Project Management Training: 5 Advantages of Going Virtual

Project management is an ever-changing field, and that’s why continual learning and development is so critical. From artificial intelligence and data analytics to change management and methodologies like Kanban, Agile, and Scrum, there’s always more to learn if you want to maintain your edge in a competitive candidate market. 

But in the current ongoing environment of COVID-19 lockdowns, face-to-face project management training has ceased in many parts of the country. This doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your career development, because virtual instructor Led (VILT) project management training has proven to be an effective alternative to face to face classroom learning.

Let’s explore five advantages of taking online project management courses.

Advantage 1 – VILT Project Management Training is Flexible

There never seem to be enough hours in the day. So if you can avoid travel time to and from the classroom, you’ve come out on top!

With virtual project management training, you can learn at a time and place that suits you, and choose sessions that don’t disrupt your regular working commitments.

Advantage 2 - Smaller Impact on Your Business

It’s ironic: you have to take time away from your bread-and-butter work to stay up-to-date on project management, but in doing so you feel like you fall behind on your professional duties. 

Nobody disputes the value of continual education, but it can cause extra stress. Your work doesn’t stop just because you make the time for additional training. But when you opt for virtually-delivered project management training, you can strike an optimal balance by choosing sessions that minimise any impact on your team.

Advantage 3 - Digital Collaboration

How often do you get the opportunity to network with peers in other markets and geographic regions? Unfortunately, when you access your project management training through a physical classroom, you often only network with professionals living and working in your market, and within businesses you’re already familiar with.

With a digital classroom, however, you will meet people from many different areas. You can compare notes and strategies, talk about the challenges of your industries and collaborate in creative online ways. Some of these relationships may extend long after the training program is over, expanding your working network significantly.

Advantage 4 - Information Retention

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned most of us into online virtual learners, so researchers have studied the impact of digital education strategies. According to the World Economic Forum, virtual learning has been shown to “increase retention of information, and take less time.” They conclude that online learning is here to stay. 

Whether or not it will remain long-term is anyone’s guess, but for now, we’re taking advantage of the format’s many benefits. And improved information retention is critical, especially for project managers whose skills can make or break a company’s success.

Additionally, classroom training can alienate introverted employees, even if they’re highly successful in their roles. With virtual instructor-led project management training, introverts can thrive in an environment that is comfortable and highly conducive to effective learning.

Advantage 5 – Bitesize Modules

Virtual online environments also encourage modules to be delivered in bitesize chunks. Not every project manager or team member needs the same skills, and with bitesize modules, you can select the topics that make the most sense for your career.

Bitesize Modules offers significant benefits:

Increased Efficiency

Team members can improve their skills and learn best practices with small amounts of training in a specific area. 

Improved Performance

By providing employees with the tools and motivation to learn valuable skills, you’ll ensure improved performance.

Employee Retention

A survey by Korn Ferry found that boredom is the most significant reason employees leave their jobs. You keep your team members actively engaged and excited to learn more when you provide learning opportunities via bitesize modules.

Increased Engagement

Active learners tend to approach their work with more creativity and problem-solving skills. Therefore bitesize modules, help your employees stay engaged, productive and positive.

If you’d like to learn more about bitesize modules reach out to our team and discuss how our training can drive team performance. enquiries@metapm.com.au 

Go Virtual with MetaPM Training

At MetaPM, we offer a wide range of project management training that helps people and organisations build their skills and capabilities. As you can see, our list of training courses is comprehensive:

Full Courses

• PRINCE2® Project Management
• PRINCE2 AGILE®
• MSP® - Managing Successful Programmes
• P3O® - Portfolio, Program and Project
• MoP® - Management of Portfolios
• Managing Benefits™
• PMP® Examination Preparation
• CAPM® Examination Preparation
• Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM)
• Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM)
• Change Management
• Agile Project Management (AgilePM®)
• Agile Programme Management (AgilePgM®)
• Agile BA (Agile Business Analyst)
• ITIL® – IT Service Management
• Lean Six Sigma
• Microsoft Project
• Leading SAFe® with SAFe® Agilist 5 Certification
• SAFe® Scrum Master with SSM 5 Certification
• SAFe® for Teams with SAFe 5 Practitioner Certification

Short Courses

• Project Management Fundamentals
• Project Governance
• Developing and Managing Teams
• Project Management for Board Members
• Effective Project Communication
• Governance in Agile Environment
• Managing Agile Projects
• How to Use PRINCE2 Agile
• Turning Talk into Walk
• Assessing Origination Readiness for Change
• Leading Others Through Change
• Business Analysis Fundamentals