Training outsourcing is growing at a faster rate than any time in the last five years, according to Doug Harward’s review of the key training trends in 2015. This is understandable, given that today’s organizations are emerging from difficult economic conditions. A new era is dawning for learning and development and many internal training teams are realizing that they don’t have the capacity or the expertise to support their future business goals. To do so, they will need to fundamentally transform their activities and approach.

Meeting an organization’s learning needs is a sophisticated challenge. Today’s businesses need to demonstrate how training is improving business performance. Staying on top of what is happening in the business and understanding what critical skills and capabilities will be required in the future, along with identifying, assessing, delivering and evaluating training and development needs are all in a day’s work for the busy L&D professional!  And just to make things even more difficult, most L&D teams are trying to achieve all this with fewer resources, including budget.

Outsourcing is one option that can help with this, but it has suffered from a negative perception in the past. In functions such as IT, payroll and recruitment, outsourcing is standard practice. But amongst corporate learning teams, it can be associated with a perceived loss of control and a focus on transactional, not strategic goals. In the current climate, corporate learning teams want help to transform and improve their service, so that measurable value can be delivered and the organization’s goals can be achieved.

Thankfully, a managed learning service offers another solution. It involves the more modern approach of outsourcing only what you need, so you can focus on doing the best job and providing the best value to the business, without losing control. Think of it this way, if your car breaks down, you would probably call an emergency service, and if you’re hosting a wedding, you would bring in a caterer. The point here is that whenever you need help, you tend to call on someone with a recognized track record, who’s a specialist in that field and can provide a cost effective service. Managing a complex learning and development function is no different.

Here are four key areas where the right managed learning service partner can help you transform your learning function:

1. Expert Help: This could range from advice on which approaches are best suited to meet the different learning needs in your organization, to more strategic conversations with leading thinkers and practitioners on how to align your learning and talent capabilities with your business objectives. A partner who understands your specific challenges, processes, systems and culture can help you create a business case, implement more effective learning, and communicate the benefits to all stakeholders and staff.

2. Learning Services: Some organizations simply want logistical support or additional L&D capacity to help them design and deliver specific programs or make efficiency improvements, through more effective scheduling and demand management. Outsourcing administration activities may be a short-term solution or may be done on a permanent basis to enable internal team members to focus on more strategic projects and add further value to the business. Whatever the motivation, you can drive efficiency improvements in all aspects of your learning provision and generate optimum value, without impacting adversely on the quality of delivery.

3. Supply Chain: It isn’t easy amongst the everyday demands of running a learning function to deliver all of the required training and stay abreast of the latest developments in the industry. The right partner can add value advising which approaches are best suited to meet the different learning needs in your organization. This can help you to maximize your spend, optimize your supply chain and gain access to volume-based purchasing power.

4. Integrated Technology: You may want help to optimize your existing technology or to select a solution that will create a seamless connection between your learning function, employees and the service center. Even if you have no intention of introducing a technical solution or you’re not ready to implement one immediately, a manual service can be provided to create the optimum user experience. Many L&D teams are also asking for help to review their use of technology and its impact on the learner experience. As an example, digital learning content can be used ‘just in time’ to improve employee performance. Partnering with a specialist who not only understands technology and digital learning, but also appreciates how these options can enhance the learning journey can be highly beneficial.

Whenever you’re seeking external help, the real challenge is to get the specific support you need, when you need it, without losing control. Large scale learning outsourcing is, of course, one way forward. However, it doesn’t have to be as extreme as that. Most L&D teams want to work with a specialist who can supplement their learning function and provide value in a particular area. The secret is to find a partner who understands learning and is flexible enough to work in whichever way is best for you, regardless of whether you want help in one or all of the above areas. Look for someone who can add value and inject energy, innovation and impact. That way, you can ensure that every employee has the capability and capacity to support the business goals effectively, now and into the future.