21 Benefits of Virtual Instructor-led Training (VILT)

Virtual training is no longer just a trend in today's fast-paced and increasingly digital world. It's a strategic imperative for companies looking to remain competitive and agile. Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) stands at the forefront of this transformation, offering a multifaceted solution to the perennial challenges of professional development. As organizations strive to navigate the complexities of a globalized workforce and continuous technological advancements, understanding the benefits of VILT becomes crucial. This blog is designed to provide comprehensive insights into how VILT can revolutionize learning and development within your organization. 

From breaking down geographical barriers and fostering inclusivity through language adaptation to harnessing the expertise of global instructors and leveraging cutting-edge technology, we cover the full spectrum of VILT's advantages. Whether you're a decision-maker in corporate training, an HR professional, or an employee keen on personal growth, this blog will guide you through the myriad ways VILT can enhance efficiency, engagement, and educational outcomes.

Join us as we explore the benefits of virtual instructor-led training, which is reshaping the landscape of training and development, and explain why it is the key to unlocking the full potential of your workforce.

What is Virtual Instructor-led training (VILT)?

Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) is a modern approach to online training. It offers a unique blend of convenience and interactivity, closely simulating a classroom learning experience in a virtual environment. VILT provides a dynamic learning platform that surpasses traditional training methods with tools like video conferencing, shared screens, and interactive elements such as polls, quizzes, and breakout rooms.

According to the Training Industry Report, approximately 31% of learners participate in virtual classroom settings, 37% of companies' training portfolios include virtual and hybrid formats, and 30% of the most effective companies at virtual training frequently use virtual or hybrid Instructor-Led Training (ILT) methods.

These statistics highlight the effectiveness of VILT, instilling confidence in its ability to deliver successful learning outcomes.

Types of VILT

Virtual Instructor-led training (VILT) is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It can be tailored to various formats, styles, and technological integrations. Here are a few important types related to organizational growth.

1. Webinars:  This is typically one-way sessions where the instructor presents information to a large audience. Interaction will be limited to question-and-answer segments, polls, or chat functions.

2. Interactive Online Workshops: Unlike webinars, these sessions are highly interactive and designed for smaller groups. They involve exercises, group discussions, and hands-on activities the instructor facilitates using breakout rooms and other collaborative tools.

3. Blended Learning: This type integrates VILT sessions with other forms of learning, such as self-paced online modules, offline assignments, or in-person classes. It combines the best aspects of different training methods to enhance learning outcomes.

4. Multi-Session Courses: These extended programs occur over several days, weeks, or even months, allowing for deeper exploration of complex subjects. This format might include homework assignments, ongoing projects, or assessments.

5. Certification and Continuing Education: Many professional fields require ongoing education to maintain their credentials and credibility. With flexible scheduling and convenient options, VILT is often used to deliver such training. This empowers professionals, allowing them to earn continuing education units (CEUs) or meet licensing requirements at their own pace and convenience.

6. On-Demand Training: While traditionally, VILT is live, there is also a sub-type that involves recording live sessions for participants to view later at their convenience. This allows learners to access and revisit the material when it fits their schedule.

Benefits of Virtual Instructor-led Training

Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) has emerged as a vital tool for organizations seeking to enhance the skills and knowledge of their workforce. VILT combines the convenience of online access with the effectiveness of traditional classroom learning, breaking down geographical barriers and providing a flexible, engaging, and cost-effective training solution. 

Whether adapting to language diversity, ensuring safety during health crises, or enabling real-time interaction between instructors and learners, VILT offers many benefits. It leverages advanced technology to deliver tailored, scalable, and measurable training experiences aligning with organizational objectives and individual professional growth goals. As we delve into VILT's many advantages, it's clear that this modality is not just a response to immediate challenges but a forward-looking approach to lifelong learning and sustainable development.

1. Enhanced Accessibility

Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) provides unparalleled accessibility, allowing individuals to attend sessions from any location. This eliminates geographical barriers, enabling organizations to include employees from multiple regions in a cohesive learning experience. For instance, a team across continents can simultaneously participate in a training session, receiving the same information and interacting as if they were in the same room.

2. Seamless Language Adaptation

VILT accommodates a global audience by offering training in various languages or with translation services, overcoming language barriers. A practical example is a global company using real-time translation services during training to ensure all employees, regardless of their native language, can fully understand and engage with the content. The tools used to translate the languages in Google Meet and Zoom are Qonda and the Wordly app. 

3. Renowned Expert Instructors

With access to a global pool of trainers, VILT connects participants with expert instructors and subject matter experts worldwide. A company could bring in a renowned cybersecurity expert from a different country to conduct a specialized workshop for their IT department without the logistics of travel. Otherwise, a company will register for training programs from external providers like Edstellar. 

4. Tailored Customization

Virtual Instructor-Led Training is highly adaptable, allowing sessions to be tailored to meet a group's or individual's specific needs. This includes accommodating different learning styles and objectives. For example, a VILT session could be customized with additional modules for a department that needs extra focus on a particular software tool crucial for their work, ensuring that every participant feels catered to.

5. Advanced Technology Integration

VILT integrates advanced interactive tools to enhance the learning experience, including features like virtual whiteboards and real-time quizzes. A contextual example could be using simulation software during a VILT session to give participants hands-on experience with complex machinery in a safe, virtual environment.

Some of the technological integrations are as follows:

• Video Conferencing Tools: Applications like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or WebEx that facilitate live video streaming, screen sharing, and real-time communication.
• Virtual Whiteboards: Interactive boards where instructors can write and draw, as they would in a physical classroom, for visual explanations.
• Interactive Polling and Quizzes: Features that allow real-time assessments of understanding and engagement, providing immediate feedback.
• Breakout Rooms: Digital rooms within video conferencing tools where participants can split into smaller groups for discussions or collaborative tasks.
• Mobile Learning Applications: Apps that enable participants to access training content on the go from their smartphones or tablets.
• Cloud-Based Collaboration Tools: Platforms like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 that allow for the sharing and collaborative editing of documents.
• Simulations and Gamification: Software that creates a virtual environment for practicing skills or enhances learning with game-like elements.
• Chat and Messaging Features: Integrated messaging functions for private or group conversations, questions, and support.
• Webcasting and Webinars: Tools to broadcast live or pre-recorded training sessions to large audiences with interactive features.
• AI-Powered Learning Assistants: Chatbots or virtual assistants that provide automated guidance and support to learners.

6. Enhanced Safety

VILT's safety benefits are particularly pronounced in health crises, where physical contact is a concern. For instance, during a pandemic, employees can continue their professional development from the safety of their homes, ensuring business continuity without compromising their health.

7. Flexible Remote Learning

VILT offers the convenience of remote learning, enabling participants to access high-quality education from the comfort of their homes or any remote location. This convenience is especially valuable in maintaining educational continuity during circumstances that hinder physical attendance, such as health crises or travel restrictions.

For example, employees in a multinational company can continue their professional development remotely by attending VILT sessions catering to various time zones and locations. This ensures that every team member can grow and learn regardless of their physical presence in the office.

8. Dynamic Adaptability

VILT, which can be conducted through platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Adobe Connect, is highly adaptable. This allows for swift updates to training content to align with industry changes. For example, a software company might use an online instructor-led training platform to quickly train its developers on new features following a software update, ensuring immediate adoption across the workforce.

9. Streamlined Convenience

VILT fits seamlessly into personal schedules, offering a convenient solution for busy professionals. For instance, employees could join a live compliance training webinar from their desks over lunch, integrating learning into their workday without disruption.

10. Real-Time Interaction

Real-time interaction in VILT provides a supportive learning environment, enabling immediate feedback and dynamic discussions between instructors and participants. In a sales training session, attendees could practice and refine their pitch with the trainer and peers, receiving instant critiques and suggestions.

11. Innovative Engagement Tools

VILT leverages engagement tools like polls and breakout rooms to keep sessions interactive. For example, participants in virtual marketing training might be split into breakout rooms to brainstorm campaign ideas, encouraging active participation.

12. Extensive Scalability

VILT's scalability allows training many employees without the constraints of physical space. For example, a multinational corporation can conduct global compliance training for hundreds of employees across different time zones in a single session.

13. Adaptable Learning Pace Flexibility

VILT allows learners to participate at their own pace, which is particularly beneficial with on-demand features. These features include access to session recordings, supplementary materials, and self-paced quizzes. For instance, someone who missed a live session on financial regulations could access the recording and supplementary materials at a later time that fits their schedule.

14. Practical Immediate Application

VILT is designed for immediate application of skills, often facilitated by practical exercises and simulations during the session. A software engineer could immediately practice a new coding technique during the virtual instructor-led training session, enhancing their confidence and the learning impact.

15. Uniform Consistency

VILT ensures consistency in training delivery across multiple teams or departments. For example, a company could standardize its onboarding process so that every new hire receives the same quality of training regardless of their location.

16. Accessible Recorded Sessions

VILT's flexibility allows for post-session review, aiding in retention. This feature is particularly beneficial for employees with different learning styles and schedules, as they can revisit a complex project management training session at their own pace to better understand the methodologies discussed.

17. Precise Trackable Progress

The built-in analytics in online instructor-led training provide a precise and comprehensive view of attendance and comprehension, instilling confidence in the training's effectiveness. For example, a manager could confidently monitor employees' completion of mandatory ethics training, ensuring compliance with corporate policies.

18. Significant Cost Savings

VILT's cost-effectiveness is a significant advantage, as it can free up financial resources for other business needs. By reducing the expenses associated with travel, lodging, and physical venues, an organization can invest these savings into the business, such as in research and development. Here is the pricing package for corporate training programs designed to maximize cost savings.

19. Optimal Resource Efficiency

Another benefit of VILT is resource efficiency, which minimizes waste using digital resources instead of physical materials. For example, a company could digitally reduce its paper usage by distributing training manuals during a virtual instructor-led training session.

20. Eco-friendly Reduction in Carbon Footprint

Online instructor-led training contributes to a smaller carbon footprint by reducing travel-related emissions. A company's decision to switch to virtual instructor-led training can be part of its initiative to become more environmentally responsible.

21. Continuous Lifelong Learning

VILT promotes a culture of lifelong learning by providing easily accessible ongoing training opportunities. For example, professionals can regularly stay updated with industry developments by attending relevant virtual instructor-led training sessions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the myriad benefits of Virtual Instructor-led Training (VILT) underscore its vital role in modern professional development strategies. By breaking down geographical barriers, enhancing safety, and fostering real-time interaction, VILT enables organizations to train a diverse and dispersed workforce efficiently and effectively. The flexibility and cost-efficiency of VILT, coupled with its ability to integrate cutting-edge technologies, ensure that training sessions are not only accessible but also engaging and relevant to the needs of today's dynamic business environments.

Moreover, the adaptability and scalability of online instructor-led training make it an ideal solution for organizations aiming to meet the rapid pace of change in industry standards and practices. As businesses continue exploring VILT's benefits, they will find it indispensable for driving continuous learning and maintaining a competitive edge. By embracing Virtual Instructor-led Training, organizations can foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, ensuring that their workforce remains skilled and knowledgeable in an ever-evolving world.

Edstellar's virtual instructor-led training is convenient and cost-effective, allowing organizations to train their workforce from anywhere. Our team of executives is available to answer any questions and provide personalized guidance and support. Contact us today for more information.