Trending: Workforce Webinars
Joe Norden, Jr., Education and Workforce Consultant
News flash: According to recent research, the humble webinar is gaining serious cred as an efficient and economical vehicle for marketing and disseminating information. In fact, recent research from the Content Marketing Institute revealed webinars to be a top-five tactic in terms of overall effectiveness. For business-to-business (B2B) lead generation, webinars are also highly rated—in one study, ninety percent of respondents said webinars were effective in generating high quality leads. And for customer conversion, webinars also rate at or near the top in every analysis.
Anyone with an internet connection can join and participate in a webinar—recent sessions I've presented or attended have featured participants from all over the United States, from Virginia to Hawai'i, as well as from across the Atlantic in Europe. The ability to disseminate content in real time, to achieve high levels of interactivity among participants, and to present information to large numbers of folks (compared to a classroom or meeting room) anywhere in the world is quite a powerful thing. Arguably, that power has only just begun to be harnessed.
Webinars for Workforce
The field of workforce development is lagging behind in numerous ways—one of those ways is the field's inability to use technology to serve its clientele. The Albert Institute (AI) wants to counter this trend, and to that effect has been using webinars to help those seeking employment or additional training. The Institute has developed and presented a series of different webinars, dealing with diverse topics that range from job clubs to "green" prisons to the new GED credential. The AI's Spring Into Reentry Conference—a series of webinars devoted to getting ex-offenders back into productive lives—is quickly becoming the standard in the reentry field with regard to the quality of its content.
Webinar alert: The Albert Institute is presenting yet another webinar on one of its most useful topics on February 6 at 10am. Titled the "Rap Sheet Clean-Up," the low cost webinar will feature everything needed to know about dealing with a criminal record in order to find employment. This session is appropriate for any number of individuals, including those who work in probation/parole and reentry, workforce and training, and the social services. Visit www.thealbertinstitute.com for more information or to register for this important session.
Webinars are already changing the ways in which information is shared across a broad spectrum of ideas and subject areas. That trend will continue to evolve within its own sphere, and will remain viable for the foreseeable future. As the use of this medium evolves in the field of workforce development, job seekers will find it easier to connect with employers and workforce professionals will be able to share innovative practices on a large scale. The moral of the story? Webinars can and will be a powerful force for positive change, not just in workforce development, but in the larger world as well.
