The Covid-19 pandemic forced a change to the world of work that no one could have predicted. The traditional concept of the work place was exploded forever. With movement and gathering regulations in place and with breaches punishable by law, employers had no choice but to allow their staff to work from home.
Of course there were many organisations that already allowed such leeway for their workers, but the norm was to be present in the office or on site. What these restrictions showed though was that staff could be just as productive. They was no need to be in the city centre workplace especially as Microsoft Teams or Zoom were on hand to facilitate face-to-face time.
When lockdown restrictions were lifted many businesses and organisations which had been endured the situation during the previous two years brought in a hybrid working model allowing staff to split their time between the office and another location. Since, it’s even become the norm for some who are recruiting new staff to offer hybrid working. The revolution doesn’t stop there either. Search any jobs website and you will frequently see the word ‘remote’, meaning no requirement to attend an office at all.
The Flexible Age
The future of work was changing even before Covid-19, with digitisation, AI and younger generations demanding more from their employers in terms of benefits and work life balance.
But a McKinsey report of January 2023, analysing 2,000 tasks used in roughly 800 jobs in eight focus countries, showed that 20 to 25 percent of workforces in advanced economies could work from home in the range of three to five days a week—which is four to five times more remote work than pre-Covid-19.
This new age of flexibility applies to adult education as well. Of course, distance learning was already gaining popularity before the world was turned on its head in March 2020, because it allows those unable to attend campus-based or full-time courses to realise their educational aspirations.
The pandemic may have blocked the route to the classroom, but educators and students pivoted to online portals to adapt. That’s precisely what Asset Training did, offering all of courses as distance learning programmes. And we still do today.
It’s always been a good concept because of its inherent flexibility. It allows people to fit their learning around work and home life and learn at their own pace. Students can decide exactly when and where they study and because distance is no issue then they can sign up for courses anywhere in the world. A larger percentage of those who enrol for distance education are actually people who are working, so it’s ideal for upskilling and reskilling purposes.
That flexibility is extremely useful in the commercial sphere. Commercial skills training comprises of tailored programmes designed to allow employees to gain experience and understanding into the key functions of a business and provide them with the knowledge and insights to thrive.
The beauty of bespoke
Our commercial learning provision could be the ideal solution to your training needs because it allows individuals to train and learn at their own pace, to choose how and when they learn or to allow their employer to choose what’s right for their staff. And what’s more training can be completed either online or face-to-face. We also have lots of courses from which to choose.
For example, we offer bespoke commercial training – delivered by our team of expert trainers – in business, leadership and management, learning and development, HR, accountancy, education, marketing and customer service.
On completion learners will gain qualifications that evidence valuable skills that are easily transferred to the workplace and which also are seen by employers as highly advantageous in candidates who apply for jobs.
This can make an enormous difference to a career whether new to the game or having years of experience. This is training that helps develop an understanding of what it takes for a company or organisation to be successful, to be profitable and to serve its customers well. Not only can it help land people a job it can help those already working to improve their performance, strengthen their reputation, increase chances of promotion and even create the springboard for that next big career move. As such there are great advantages both for an employee and an employer.
If you have a training need with your organisation or want to take the next step in your work journey please call us on 0151 933 6393.