Companies use COVID-19 Downtime to Educate their Workforce Online

In the wake of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, many companies are left wondering; what is their best course of action? With the number of cases on the rise, the government has mandated limited physical exposure and stressed that large group gatherings be halted. Last week, Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland addressed these concerns at a conference. According to his address, the State of Maryland has prohibited gatherings of more than 50 people and “Planned large gatherings and events must be canceled or postponed until after termination of the state of emergency and the proclamation of the catastrophic health emergency has been rescinded.” (Maryland.gov). This has led to restricted hours or closings of many stores, restaurants, movie theaters, bars, gyms, and churches among other establishments. Multiple states like California, New York and New Jersey have even gone as far as issuing “stay at home” orders to their millions of residents.

These drastic but necessary changes have also left a lot of employers in a tough situation. How will organizations continue to profit with employees out of work? How will employees be compensated for their work and how will COVID -19 impact future operations? Along with these very real tactical concerns there is the given that the business will continue to operate long after the Coronavirus has run its course. In the current situation it is clear that there may be some lapses or down time in normal operation activity, so what can be done if employers’ workforces suddenly experience periods of downtime?

Just as many educational institutions have responded to the crisis by moving their classes online, businesses have adopted the option as well. They see this period of downtime as an opportunity to upskill their personnel to ensure they have needed knowledge, skills and abilities to meet future demands, strengthening the effectiveness and productivity of the entire organization. Organizations now have the time to address skills gaps or they can choose to gain necessary training to remain compliant. One such company is looking to obtain training courses for their employees. Due to the COVID -19 pandemic, said company has had to resort to an alternating schedule; one week on and one week off. During the off week the company has elected to offer their employees pay for taking certification classes. As such, the company reached out to Phoenix TS. Phoenix TS is currently offering a comprehensive list of over 400 virtual trainings. These certifications include CompTIA Security +, CompTIA Network +, and ISC2 CISSP certifications to name a few. Phoenix TS has supported the decision for companies to take their trainings online by giving clients the option for discounted virtual trainings. Phoenix TS is aware of the concerns their customers have during this time and wants to ensure that health and safety are a top priority.

Social distancing prevents panic and helps to stop the spread of the virus. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Virtual training allows people to practice social distancing while continuing to work or advance their education.

As the world is waiting to see what happens next, many are left wondering how long we will be in this predicament and if completely virtual training environments will become inevitable. Ian Holliday, vice-president and pro vice-chancellor (teaching and learning) at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) weighed in on the educational changes that have taken place in China over the course of the COVID -19 outbreak. Holiday believes that educational institutions have no choice but to adapt to an extensive online curriculum. Holiday explains, “many colleges will make permanent changes to their teaching practices as a result of what happens in these few weeks” (THE World University Rankings). Haniash Coates, the director of the Higher Education Division of the Institute of Education at Tsinghua University agrees. Coates believes that, “there will almost certainly be a post-virus boom” in online higher education. (THE World University Rankings).

A post virus boom in virtual learning is something educational institutions must consider. The emergence of the Coronavirus has proven that quick adaptation is necessary to maintain order. Currently order is being maintained because of online options. In the future, virtual learning may just prove to be education’s best practice.

For more information about online courses offered at Phoenix TS, visit: our website at https:///phoenixts.com/online/. For best pricing discounts call, 240-667-7757.