What is the purpose of off the shelf elearning content?
When you’re planning a training rollout, one of the first questions you’ll face is whether to build your own content or buy something ready-made. You’ll probably have an LMS or LXP and it might already have some content but what’s the purpose of off the shelf elearning content?
Your platform might have come bundled with a library, some of it might be the right fit for your needs and off the shelf elearning is often the faster, easier route but is it right for your organisation?
With so many options on the market, it’s not always obvious. With many providers and options on the market it’s easy to find a set of courses that won’t meet your requirements and unless you know what to look for, it’s easy to end up with the wrong content and the wrong provider.
It’s also important to understand why you might be looking at off the shelf content as an option. It might be that what you really need is a custom solution.
In this insight article we look at what off the shelf elearning really is, where it works best, and how to tell if it’s the right solution for your organisation.
Before we look in more detail, here’s why more L&D teams are taking it seriously:
- 76% of companies rely on off the shelf content to deliver learning at scale
(Source: Training Industry, 2024) - off the shelfcourses cost up to 80% less than custom-built alternatives
(Source: Training Industry, 2024) - The global off the shelf elearning market is growing at a CAGR of 7–9% through 2028
(Source: Market Research Future) - Companies using pre-built content are 3.5x more likely to hit training rollout timelines
(Source: Brandon Hall Group) - Top 5 content categories: Compliance, Soft Skills, Leadership, DEI, and Cybersecurity
(Source: LinkedIn Learning Report, 2024) - Up to 60% of L&D leaders now see off the shelf training as their first choice for mandatory topics
(Source: Fosway Group L&D Realities Research)
What Is Off the shelf Elearning Content?
Off the shelf elearning refers to digital courses that are pre-built and ready to use.
You don’t need to design or develop them from scratch although you can often get the option to add your branding. This is something that you’ll need to speak to the supplier about as its not an option for each supplier.
You might find that a supplier might allow you to update a specific course with your course content if you find a specific course that you would like to amend.
Most are hosted on Learning Management Systems (LMS) or Learning Experience Platforms (LXP), but you can also access them directly through providers like Course Source or OpenSesame if you don’t have your own platform.
If you don’t have an internal LMS, these platforms allow you to access courses, manage your learners and get access to reports. This is often a fast and effective way of getting access to content and LMS/LXP functionality.
Many courses come with accreditation, this can be CPD Points or a sector specific accreditation. Some companies accreditation because it solves a training need, specifically within certain sectors. You might need to look for a supplier within your sector. The purpose of this type of off the shelf content is to solve a specific training requirement – often compliance, or the need for accreditation.
What Topics Are Covered?
Buyers are often looking for content to solve training gaps and off the shelf libraries will quickly and easily do this. The purpose of off the shelf is that they are ready to go and organisations don’t have to spend time build new courses.
Most course libraries include content including more general topics like soft skills, cyber security and sustainability. But you can also find more specific compliance, governance, or industry-led training.
The advantage for buyers is that they can also find courses on data protection, customer service, health and safety, leadership, time management.
Some libraries also offer niche content for specialised sectors. If you’re in a highly regulated or operationally complex industry, it may be worth looking at providers with deep knowledge of your space.
Scott Hewitt shares “A common mistake L&D teams make is not having a suitable review process, and not looking widely. There are some great options available. Are you confident your current process is helping you find the best content?”
Why do organisations Use off the shelf courses?
Off the shelf Elearning is often the fastest way to get high-quality training in front of your people. That’s especially valuable when you’re working with remote, hybrid, or global teams. Courses can be launched immediately, reaching employees in any location or time zone.
If an organisation is looking to deploy content quickly and effectively, especially if budget is a consideration, then this is an excellent option. Have you evaluated what’s available before committing to a longer development timeline?
If your organisation is short on internal capacity, off the shelf elearning can be a practical choice. It takes the pressure off your L&D and developments teams by removing the need for lengthy development cycles. Custom development takes time and is expensive when compared next to an elearning library.
The Benefits: What you get from off the shelf content
Speed and Simplicity
Most courses are available for immediate use and that means teams can move from procurement to rollout in hours, not weeks. There’s no lengthy build process and no project bottlenecks. Compared to custom elearning this is a significant benefit, it might not be your specific content but the time and cost saving can be huge.
Don’t rush. Although you can deploy quickly, ensure that you know what you want, or you’ll end up with the wrong content from the wrong provider. Have you defined your requirements clearly enough to avoid that mistake?
Cost Efficiency
Creating a bespoke library from scratch is costly. It requires time, talent, and budget that many teams can’t spare. off the shelf content offers a scalable, professional alternative without the upfront development spend.
Reliable Quality
You’re not sacrificing quality for speed. In fact, many leading providers use the same teams, instructional designers, developers, and subject experts, for both custom and off the shelf content. You’ll often have the chance to review or demo content before buying, ensuring it meets your standards.
The market is now so large that if you develop a good review process, you’ll be amazed by the quality and quantity of products that are out there. Are you making full use of what’s available before deciding whether to build or buy?
Platform Flexibility
Providers like OpenSesame and Go1 offer huge catalogues, think Netflix. You have the opportunity to select from hundreds of courses and providers in one place.
Their flexible licensing models let you download content to your own LMS or access it directly through their platforms. Whether you’re looking for business skills, compliance training, or tech tutorials, Working with an account manager there is a strong likelihood that you’ll get the content that you are looking for.
Don’t forget that you can get more than one platform and with flexible pricing models you might need to consider more than one library. Real Projects offers simple pricing and contracts to support suppliers who are looking to develop and expand their library options.
Before you start
Elearning is more accessible, more scalable, and more varied than ever before.
If you’re under pressure to deliver high-impact training fast, without compromising on quality then off the shelf elearning content is an option that you should consider. It is important that like a software project to have a robust review process.
There are thousands of vendors and its important that you go through a robust supplier process, ensure that you know what you are looking for and ensure that you don’t get stuck with a complicated pricing model and contract.
Custom elearning development is still an excellent option for content that is specific for you organisation, but you might not need to building everything from scratch. Sometimes, the best move is choosing a course that’s already built, already trusted, and ready to go.
Questions
Q: What is off the shelf course content?
A: It is pre-made digital training that’s ready to use. You don’t need to build it yourself. It’s often used for topics like compliance, soft skills, and onboarding, and works with most LMS or LXP platforms.
Q: What is the purpose of Elearning?
A: The purpose of elearning is to deliver training online. It helps people learn new skills or knowledge anytime, anywhere, and at their own pace. It’s cost-effective, easy to scale, and great for remote teams.
Q: What are the three main types of Elearning?
A: The three main types are:
- Off the shelf content (pre-built courses)
- Custom elearning (built for your needs)
- Blended learning (mix of online and face-to-face)
Q: What is elearning content development?
A: Elearning content development is the process of creating digital courses. It includes planning, writing, designing visuals, recording audio, and building interactive elements. It’s usually done by a team of designers, writers, and developers. Elearning developers will use specific elearning software – Articulate 360 is the industry leader.
