Why off-the-shelf courses could be key to levelling up your L&D strategy

Off-the-shelf courses have boomed over recent years. People are looking for a quick fix to issues they’re facing in their organisations and most vendors have jumped on the chance to create courses that will supposedly meet their needs. And that might be true every now and then, but it’s more likely to be a swing and a miss.

What is needed is a deeper questioning and support to accompany off-the-shelf courses - the “whys” and the “how”, and the “have you thought about”s, that give people the chance to dig deeper into the challenges they’re facing.

Cue THRIVE’s Content Club.

There are a few key ingredients that are needed if you’re looking to solve a problem with off-the-shelf courses.

Firstly, you need to know exactly what problem(s) you are trying to solve.

Throwing content at something and giving people access to thousands of off-the-shelf courses isn’t going to fix a problem if a) you don’t know what it is your people need, or b) people then don’t know where to go to look for content.

In a recent podcast episode, THRIVE did with James Stewart from Sky and Venndorly, James referenced the choices people have to make when they go shopping and how if they’re given too many products on a shelf to choose from then they are overwhelmed by options and their brain can’t make an educated choice. The same is true with catalogues of off-the-shelf courses. If you just throw content at a problem, the problem might go away for a bit whilst it’s covered in crap, but eventually, those sneaky problems find a way of breaking back through.

You need to be open to digging into your strategy and values.

Part of the wraparound service we offer, and to be honest, the thing that makes our catalogue work so well, is that we really drill into the strategy and values of a given business or organisation. By spending the time to get to know you, your challenges and your future visions, content can be directed and targeted. 

Off-the-shelf courses suddenly become a whole lot more bespoke to you and your situation. So although the whole catalogue is available, we can tie specific chunks of content into your strategy, whilst also suggesting ways in which you can begin to change behaviour with drip-fed and campaign led learning.

Lastly, get ready to embrace your new teammate.

We live in the real world and know how tough L&D teams have had it over recent years. Most teams we work with are rejigging what they do and how they do it, and we are here to support. To us, off-the-shelf courses doesn’t mean the hard work stops when you sign up, it means it’s only just starting. The most important thing is that you’re using our resources at the right time and understand how to use them effectively. We become an extra pair of hands, and eyes and ears, for when you need that extra guidance and suggestions.

Overall, content should work for you and your organisation.

A large part of how to make that successful when it comes to off-the-shelf courses is applying what works for you and your people at the right time. Just because multiple organisations have access to the same content doesn’t mean that it’ll be used in the same way. And that’s the beauty of Content Club.

It’s off-the-shelf courses, tailored to you.

Want to find out more about how the Content Club works with you to fill your content gaps, build pathways and create campaigns that meet your learners' needs? Take a look and find out more here.