Navigating the L&D
landscape
We've made it easy for you to find the L&D solution right for your business
Explore the infographic below to find the best learning and development (L&D) solution for your business.
Your business needs a workforce that can adapt to a rapidly changing world. Education can help you retain, attract and develop your workforce so your business is ready for whatever tomorrow brings.
Workforce education
Table of contents
University partnership
In-house program
Learning management system
Online learning platform
Massive open online course providers
Tuition reimbursement
Online learning platforms
Definition
Online learning platforms give employee learners access to a wide range of learning resources that they can choose from themselves. In contrast to LMSs, which are more comprehensive, online learning platforms mainly focus on content provision.
Use case
Ideal for employers seeking a simple way to deliver learning content without advanced capabilities.
Benefits
On-demand, self-paced nature makes for convenient and flexible learning
Short programs and courses can be tied to career progression
Can integrate with LMS/LXP
Challenges
Programs are generally short courses with no pathways to degrees
Low completion rates due to self-paced nature of courses
More than 40% of Fortune 500 companies are using e-learning platforms regularly.
Source
Definition
A learning management system (LMS) is a software platform designed to manage and deliver educational content and track employee learner progress.
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What about learning experience platforms?
Use case
Ideal for companies looking for a comprehensive tool to manage the entire learning process in one place.
Benefits
Learning materials are all in one place and easy to manage and streamline
Impact is easy to measure with access to analytics and reporting
It’s easy to set clear and defined training goals for employees
Challenges
Ongoing time and resources are needed to manage and develop learning content
Learning content does not ladder up to degree programs
C-level executives account for 65% of LMS users, while managers make up the remaining 35%.
Source
65%
35%
Managers
C-level Executives
Learning management systems
Online learning platforms are primarily geared towards corporate workers. They’re rarely accessible to frontline workers.
0%
50%
100%
Definition
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offer open access learning opportunities. MOOCs are widely accessible to employee learners of all types who wish to take courses on topics of their choice.
Use case
Ideal for employers who want to give their employees access to a broad range of learning courses at a low cost.
Benefits
Easy to integrate with LMS/LXP
Because they’re open access, MOOCs are typically a low cost option for businesses
Allow for greater flexibility to meet employee schedules since many courses are self-paced
Challenges
MOOCs are made to be massively accessible, so they’re not personalized to specific learning needs
Accreditation isn't guaranteed and quality varies widely depending on host institution
Completion rates tend to be low due to lack of personalization and the absence of formal recognition for completion
Massive open online course providers
aka: MOOCs
Definition
Tuition reimbursement is an employer-provided benefit that reimburses employees for their education expenses for a predetermined amount of money. It is often presented alongside other employer benefits like 401k programs, healthcare and vacation policy.
Use case
Ideal for encouraging employees to pursue education opportunities.
Benefits
Provide a broad education benefit by offering a range of courses and programs from a wide number of institutions
Challenges
Inaccessible to employees who can’t shoulder upfront tuition costs, leading to low participation rates
Without the right built-in technology, it’s difficult to measure the impact and ROI
The range of education options varies widely in quality and aren't always aligned to career growth.
Only 2% of employees who have access to a tuition reimbursement program actually enroll.
Source
Tuition reimbursement
This type of program may be easier to manage if it’s managed by a third-party vendor
Can be an administrative burden if managed in-house, rather than by a third-party vendor
Definition
Workforce education offers access to career-boosting courses and programs that are tailored to an employer’s specific workforce and business needs. This type of solution commonly follows a direct billing model, rather than reimbursement.
Use case
Ideal for enterprise organizations with large frontline populations that want to fuel career advancement and retention through learning.
Benefits
No upfront tuition costs to employees
Challenges
Typically requires buy-in and engagement from executive leadership for success
Difficult for companies to implement and manage on their own, typically requires help from a third-party vendor
Career-aligned workforce education
i
What is direct billing?
Courses and programs are tailored to unique business and employee needs
Offers both degree programs and short courses or certificates that can be tied to career growth
Can seamlessly integrate with or replace existing L&D solution
Technology platform enables simple program administration and impact measurement
Definition
University partnerships offer learning opportunities through a direct relationship between an academic institution and a corporation.
Use case
Ideal for organizations that have established relationships with local academic institutions.
Benefits
Programs and courses can be personalized to the business due to direct relationship with university
University partnership facilitates employer access to student talent
Opportunity to offer direct bill option for that partner university
Challenges
Limited courses or program options as relationship is generally with only one university
Time and resources required to establish partnerships with academic institutions
Time and resources required to develop, implement and maintain program
University partnerships
Definition
A training or learning program that is developed and delivered entirely in-house.
Use case
For organizations with significant resources that are looking to address very specific training needs that can’t be met with generic educational content.
Benefits
Ability to customize and design program to fit your businesses’ unique skills needs
Programs and courses can be aligned to career growth
Challenges
Extremely resource intensive to develop, implement and maintain program and learning content
Requires significant monetary investment - this is the costliest option on the market
In-house programs
Finding the right solution for your business
There is no shortage of learning and development options for employers who want to further their employees’ education and training. With this information in your back pocket, you’re much better equipped to identify the right solutions for your particular business and workforce needs.
For more learning and development resources, head to our blog.
Book a discovery call
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What about learning experience platforms?
A learning experience platform (LXP) has distinct differences from an LMS. While both platforms share some benefits and challenges, LXPs prioritize personalized, AI-driven learning content, whereas an LMS relies on manual curation by instructors.
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What is direct billing?
With direct billing, the employer pays the academic institution directly. This approach eliminates the need for employees to incur out-of-pocket expenses upfront, removing a significant barrier to pursuing education.
Jump to
Online learning platform
Massive open online course providers
Tuition reimbursement
Workforce education
University partnership
In-house program
Jump to
Learning management system
Massive open online course providers
Tuition reimbursement
Workforce education
University partnership
In-house program
Jump to
Learning management system
Online learning platform
Tuition reimbursement
Workforce education
University partnership
In-house program
Jump to
Learning management system
Online learning platform
Massive open online course providers
Workforce education
University partnership
In-house program
Jump to
Learning management system
Online learning platform
Massive open online course providers
Tuition reimbursement
University partnership
In-house program
Jump to
Learning management system
Online learning platform
Massive open online course providers
Tuition reimbursement
Workforce education
In-house program
Jump to
Learning management system
Online learning platform
Massive open online course providers
Tuition reimbursement
Workforce education
University partnership
Curious to learn more about how workforce education can impact your business?
Learning content does not ladder up to degree programs
Jump to
Definition
Online learning platforms give employee learners access to a wide range of learning resources that they can choose from themselves. In contrast to LMSs, which are more comprehensive, online learning platforms mainly focus on content provision.
Use case
Ideal for employers seeking a simple way to deliver learning content without advanced capabilities.
Benefits
On-demand, self-paced nature makes for convenient and flexible learning
Short programs and courses can be tied to career progression
Can integrate with LMS/LXP
Challenges
Programs are generally short courses with no pathways to degrees
Low completion rates due to self-paced nature of courses
More than 40% of Fortune 500 companies are using
e-learning platforms regularly.
Source
Online learning platforms
Jump to
Online learning platforms are primarily geared towards corporate workers. They’re rarely accessible to frontline workers.
Definition
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offer open access learning opportunities. MOOCs are widely accessible to employee learners of all types who wish to take courses on topics of their choice.
Use case
Ideal for employers who want to give their employees access to a broad range of learning courses at a low cost.
Benefits
Easy to integrate with LMS/LXP
Because they’re open access, MOOCs are typically a low cost option for businesses
Allow for greater flexibility to meet employee schedules since many courses are self-paced
Challenges
MOOCs are made to be massively accessible, so they’re not personalized to specific learning needs
Accreditation isn't guaranteed and quality varies widely depending on host institution
Completion rates tend to be low due to lack of personalization and the absence of formal recognition for completion
Massive open online course providers
Jump to
Definition
Tuition reimbursement is an employer-provided benefit that reimburses employees for their education expenses for a predetermined amount of money. It is often presented alongside other employer benefits like 401k programs, healthcare and vacation policy.
Use case
Ideal for encouraging employees to pursue education opportunities.
Benefits
Provide a broad education benefit by offering a range of courses and programs from a wide number of institutions
This type of program may be easier to manage if it’s managed by a third-party vendor
Challenges
Inaccessible to employees who can’t shoulder upfront tuition costs, leading to low participation rates
Without the right built-in technology, it’s difficult to measure the impact and ROI
The range of education options vary widely in quality and aren’t often aligned to career-growth
Tuition reimbursement
Jump to
Can be an administrative burden if managed in-house, rather than by a third-party vendor
i
What is direct billing?
Definition
Workforce education offers access to career-boosting courses and programs that are tailored to an employer’s specific workforce and business needs. This type of solution commonly follows a direct billing model, rather than reimbursement.
Use case
Ideal for enterprise organizations with large frontline populations that want to fuel career advancement and retention through learning.
Benefits
Challenges
Typically requires buy-in and engagement from executive leadership for success
Difficult for companies to implement and manage on their own, typically requires help from a third-party vendor
Career-aligned workforce education
Jump to
Definition
University partnerships offer learning opportunities through a direct relationship between an academic institution and a corporation.
Use case
Ideal for organizations that have established relationships with local academic institutions.
Benefits
Challenges
Limited courses or program options as relationship is generally with only one university
Time and resources required to establish partnerships with academic institutions
University partnerships
Jump to
Programs and courses can be personalized to the business due to direct relationship with university
University partnership facilitates employer access to student talent
Opportunity to offer direct bill option for that partner university
Time and resources required to develop, implement and maintain program
Definition
A training or learning program that is developed and delivered entirely in-house.
Use case
For organizations with significant resources that are looking to address very specific training needs that can’t be met with generic educational content.
Benefits
Ability to customize and design program to fit your businesses’ unique skills needs
Programs and courses can be aligned to career growth
Challenges
Extremely resource intensive to develop, implement and maintain program and learning content
Requires significant monetary investment - this is the costliest option on the market
In-house programs
Jump to
Learning management system
Online learning platform
Massive open online course providers
Tuition reimbursement
Workforce education
University partnership
In-house program
Learning management system
Online learning platform
Massive open online course providers
Tuition reimbursement
Workforce education
University partnership
In-house program
Jump to
Learning management system
Online learning platform
Massive open online course providers
Tuition reimbursement
Workforce education
University partnership
In-house program
Jump to
Learning management system
Online learning platform
Massive open online course providers
Tuition reimbursement
Workforce education
University partnership
In-house program
Jump to
Learning management system
Online learning platform
Massive open online course providers
Tuition reimbursement
Workforce education
University partnership
In-house program
Jump to
Learning management system
Online learning platform
Massive open online course providers
Tuition reimbursement
Workforce education
University partnership
In-house program
Jump to
Learning management system
Online learning platform
Massive open online course providers
Tuition reimbursement
Workforce education
University partnership
In-house program
Jump to
Jump to
i
What is direct billing?
With direct billing, the employer pays the academic institution directly. This approach eliminates the need for employees to incur out-of-pocket expenses upfront, removing a significant barrier to pursuing education.