. He explains:
“Using AI-driven skills development platforms empowered our rapid pivot into data services and machine learning. Our team can now reskill faster than ever to meet shifting customer needs.”
I encourage you to similarly tap into the remarkable tools now available to amplify your organization’s capabilities and leadership. Reach out if you would value discussing platform evaluation, vendor selection assistance or program design advisory specific to your strategic skill objectives and constraints. Investing in your people presents the ultimate high-yield investment in long-term competitiveness and organizational resilience.
