Digital training isn’t new, but now it’s becoming a necessity.
TAKE YOUR
TRAINING By Katie Brinton
50 [www.adventureparkinsider.com]
Traditional ways of doing business became immediately untenable when the coronavirus pandemic forced us out of our offices and into our homes. Across all sectors, the need for digital transformation took on new urgency. The adventure park business model tends toward the tactile, but as operators look for ways to minimize person-to-person contact in the short term and develop long-term efficiencies, there are gains to be had by going digital in some areas of operation. Staff training is a good place to start, and the e-learning space is filled with tools to support the transition.
WHAT CAN BE DONE ONLINE? A wide range of training topics translate to digital platforms. “The sky’s the limit,” says Ingo Albrecht, head of business development for Be A Better Guide, an online training service for tour guides and operators. “Things that you can and should be moving online are processes and procedures, product descriptions, soft skills coaching, and any company-specific stuff like brand training, company roles, FAQs, route maps, and tour scripts,” says Albrecht. Certain topics transfer to digital more easily than others. When the National
Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) began developing e-learning programs back in 2010, it started with fields like wilderness medicine and risk services. “The classroom nature of these programs lends itself to online learning opportunities more readily,” says Sandy Chio, NOLS marketing and admissions director. IAAPA has also begun translating its indoor intensives to online platforms. “Since the global COVID-19 crisis, we have been working to provide even more opportunities by offering virtual editions of core IAAPA programs, such as the IAAPA Safety Institute and the IAAPA Institute for Attractions Managers,” says Reno Deschaine, VP of global education.
