Employees who earn technical certifications drive outcomes that business leaders care about — increased productivity, accuracy, and quality of work, along with reduced project costs. But even if leaders are concerned about seeing the return on investment with technical certifications, it might not be obvious how to help your employees prepare for them. We asked several Udemy Business technical certification instructors — Jason Dion, Scott Duffy, and Alan Rodrigues — to share their tips and tricks.
Familiarize Yourself With The Available Modes Of Learning
In the past, employers that wanted to offer technical certification education to their employees had limited options. One of the most common styles of preparing employees for certification involved paying an instructor to come in and lead an intensive boot camp. This approach to development costs several thousands of dollars per learner and takes time away from learners’ daily tasks. On the other side of the spectrum, books were a low-cost and easily accessible option, but they required a lot of heads-down time to study and absorb the information. Today there are plenty of more flexible options. Here are some of the insights the Udemy Business instructors shared about the different learning modes available now.
Practice Exams
Practice exams give learners the chance to put their knowledge to the test — literally. By going through exercises that are likely to appear on the certification exam, they’ll get a good sense of how prepared they are and identify any knowledge or skill gaps. Jason says practice exams are one of the most important ways to prepare for certification.
Virtual Lab Environments
Virtual lab environments or sandboxes are another way learners can gain practical experience. “It’s very easy to practice using a lab product,” says Scott Duffy. Jason adds that virtual lab environments are ideal because you can have your team gain hands-on experience without affecting your production network.
Maximize The Support Your Company And Managers Provide
Offering training to help prepare for certification is a great first step, but there’s more your company and managers can do to maximize employees’ chances of success.
Create Learning Paths
Technical certification skills often build on each other, so starting with foundational knowledge is helpful before moving on to more advanced topics. Alan Rodrigues recommends having teams or departments create their own learning paths. When you have an online learning platform like EDUMA Business, it’s easy for technical leaders to outline the necessary skills or courses they’d like their team members to take.
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Technical certification skills often build on each other, so starting with foundational knowledge is helpful before moving on to more advanced topics. Alan Rodrigues recommends having teams or departments create their own learning paths. When you have an online learning platform like EDUMA Business, it’s easy for technical leaders to outline the necessary skills or courses they’d like their team members to take.
