August, 2014

Utilizing Simulations in Corporate Training

Over the past few decades, the face of corporate training has rapidly transformed as companies seek to specialize their sales force. United States businesses spent an astounding $156.2 billion on training and development in 2011, and that figure has grown at a steady rate of 15% in 2012 and 2013. Only about 37% of that learning came through technology and another 14% from traditional college courses, which means that a whopping 49% of these training efforts relied on old-school seminars, classroom training, and conferences.

Now, our staff would love to hop on a flight to Las Vegas for a training convention as much as anyone, so don’t get us wrong here. There will always be a need for conferences and guest speakers to educate our workforce. However, it is simply a very expensive way to learn in the 21st century.

The Cost Effectiveness of Simulations3D Simulation

Have you ever thought about how much training actually costs your business? The cost of training materials, travel, lodging, and even time. Then there is the loss of productivity during these periods and the scheduling conflicts that arise, all on the hopes of possibly educating staff members. It just doesn’t make sense.

In recent years businesses have found that implementing custom simulations into their training regimen is a very cost effective solution. Not only does it drastically reduce downtime, but also allows corporations to train employees on a wide variety of skills quickly and effectively. Because the learning is presented in a fun, interactive way, the comprehension levels are much higher and productivity levels can soar.

This has been a training secret of numerous Fortune 500 corporations for some time now; their simulations keep them ahead of the competition by unifying their workforce with the latest ideas and business concepts. The cost of the actual simulation is negligible compared to the additional sales revenue or awareness it can produce.

Take DriveVermont, for example, an online training simulation that helps residents learn to drive safely within a virtual environment. In 2010, the state of Vermont saw a steady decline in individuals who were passing the written component of driving tests, and they sought an interactive way to engage their residents while helping them learn. Once the DriveVermont project was implemented, passing rates rose from 55% to 75% by May of 2012, and they continue to climb today with the 3,000+ learners visiting the website weekly.

The Advanced Learning Potential of Simulations

Additionally, simulations provide corporations direct feedback on their training exercises in real time, which is something that even the most entertaining guest speaker or classroom trainer could ever hope for. Imagine being able to directly access metrics that show which students thrive with specific lesson plans, which concepts are more difficult to learn and even how the student’s learning process changes over a period of time. Since simulations can also implement updates with new content (or new metrics to track) whenever necessary, it is a fantastic long-term solution.

Multiple studies have also proven that learners will engage a well-designed simulation up to 20 times more than other learning methods. Think about that for a moment; how nice would it be to train employees twenty times faster or have them learn twenty times more information from a learning session? When employees are actively engaged and enjoying the learning experience, companies reap the benefits.

Why Simulations Make Serious Sense

A custom-designed simulation makes sense for corporations because it is a superior way to educate from every possible standpoint. Employees are able to learn information up to 20 times faster within a controlled environment, and without any additional costs for travel or other training materials. The most important factor by far, however, is that simulations are the preferred way to learn and your employees will welcome the challenge at becoming more proficient at their jobs.

Designing Digitally, Inc. is an innovative leader in custom simulations for all forms of business and we view every project as a partnership. For more information on how a custom simulation will benefit your staff, feel free to contact us at your earliest convenience.