Employers are beginning to recognize how important it is for their employees to upskill and reskill. They want their staff to be able to take advantage of new technology and processes, which means they need people who are skilled in those areas. Organizations invest in learning platforms to achieve this objective, but then see a very slow uptick in usage of the platform. So how can they encourage their employees to learn? Well, self-paced learning is the answer. 

What is self-paced learning?

Self-paced learning is defined as "the ability for learners to set their own pace for learning." Some of the characteristics that define self-paced learning are:

• The freedom for employees to choose what to learn and how fast they want to learn it
  
• No deadlines or restrictions on when employees can take tests or submit assignments
  
• Ability for employees to study at their own pace without feeling rushed by the progress
  of their colleagues
  
• Ability for employees to take breaks as needed

Self-paced learning  puts the onus of learning onto the employees, and this autonomy allows them to control their own career development paths, which in turn boosts their confidence and motivation, and helps to increase employee engagement with their jobs as well.

As for the organization, self-paced learning helps employers save money and maintain productivity by making it easier to train large groups of people, without requiring all employees to be present at the same time or in the same place. It also gives employers more time to evaluate individual employees at different stages, rather than trying to assess a large group of employees at once.

How does self-paced learning ensure upskilling in your employees?

Control over learning schedule

Self-paced learning gives employees total control over their learning schedule. Learners can choose when they want to start and finish their course. They can also repeat any section as many times as they wish. This can help boost confidence and motivation in employees by allowing them to control how they learn new things.

Flexibility to learn anywhere

Self-paced learning allows employees to choose to learn at work, at home or on the go. With online courses, employees can do it anywhere with an Internet connection. This allows them to upskill without disrupting other work and life commitments, and makes it more likely that learning will take place. 

Opportunity to discover new skills

Self-paced learning opens up access to more resources, which provides employees with the opportunity to discover and learn new skills. Since self-paced learning doesn’t restrict employees within a rigid curriculum schedule, they can learn new skills without feeling pressure, and this can lead to better-skilled employees for the organization.