Dive Brief:
- Just 18 months after it acquired Lynda.com, and weeks after its multi-million dollar purchase by Microsoft, LinkedIn launched its new LinkedIn Learning website, Ingrid Lunden reports for TechCrunch. The update went live with 9,000 corporate learning courses, any many more should follow.
- LinkedIn Learning courses can be recommended by subscribers or selected by employees or HR managers, and the site's built-in analytical tools help keep track of employee progress. LinkedIn plans to deliver 25 new courses per week to premium subscribers.
- LinkedIn has also begun improving the desktop user experience by adding more curated content based on user behavior and indicated interests. Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, said that education has become a number one priority for LinkedIn due to statistics that suggest work skills become outdated.
Dive Insight:
LinkedIn Learning is a welcome addition to the already popular professional network, which has around 450 million members around the world. It's a natural fit as career-minded users can tap into fresh job leads, build connections and take classes to enhance their skills.
On-demand learning appeals to many employees, and LinkedIn Learning gives professionals an outlet to accomplish this, with or without their employers' support. The most important aspect of this movement is that eLearning is here to stay, and companies now have trusted resources like LinkedIn to help provide it. The subscription model will be one to watch as organizations look for more ways to reduce learning costs. That said, employers won't want to miss out on the benefits of human learning in the workplace, either.
