Instructional designers create and deliver learning experiences for employees. Imagining a classroom full of people impatient to get back to work? Thankfully, that’s not what we’re talking about here. As the heroes of corporate training, instructional designers have forever changed what it means to learn at work. No more endless slide presentations in cramped spaces packed with uncomfortable chairs. Under the influence of instructional design, corporate training has become more effective and valuable for companies and employees alike.
Impact on corporate training
Using high-tech tools coupled with the latest adult learning research, instructional design does more than successfully train employees. It changes the way companies work. Businesses who use instructional design report that it is effective, profitable, and provides measurable benefits.
Effective
Many instructional design courses happen online. Because employees log in to these eLearning courses individually, they can learn at their own paces and according to their own schedules. It’s no surprise that this results in a more effective, more accessible training experience for everyone. Even better, instructional designers tailor the class learnings specifically to a company’s needs. This means employees focus on learning only the most essential information.
Profitable
Companies who hire instructional designers make more money. When employees learn only what they need to know to close gaps, they develop into a highly qualified workforce. Plus, when your employees’ skills match their job expectations, motivation skyrockets. Team members work better together because their efforts are focused and unified. That unity results in happier workers and increased revenue.
Measurable
Quality training experiences are great for building a smart workforce. Not only that, they give companies good data to measure success. Companies know more about what their employees know and what they can do. They learn more about what employees value, what motivates them. When they get training results, they can measure success across the organization, or by department, to help them see growth patterns as a whole. Meaningful training data lets companies know how their employees’ abilities relate to the company’s success.
It works by closing gaps
When an instructional designer takes on a job, they first identify any critical gaps in the workforce. What do employees know, what do they value, and what can they do? Next, they figure out how these realities differ from what employees need to know, value, or do. Instructional design builds the exact workforce that a company needs by closing these gaps.
Flexible for any industry
While many instructional designers work in education, lots of job seekers find work in the corporate world. The current top industries for instructional designers who create corporate training experiences include:
Banking & Financial Services
Biotech
Consulting Services
Medical
Technology & Software
Across all verticals, this career path is expected to grow by 9%, which is well above average.
What it takes
Instructional designers come to the table with an impressive set of skills. Makes sense, right? Creating quality, meaningful educational experiences asks more of you than just putting together a simple presentation.
At the top of the list, a good instructional designer knows how to create engaging courses. A great instructional designer knows how to adjust an already good course to appeal to specific types of learners. If an instructional designer’s courses fail to capture their learners’ interests, none of their other qualifications matter.
Instructional designers understand ideas and processes in a variety of industries. They don’t have to be experts in every subject, but they do know how to work collaboratively with subject matter experts. They enjoy learning new things and know how to explain difficult ideas.
While they learn about many different subjects from working in lots of different industries, instructional designers also continue their own training. They like to keep up to date with the latest education theory, strategy, and high-tech tools. This means they know how to research pretty much anything.
On top of this, they show at least a basic understanding of how to design a course that looks good to learners. They know how to use multimedia well. In other words, they pick just the right images, add voice over narration, where it fits, and select the right sound tracks.
With this impressive list of qualities, it’s clear that instructional designers bring a lot to the table.
The bottom line
Instructional design is more than a new way to do corporate training. When you hire an instructional designer, you invest time and effort into your team. You take them from where they are to where they could be, and the whole company benefits.
Credits
Photo by Esteban Lopez on Unsplash
Music by Bensound
