Off-the-shelf training content benefits both organizations themselves and their employees in multiple ways. From improving employee retention to providing remote access to diverse courses, online training platforms give employees a reliable platform to continue developing their skills.
Check out 4 popular online learning platforms to support ongoing learning at your organization:
Custom content is not always the best solution for every organization. Luckily, there are off-the-shelf training resources that organizations can utilize to give their employees opportunities to expand their skill sets.
Off-the-shelf, third-party online learning content is common for organizations who don’t have the internal resources to develop their own training and is a reliable source of ongoing learning for your workforce.
At Roundtable Learning, we believe in providing ongoing learning opportunities to your employees throughout their entire employee lifecycle. Whether you prefer custom or off-the-shelf learning content, we’re here to help you discover the best fit for your learners’ needs.
This article will explore the benefits of online learning for employee learning and development, and break down 4 popular online training platforms.
What Are The Benefits Of Online Learning Sites?
Online learning platforms give organizations access to off-the-shelf learning courses that help employees develop new and existing skills.
For organizations without the internal capacity to produce training, third-party learning platforms are a convenient option to scale learning across their workforce.
Online learning platforms come with the following benefits:
- Helps Retain Talent — Employee retention is critical to an organization’s efficiency and budget. By investing in online learning, your organization demonstrates to your employees that you value their continued learning.
- Remote Access — With a compatible device, learners can access their online learning from any location, providing an increased level of convenience and flexibility.
- Provides Scalable, Consistent Learning — Off-the-shelf training content allows your organization to scale the same learning content to every learner, providing a consistent learning experience.
- Diverse Course Options — Online learning databases have access to a plethora of course options, from professional development topics to language learning and more. These diverse course options allow learners to explore diverse topics that benefit them both professionally and personally.
- Asynchronous Learning Activities — With online learning, employees are self-directed, meaning they complete online learning courses individually at their own pace. Learners simply log into their account on the online learning platform, then complete their assigned courses on their own.
Now that we know the benefits that come with off-the-shelf online learning, let’s dive into 4 of the most popular online training platforms: LinkedIn Learning, Skillsoft, uDemy Business, and Coursera for Teams.
LinkedIn Learning vs. Skillsoft vs. uDemy Business vs. Coursera for Teams
1. LinkedIn Learning
Formerly known as Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning is an online educational platform that helps learners expand their skill sets in business, technology, creativity, and more. With over 27 million users, LinkedInLearning offers an on-demand library of instructional videos that learners can access from their LinkedIn profile to develop various skills and build their expertise in a wide range of subjects.
Founded: 1995
Number of Courses: 16,000+
Cost: 1-month free trial, then $19.99/month for an annual subscription or $29.99/month for a monthly subscription
Topics Covered:
- Business (e.g. Professional Development and Human Resources)
- Creative Topics (e.g. User Experience and Web Design)
- Technology (e.g. Data Science and Cloud Computing)
2. SkillSoft
With more than 140 million users across the globe, SkillSoft is a leading provider of online enterprise learning solutions. Learning content from SkillSoft comes in the form of eLearning, videos, and books.
Founded: 1998
Number of Courses: 180,000+
Cost: Individual Plan: 14-day free trial, then $29/month or Team Plan: 30-day free trial, then $39/month
Topics Covered:
- Business & Leadership Skills
- IT Skills & Certification
- Compliance
- Digital Skills
3. uDemy Business
uDemy Business is built for organizations who’d like to provide relevant, engaging learning content to their learners that can be accessed from anywhere at any time. uDemy Business has courses built for employees in every role at any level, with over 7,000 customers across the globe.
Founded: 2009
Number of Courses: 6,000+
Cost: Team Plan: $360 per user/year
Topics Covered:
- Business Courses
- Tech Skills
- Leadership & Management Skills
- Wellness Skills
4. Coursera for Teams
Coursera for Teams helps organizations upskill their workforce through flexible learning options and certification courses. With Coursera for Teams, organizations have unlimited access to the Coursera catalog, tools to track learners’ progress, and personalized content recommendations.
Founded: 2012
Number of Courses: 4,500+
Cost: Team Plan: $399 per user/year
Topics Covered:
- Data Science
- Business
- Computer Science
- Personal Development
- Information Technology
- Language Learning
Overall Comparison Of The Top Online Training Platforms
To provide a general comparison between LinkedIn Learning, SkillSoft, uDemy Business, and Coursera for Teams, we’ve compared each platform across a variety of categories. See our breakdown below:
- Highest cost per learner: SkillSoft
- Lowest cost per learner: LinkedIn Learning
- Oldest training platform: LinkedIn Learning
- Newest training platform: Coursera for Teams
- Highest number of courses: SkillSoft
- Lowest number of courses: Coursera for Teams
- Highest number of users: SkillSoft — 140 million users
- Lowest number of users: uDemy Business — 5,000 enterprise customers
Overall rating according to G2, a reputable business software and services reviewer:
- LinkedIn Learning: 4.4/5
- SkillSoft: 4.2/5
- uDemy Business: 4.5/5
- Coursera: 4.5/5
Scale Training Across Your Organization With Online Learning!
This article has covered the benefits of online learning, as well as 4 popular online learning platforms: LinkedIn Learning, SkillSoft, uDemy Business, and Coursera for Teams.
Ready to learn more about the potential benefits online learning could bring to your employees’ learning and development? Reach out to one of our L&D experts today or check out our past projects.