Have you ever tried to navigate a massive off the shelf elearning library, packed with thousands of options, and still struggled to find the right courses?
That’s what content curation feels like for many L&D teams facing massive off the shelf libraries.
Learning how top L&D teams curate off the shelf courses is the key to turning overwhelming choice into a focused, high-impact learning experience.
It’s not a lack of choice that’s the problem. It’s finding the right choice at the right time for the right need.
That’s why L&D directors are rethinking how they approach off the shelf courses, focusing on smarter curation rather than relying on volume alone.
The demand for off the shelf courses is growing rapidly. Demand for off the shelf courses continues to grow, and the data makes it clear why.
- $82 Billion: Revenue generated by the corporate e-learning content segment in 2022, including off the shelf courses. (Global Market Insights Inc.)
- 41%: Percentage of organizations spending more than half of their digital learning content budgets on off the shelf materials. (Litmos)
- 33%: Organizations planning to increase their investment in off the shelf content in the coming year. (AIHR, Litmos, Real Projects)
- 60%: L&D teams expecting to boost their adoption of digital learning content, including off the shelf courses. (iSpring Solutions, Litmos, Docebo)
- Cost-Effective & Time-Efficient: Off the shelf courses are recognized for their affordability and quick implementation, making them a practical choice for many organizations. (iSpring Solutions, Global Market Insights Inc., lmsportals)
Why Content Curation in L&D Matters
It’s tempting to think that the bigger the content library, the better your learning outcomes will be. But when you have 30,000+ courses across 200 publishers, choice can quickly become overwhelming.
Without a roadmap, you risk selecting content that doesn’t align with your skill frameworks, learning goals, or business priorities.
Leading L&D teams avoid this by approaching curation with clear intent, defining exactly what they need and prioritising quality over quantity.
Most platforms provide a full list of their publishers, but without a structured approach, the sheer volume can be paralysing and you need to do more than just rely on the platform’s curation teams.
L&D teams need to review the platform’s provider lists carefully, narrowing them down into a manageable shortlist based on content style, quality, and relevance to their organisation’s needs.
This ensures their search remains focused rather than reactive. But simply having access to a platform’s publisher list isn’t enough. You need to have a strategic plan – but this doesn’t need to take lots of time. Understanding the purpose of off the shelf elearning content can help sharpen your filtering process, ensuring you select courses that truly align with your business needs
Actively filter these lists, identifying publishers whose styles, formats, and focus areas match your organisational goals.
Without this filtering step, the sheer volume of content available can quickly become unmanageable.
Scott Hewitt asks:
“If L&D teams don’t get the right curation lists from the major platforms, they stop using the platforms effectively.”
“Are you proactively finding the publishers that work for you, or just waiting for a refined list to appear?”
How Top L&D Teams Curate Off the Shelf Courses
The top-performing L&D teams don’t passively accept what the platforms hand them. They take ownership of the curation process to ensure the content truly fits their goals.
Here’s how they approach it:
- Clear Priorities: They build a elearning roadmap for the year ahead, defining the specific topics, competencies, and languages they need.
- Targeted Sampling: Instead of relying only on the platform’s favourite publishers, they run a focused curation project. This often involves identifying around 20 promising publishers, selecting 5–10 demo courses from each, and systematically reviewing each course against their roadmap priorities.
- Relationship Building: They develop real relationships with curation teams and stay connected to publishers, not just waiting for updates from news feeds but staying aware of what’s actually being released.
By treating sampling as a deliberate project rather than a casual browse, they find content that fits their goals much faster.
The leading L&D teams treat sampling like a deliberate project, not random browsing.
They create a shortlist of around 20 publishers, request demo courses, and run a structured analysis based on content relevance, quality, and alignment with their roadmap.
This hands-on approach helps them quickly separate must-have content from material that doesn’t fit their needs.
Scott Hewitt suggests:
“Find out which publishers are on the platforms and do some research. You’ll often find they have more content you like than you realise. Are you having conversations directly with publishers to get better insights into their libraries?”
Teams that build direct relationships with publishers often gain early insights into new course releases or unpublished content.
A simple conversation with a publisher can reveal hidden gems or upcoming materials that might never appear in the platform’s standard updates.
Scott Hewitt also points out:
“Are you developing real relationships with the curation teams and keeping in touch with publishers directly? Are you aware of what’s actually being released, not just relying on the publisher’s news feeds?”
Ongoing Roadmap Communication: Building a roadmap is critical, but so is keeping it updated and communicating changes with your content partners.
Building a roadmap isn’t a one-off task. Leading teams update their roadmaps regularly as business priorities shift, and they make sure their content creation specialists and publishing partners are informed of any changes.
This ongoing communication ensures the curated content stays relevant and valuable over time.
Scott Hewitt advises:
“If you’re starting out with off-the-shelf curation, have you developed your own roadmap for what you need over the next year? Even a simple Google Sheet can work. And if you update it, are you letting your partners know?”
When it comes to maximising the value of off the shelf courses, proactive curation and ongoing review make all the difference.
Challenges of Curating Off the Shelf Courses (and How to Overcome Them)
Challenge: Too much content, not enough relevance
Solution: Focus first on your critical business needs, then filter content ruthlessly based on fit. Use the platform’s publisher lists to build a focused shortlist of content providers aligned to your roadmap.
Challenge: Over-reliance on creation specialists’ favourites
Solution: Request a wider range. Sample demo content yourself. Build your own shortlist based on evidence, not just recommendations.
Challenge: Content needs evolve
Solution: Build a one-year roadmap, but schedule quarterly reviews to pivot as your organisation’s needs change.
Communicate changes clearly to your creation partners to ensure your evolving needs are always reflected in the content options they offer.
Challenge: Poor visibility into available content
Solution: Spend time inside the platform.
Explore publishers. Skim sample courses. Take control of the search by proactively researching the providers behind the content, not just the courses themselves.
Choosing the right off the shelf courses can dramatically improve learning outcomes if curated with the same rigour and planning as custom content strategies.
The Role of Learning Curators and Content Partners
Scott Hewitt shares
“You don’t buy success in content. You build it, in partnership with the right people, through the right process.”
That means treating your creation specialists like collaborators, not just suppliers. The clearer you are about your goals, the better they can support you.
A great learning curator constantly refines the content selection, ensures alignment with business priorities, builds strong relationships with publishers, and keeps a close eye on content quality and relevance.
Curation Strategy: How to Build Your Off the Shelf Content Plan
Audit your needs: List the key skills, topics, and languages required for your teams this year.
Draft a wishlist: Be specific. Include formats (video, microlearning, quizzes), competency alignment, and language requirements.
Sample widely: Don’t just accept a recommended list. Pick 20 publishers and review 5–10 demo courses from each.
Create a roadmap: Plan your content priorities for 12 months, but stay flexible enough to adjust quarterly.
Partner smart: Actively work with your creation specialists to refine selections, not just accept them.
Measure and adjust: Track engagement, completions, and feedback, and refine your roadmap accordingly.
Why Smart Content Curation Drives Better Learning Outcomes
L&D teams don’t just buy content, they curate it with the same care, strategy, and focus they apply to any critical business initiative. Understanding the benefits of off the shelf content is only the starting point , true impact comes from selecting and shaping that content to meet specific learning goals.
The next time you’re faced with a vast sea of off the shelf courses, don’t just pick what’s easy. Pick what’s essential. That’s how you turn content into real learning—and real impact.
Questions
Q: What is content curation in L&D?
A: Content curation in L&D means selecting, organising, and managing learning materials to match business goals. It’s about choosing the right courses for the right skills, rather than offering random options.
Q: What are off the shelf courses?
A: Off the shelf courses are ready-made training programmes that can be used immediately without needing customisation. They are quicker, cheaper, and cover common topics like leadership, compliance, and technology. Most off the shelf courses are delivered as online elearning courses, offering flexibility, scalability, and ease of access across different teams.
Q: What is curated learning?
A: Curated learning is when L&D teams select the best, most relevant learning materials for employees. Instead of offering everything available, they pick what fits business needs and skills gaps.
Q: What is content curation and why is it important?
A: Content curation is important because it helps avoid overwhelming learners with too many options. It ensures people get focused, relevant courses that support their growth and the organisation’s goals.
