Conceptualizing The Pros and Cons of Virtual Training and Development in Organisations

Abstract

The advent of Covid-19 pandemic has forced various organizations to embrace different technologies in a way that there is a remarkable shift from the traditional methods of training and development. The traditional methods of training and development have been revolutionised by virtual means through the aid of various technologies. Overtime state-owned institutions have embraced virtual training and development which is one of the Human Resource Management practices and academia in an attempt to catch up with the trends have also embarked on divers academic exercises through virtual processes. The basic notion of the term training and development is to improve the knowledge, ability, skills, and competencies amongst employees which eventually leads to better-quality of job performance and achievement of orgnisational goals. It is also known as computer-based training, and development, remote learning, and e-learning, an instruction that takes place entirely on the internet. The virtual or online platform contains many multimedia components, including images, audio, video, and web links. People do online training courses, particularly those given by international institutions, making online training more popular and widely used. Virtual learning, often known as remote learning or online education, provides students/employees with the opportunity to learn at their own pace while also allowing companies to encourage employee growth. These technological advances have triggered a substantial shift in the business sector in current ages. However, this modification did not just disrupt the tools and processes adopted by businesses, nevertheless the method employees learn and make use of new data was also affected.  In the traditional methods of training and development there is frequently deficit of the rate of change and the fluctuating desires amongst members of the workforce. To tackle this challenge, virtual training provides employees with the opportunity to discover real-life locations, work into different scenarios, bring their skills, abilities to bear and by so doing bridging the gap between practical application and theory. Virtual training and development have guaranteed the collaboration and interconnectivity of the workforce irrespective of their geographical locations. Golden (2021), in a study showed that approximately 85% of learning and development functions at PepsiCo had moved to virtual training platforms as at July 2020 and had remain in the training of workforce. Meaning that Virtual training and development has come to stay in organisations and all humanities.