LMS – Why an industry-specific learning management system?
As part of the federal program “Establishment of continuing education networks for the transformation of the vehicle industry”, the continuing education network for municipal vehicle technology is developing an LMS(Learning Management System) – an industry-specific learning platform for SMEs.
There isno alternative to further training
Serious changes in the world have made it clear in all sectors and of course also – or especially – in the automotive industry that there is no alternative to further training in companies. Digitization, automation and the transformation of the economy require employees to be willing to undergo continuous training and acquire new skills. The future requirements of the changed labor market can only be met through lifelong learning.
In Germany, in-company qualification opportunities are characterized by a variety of facets. There are a variety of offers from the companies, private companies or even public institutions. These include face-to-face, hybrid or online events. For SMEs, further training nevertheless represents a challenge. Because the changing times also require new ways for companies to act in this regard.
Continuing education means a challenge
Although the qualification opportunities are so diverse at first glance, participation in continuing education remains low. SMEs in particular usually have no time or financial capacities. There is a lack of staff to organize the training courses. It is difficult to provide continuing education programs that meet demand. Due to labor shortages, it is increasingly problematic to release employees for longer training courses. In addition, many training courses have rigid time-based continuing education processes. This makes them difficult to integrate into everyday life.
E-learning represents a solution
The technological development of recent times is also shaping the education sector. Forms of teaching and learning, learning activities and also the role of the teacher and the learners are changing. Education of the future requires a change from the classical to a new, autonomous, flexible and digital learning culture.
Nowadays, e-learning offers new, promising ways of imparting knowledge and developing competencies. Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Learning Experience Platforms (LXP) have been gaining importance for a long time. Many companies are now using internal or external learning platforms, but no industry-specific system is yet available. Through the development of an LMS, the Municipal Vehicle Technology Continuing Education Network fills this gap, thereby offering a sustainable solution and many benefits.
E-learning has advantages and limitations
With an LMS, employees are no longer tied to a specific location and can learn regardless of time and place. This makes it easier to integrate an LMS course into everyday work. Furthermore, learning is autonomous and individual. Learners are free to decide how quickly they want to work through the topics or whether they want to repeat or deepen individual modules. Multimedia learning content and diverse learning activities also appeal to people of all learning types. Plus, learners are always up to date because online content is easy to update. Companies also save costs for travel, seminar rooms, etc. as a result. And not to forget: E-learning protects the environment.
However, a prerequisite for the successful establishment of a learning platform is that a learning culture already exists in the company. Accordingly, important framework conditions for digital learning should be in place. Last but not least, it is importantthat management is open to e-learning and takes the processes involved seriously.
Development of the LMS
In order to take advantage of the LMS and reduce its limitations, WBV Municipal Vehicle Technology uses the approaches of microlearning, gamification, and social learning in the development of the LMS.
During the project period, individual LMS courses are to be created that prepare highly complex topics. Possible topics would be energy storage, sensor technology, electric and H2 drives, disruption, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), or process automation. In general, the trends of structural change in the vehicle industry come into question.
After the development of a didactic concept and the prioritization of relevant topics, the learning platform is tested. The user experience is analyzed in order to make appropriate adjustments.
Outlook
Basically, it can be said that WBV Kommunalfahrzeugtechnik’s goal in developing the learning platform is to make topics relevant to the future available to a wider circle of companies. It is crucial for the success of the LMS that the LMS topics and content are relevant to practice. They are to be tailored both to the specific needs of the company and to the requirements of the vehicle industry. It also plays a significant role that all learning activities are constructed from the learners’ perspective.
The industry-specific learning platform is intended to give as many employees and companies as possible the opportunity to participate in continuing education and acquire forward-looking qualifications.
