Within BizLMS, one of the ways administrators can make assignments to learners is via a learning initiative. Learning initiatives (often referred to as LIs) allow administrators to curate content from off-the-shelf and custom content libraries to create structured learning and development programs. Within each Learning Initiative, an administrator can create multiple stages which contain a set of courses that can be set with varying activation dates and timeframes to pace learners through a program. These carefully designed learning programs can be customized to align with company goals, improve employee performance, and ensure compliance with industry standards. 

What are the different types of LIs?  

There are three main types of Learning Initiatives that can be created, including: 

• One-Time Learning Initiatives
• Annual Learning Initiatives
• Recurring Learning Initiatives with Qualifications 

Let’s jump into what each type of LI does and help determine what type is best for your learning program needs.  

One-Time Learning Initiatives  

One-time LIs are learning programs that will be assigned to learners to complete one time. Once the learner has completed the LI, it does not need to be completed again, nor does it need to be reassigned to a learner again.   

There are several use cases for one-time LIs, including: 

• Onboarding New Employees: A structured onboarding program that introduces new hires to the company culture, policies, and procedures. 
• Product Launch Training: Training sessions focused on educating employees about a new product or service.
• Company Policy Updates: Training on new or updated company policies and procedures to ensure understanding and compliance.
• Seasonal or Event-specific Training: Training programs for seasonal activities, such as holiday retail training or fiscal year-end processes.
• Skill Development Workshops: One-time workshops focusing on developing specific skills, such as leadership, communication, or time management. 

Annual Learning Initiatives 

Annual LIs are learning programs that are reassigned to learners yearly, essentially reusing the same assignment annually to ensure learners are up to date with training. By automating the reset and reassignment process, administrators can free up additional time that would have been spent on recreating training programs. Recurring training maintains historical course completions to ensure you can tell each time your learners are engaged with a specific lesson.  

Annual LIs are primarily use for:  

• Compliance Training: Annual training sessions to meet regulatory requirements, such as sexual harassment prevention, data privacy, or industry-specific compliance. 

Recurring Learning Initiatives with Qualifications 

A lot of organizations require their learners to acquire professional certifications or credentials to supply Qualifications for a job. Recurring LIs with Qualifications allow administrators to track specific Qualifications a learner has achieved for their job role or position by assigning training, then awarding them with a qualification once the training is complete.  

Recurring LIs with Qualifications are most effective for:  

• Software/Systems Training: Training initiatives for the rollout of new software or systems.
• Safety and Emergency Preparedness: Sessions on workplace safety protocols, emergency response procedures, and first aid.
• Company Policy Updates: Training on new or updated company policies and procedures to ensure understanding and compliance.
• On-the-job Training Verification: Training for learners in specific roles or training for equipment learners will interact with. 

 assignment.  

Other Use Cases  

Learning initiatives capabilities don’t end there! There are so many ways LIs can be utilized to handle your organization’s unique learning and development needs. If you would like to explore additional ways to build a learning initiatives, read about each of these additional LI assignment types by clicking the following links:   

• Stacked Learning Initiatives for progressive learning programs like leadership 101, 201, 301 or progressive skill-level training. 
• Recurring Training with Duplicated Learning Initiatives for Compliance, Safety, and Product training where content will vary from year to year
• One-time Learning Initiatives with Qualifications for product launch training, emergency preparedness, and on-the-job training verification.