Continuing education as a growth accelerator for regulatory bodies

Continuing education serves as a development driver for regulatory bodies, in addition to maintaining public safety. As a result, every regulatory body must provide training to its members, as part of its "public protection" mandate.  The general public must be able to put their faith in the specialists to whom they are referred. In this light, the regulatory body controlling all professions, a total of 46 in Québec, have a responsibility to encourage and enable continuing education for their members. Some regulatory bodies require a certain number of hours of continuing education, while others allow their members to choose of their own accord.

Nonetheless, your obligations as a regulatory body are extensive. As part of them, you must:

- Maintain control over your team's competency and integrity;

- Monitor the profession's practice;

- Regulate the practice;

- Manage the disciplinary procedures;

- Encourage the profession's growth by providing training;

- In addition to completing your yearly report, monitor the unlawful practice of the profession and the usurpation of the title.

Were you aware that a learning management system (LMS) may help you satisfy the majority of these responsibilities?

What is a Learning Management System (LMS)?

LMS is an acronym for Learning Management System. It's a learning platform that lets you develop and manage training materials and make them available to everyone in your organization. There are two user interfaces in the software: one for administrators and one for users.

All training data may be created, managed, and customized via the administrator's interface. The administrator may track and follow the progress of each member's finished, ongoing, or to-be-completed training using this component. Individual and group reports may also be created within the administrator interface.

The user interface is where members can see what courses are available. They may use it from their workplace or from anywhere with an internet connection, allowing them to train at their own speed, put it on hold to complete other chores, and continue training whenever and wherever they choose.

There are a variety of LMS platforms to choose from

Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms are cloud-based solutions. In this case, the LMS provider hosts and makes this sort of software available in the cloud. Because the program is accessed on the Cloud, there is no need to host or install it. The only thing you have to do is tailor the tool to your own requirements.

Then, in contrast to SaaS, there are on-premise LMS platforms. These LMS are used in industries where data security is critical, such as banking and institutions. As a result, the LMS platform is hosted on the company's own server, allowing data to be kept internally.

Lastly, there are proprietary and open-source learning management systems. The first functions like a SaaS and is utilized in the same way, whereas the second is locally hosted. For the latter, you'll need the necessary equipment as well as a technical team to keep it up to date.

Regulatory bodies and the use of a learning management system

A regulatory body’s mission is to assure its members' competence. Therefore, it goes without saying that continuing education must be a top priority for these organizations. As a result, regardless of the professional sector, implementing a learning management system is a highly appealing solution.

Now, why is it such a necessity for regulatory bodies to offer continuing education? The world, and people in particular, are always developing, thus it is adamant for professionals to keep their skills up to date. Moreover, professional practices that are exceptional in nature rely heavily on continuing education.

Professionals will see a benefit in continuing education when it comes to guaranteeing the growth of their career and practice, in addition to the obligation to maintain their expertise up to date. In many situations, it is also a requirement for continued licensure.

There are numerous kinds of LMS solutions and subscription options. Contact an expert in training platforms to choose the best LMS for your regulatory body.

What are the advantages of using an LMS for regulatory bodies?

Do you believe that an LMS is only beneficial in large companies? Thankfully, this isn't true. LMS solutions are utilized in a wide range of industries, from academic institutions to small and medium-sized enterprises, no matter the budget constraints.

Online training allows all members to have access to the same material. There are no missing pages or obsolete material, and all members have constant access to the most up-to-date instructions. Furthermore, each regulatory body may easily and rapidly update all of the training in an LMS by adding, removing, or changing anything that has to be changed. Follow-ups are also made simple and readily available.

The flexibility to personalize your training is a significant benefit of utilizing an LMS. You may modify existing courses, add examinations and evaluations, and personalize them, or build them entirely from scratch. On top of that, because all of your modifications are immediately visible online, you prevent any potential for misunderstanding.

You may also customize your training, generate reports, and keep track of your progress. For instance, if a training course's deadline is nearing, an LMS can help you figure out which participants haven't finished it yet and send them the appropriate reminders.

Finally, nothing is easier than providing a URL link or, better yet, integrating them into your regulatory body's site to make your training courses available to all of your members. You can include the following in your portal's training section:

- The code of ethics for your professional field;

- The laws and regulations governing your field;

- Training on topics that are relevant to your field;

- Tools for organizing work; and much more.

Regulatory bodies benefit from lower training expenses, better management, and more time. Accessibility, flexibility, and retention rate are all advantages for professional members. Furthermore, everyone stands to gain when they can study at their own speed and on their own timetable.

Conclusion – Seek assistance from LMS implementation experts

It's simple to understand how an LMS may be beneficial to professional organizations. An LMS is synonymous with accessibility and flexibility, it is simple to use and maintain, and it is reusable, regardless of your sector of activity.

Gestisoft can provide you with all of the assistance and guidance you'll need to set up your LMS platform. We can also help you decide which sort of LMS to use according to the circumstances of your regulatory body.

To discover more about LMS systems and the best option for your company, contact Gestisoft today. We can give you all of the assistance you require in your digital transformation.