The TopClass Blog

To keep up with changing technology and emerging competition, members often need to quickly acquire new skills and knowledge. The problem is that they don’t always have the budget or time to travel somewhere for training. What they can make room in their schedule is a more affordable, flexible online workshop.  

Online workshops provide the specialized, focused learning experience and credentials needed for members, industry professionals, recent graduates, career changers, and industry employers.  

Why should associations offer virtual workshops? 

Because of the growing demand for specialized skills, the need for online workshops is stronger than ever. Specialized workshops establish and enhance your association’s reputation as a provider of in-demand skills training.  

With access to the skilled and certified professionals who graduate from your online training, industry employers can fill skills gaps and maintain competitiveness. They see your association as a valuable workforce development partner, especially if you seek their input when designing the training curriculum. 

AI and other technologies are changing job descriptions. For example, the demand for legal tech specialists grew by 200% this year because of the adoption of generative AI to perform legal tasks. Workshops help you call attention to new job opportunities in your industry and provide the training and credentialing needed to succeed in these new roles. 

Virtual workshops and online training attract the interest of: 

• Recent graduates 
• Young professionals 
• Career changers 
• Ambitious mid-career professionals who want to learn new specialized skills  

Host workshops that teach members the skills needed for leadership service or grassroots advocacy. For example, the National Court Reporters Association offers a Leadership & Legislative Boot Camp to teach the skills and strategies needed to effectively advocate for their profession in state legislatures and Congress. During these specialized trainings, participants practice their new skills in real-life scenarios and network with fellow members. 

How members benefit from virtual workshops 

In virtual workshops, participants acquire the skills required to get a job, advance their careers, or start a business.  

Workshops help members improve business operations. In the American Medical Association’s Practice Innovation Boot Camp, participants learn to eliminate unnecessary work to focus on what matters most—patient care. They take away tools and strategies for redesigning their workplace and enhancing employee satisfaction. 

Seasoned professionals in need of a refresher attend workshops and boot camps to understand current trends and challenges facing the industry, which is especially important in industries affected by AI tools. 

Participants who successfully complete the workshop earn a credential, such as a certificate or digital badge to display on their LinkedIn profile.  

Essential training elements that increase learner engagement  

Take advantage of compressed time  

People like the workshop and bootcamp formats because of its condensed timeframe. For example:  

• Four 45-minute sessions 

• Four two-hour sessions 

• Three three-hour sessions 

The American Association of School Personnel Administrators offers a two-day workshop. The Virtual Personnel Administrator Boot Camp covers a wide range of essential topics for HR administrators, such as recruitment strategies, effective investigations, ADA accommodations, employee discipline, FMLA compliance, and more. 

Boot camp class sizes are smaller than standard classes so participants feel a sense of group cohesiveness. Break large classes into accountability cohorts to spark this same feeling. 

Onboard workshop participants 

With limited time, you can’t afford to let learners start off on the wrong foot or fall behind. Prior to the first meeting, send tip sheets and videos on how to be a successful learner. Offer office hours for learners with concerns or questions.  

Provide an interactive learning experience  

Avoid learner distraction during instruction by including interactive discussions and exercises every 15 minutes. Retrieval practice—recalling and applying new information—helps participants retain what they’ve learned. Use breakout rooms for small group work. Encourage collaboration via screen sharing and whiteboards.   

In between meetings, give learners on-demand access to videos and reading materials that help them prepare for live instruction. Bite-size, modular lessons help learners increase knowledge absorption. Supplement study materials with an online discussion forum where participants get to know each other, answer and pose questions, and discuss classroom and other topics.  

Teach practical application of new skills and knowledge 

In retrieval practice exercises, include activities that simulate applying new information and skills in the workplace. Have learners work on real-life scenarios and case studies.  

During the American Urological Association’s Innovation Nexus Boot Camp, learners explore the steps for moving an idea from concept to realization, tools needed for successful innovation, and advice for budding entrepreneurs, such as fine-tuning a pitch, creating a value proposition, developing a financial strategy and business plan, and engaging strategic partners. They hear from successful inventors, take part in roundtable discussions, attend mentoring sessions, and network with others. 

Since new businesses often struggle with sales and marketing, the American Bankers Association along with six state bankers associations offer a Lead Gen Workshop for Bank Leaders. The four sessions cover landing page conversions, paid search advertising, influencer marketing, and marketing campaign strategy analytics. 

Recruit instructor practitioners 

Look for instructors with actual, not theoretical, industry experience. They must practice what they teach. Encourage the use of guest speakers who bring variety and diversity to the program. 

One of the most popular elements of the School Nutrition Boot Camp is the Directors' Panel, where participants get to spend quality time with top foodservice directors.  

Measure and highlight accomplishments 

During the program, track and measure learner progress with frequent assessments and feedback loops. If appropriate, help them build portfolios to showcase their new skills and demonstrate their job-readiness. 

Upon successful completion of the program, give learners a certificate and digital badge for their LinkedIn profile, website, and resume. Besides serving as a skills authenticator and status symbol, digital badges help to spread awareness of the program. 

Supplement workshop with career services 

Include some level of career support in the workshop tuition, for example:  

• Resume/LinkedIn profile guidance 

• Interview prep 

• Job boards 

• Coaching or mentoring 

Coaching is a popular benefit of for-profit workshops like those run by Infosec Institute. In their 500-hour cybersecurity program, participants meet with career coaches to explore the type of cybersecurity career that best fits their goals and build attention-getting portfolios to help them break into the field. 

Double down on social learning 

Provide ample opportunity for participants to learn alongside peers. Assign group projects. Break the class into exam study groups. Encourage learners to take full advantage of the opportunity to make connections and build a community with fellow professionals from across the country.

By prioritizing these program elements, online workshops provide an immersive, supportive, and practical learning environment that prepares participants for career success. Online workshops offer valuable upskilling opportunities for members and strengthen your association’s standing as the industry leader for professional development.