All the employee training software, explained

The workplace has changed, with successive generations making up the largest cohorts in history. We’ve never seen a workplace more keenly distributed, varied, and tracked as it is now. 

Teams might be scattered across the globe, with up to six generations working alongside each other, with workers dependent on productivity metrics to secure progression. 

How can organisations manage training and development for global teams and hybrid workers? What do the modern, digitally astute workforce really want? How do we optimise performance without inviting more pressure and burnout? Are we getting employee training right?

Let’s start with employee training software choices. There are three main systems, and one platform that combines the best of each.

These are the original platforms for managing and delivering training in a structured, formal way. An LMS is a centralised platform for creating, managing, and delivering training, tracking progress, and assessing employee learning. 

• Great for centralised control, ensuring compliance, and reporting on learner progress.
• Not so good for learner autonomy.

These are authoring tools designed to complement an LMS. Instructional designers use them for creating, editing, and storing training content. An LCMS makes it easy to develop, update or reuse content.

• Great for – making it easy for instructional designers to develop, update, or reuse content.
• Not so good for distributing training programmes, tracking progress, or collecting data and feedback.

This is a newer category focused on delivering a learner-centric experience. LXPs provide a more personalised, flexible learning experience, integrating a range of content from multiple sources.

• Great for learner autonomy, personalisation, social learning and informal learning.
• Not so good for tracking, reporting, and compliance features.

LXPs often fall short with detailed progress reports, making it harder to assess employee performance and completion rates in corporate environments. They also struggle to integrate with enterprise systems, such as HR and CRM platforms.

Moodle Workplace combines key features of each type of learning management system. The platform manages content similarly to an LCMS, allowing instructional designers and administrators to create content, have version control and manage different formats across various learning programmes. 

Let’s look at how Moodle Workplace stacks up against an LXP.

Moodle Workplace admins can monitor learner progress, generate compliance reports, and assess performance. The platform supports customisable reports – vital for tracking training completion and certifications, something many LXPs can’t handle. 

LXPs usually lack robust course management tools that help organisations design formal training programs with clear learning paths. Moodle Workplace offers structured, customisable learning pathways for individuals, teams, or departments. Employees can earn certifications, see progress, and work towards a tailored career development plan.

In Moodle Workplace, admins can create and automate mandatory courses and certifications, ensuring organisations meet legal and regulatory requirements. This structure is often missing in many LXPs – a significant limitation for anyone working in regulated industries.

LXPs often struggle to integrate with other enterprise systems, such as HR platforms, CRMs, or performance management tools. This means they’re unable to span the entire employee lifecycle.

Moodle Workplace integrates with all of the above tools, allowing corporate, government and higher education institutions with high headcounts, performance dependencies and security needs to operate smoothly. 

Ideally, you’ll want built-in content creation tools to allow you to create interactive and multimedia training materials inside the platform, sidestepping external authoring tools. LXPs often give access to third-party content and resources, but lack robust content authoring tools. Content creation then requires third-party integrations or external tools, making the process fragmented.

Moodle Workplace includes the best features of each system:

• Centralised course management – to create, deliver, and track structured training
• Custom learning paths – to assign courses based on roles, teams, or performance
• Reporting – to track progress and measure learning outcomes

• Content authoring – to create and edit courses directly within the platform
• Reusable content – to store and update learning materials for easy reuse
• Version control – to keep content up-to-date and consistent across modules

• Personalised learning – to recommend courses based on user behaviour and performance
• External content – to integrate with tools on third-party platforms
• Social learning – for peer-to-peer collaboration through forums, chat, and discussion boards

Poor user experience
Is slow performance or an unclear interface turning heads away from your platform?

Lack of personalisation
Your training software should have the ability to personalise learning experiences

Limited content formats
You won’t get engagement from text and PDF content. Video and interactive elements like quizzes and polls are expected

Weak reporting
Your training software should be able to spot employee skills gaps, performance impact and completion rates

Rigid structure
Can your training platform serve peer-to-peer learning or microcourses? Does it have features like real-time collaboration, discussion boards and content sharing to build connection and knowledge? Can your platform be augmented as you scale or change direction?

No mobile access
Everybody today needs to access resources on-the-go. If your learning software has an app, it means employees can access content without WiFi too.

Limited integration
Without doubt, new software should harmonise easily with your existing tools. Once your HRIS and CRM are sharing data with your learning software, you’ll have a more accurate source of truth.

No social or collaborative features
If employees can’t discuss or collaborate within the platform, learning remains isolated.

Compliance-focused, not development-focused
Your software might be built around mandatory training, overlooking career development and soft skills. This means you’re not catering to, or connecting with, human employees.

At Moodle, we don’t just think in terms of designing learning pathways and measuring progress; we start by assessing how connected we are as an organisation and how we could collaborate better.

Connection is what drives a collective process of learning. We need to build relationships and share resources to grow efficiently and cohesively. People don’t bring lasting value if they’re operating in silos.

Learning software helps bring us together, however and wherever we work, with training  managers and leaders relying on employee training software to deliver employee development plans and compliance programmes for the workforce.

But a ‘set and forget’ attitude to training programmes isn’t going to get the engagement, results, or the ROI you’re after.