Remember when everyone thought digital learning would make classroom training obsolete? Plot twist:
instructor-led training (ILT) is making a spectacular comeback, and we're here for it!
The self-paced learning experiment
Let’s be honest – we all got caught up in the e-learning hype. The promise was irresistible:
- Train thousands of employees instantly
- Cut costs dramatically
- Let people learn in their pajamas
Sounds perfect, right? Well, not quite.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: self-paced learning isn't sticking. Imagine watching your carefully crafted training programs bounce off learners like rubber balls off a wall.
Studies show that without live instruction, learners forget up to 90% of content within a week. Ouch.
Enter the ILT renaissance
The data doesn’t lie. According to
Brandon Hall Group’s 2024 research, 65% of enterprises still crown ILT as the training champion. Why? Because when it really matters – we're talking compliance, leadership, and technical skills – nothing beats a live instructor who can:
- Read the room and adjust on the fly
- Answer those "but what if..." questions
- Tell when someone's nodding along but totally lost
- Create those magical "aha!" moments
But wait – virtual instructor-led training (VILT) has entered the chat, combining the best of both worlds:
- Live interaction without the travel hassle
- Global reach with local impact
- Real-time engagement without real estate costs
The problem with ILT is a big one
"But managing ILT is a nightmare!"
“This is still a manual process, even in 2025.”
“Managing ILT - coordinating instructors, venues, learners, and resources (across time zones) - is like solving a Rubik's cube blindfolded.”
If you are managing ILT programs today, you are doing it despite the biggest barrier to ILT growth: it is incredibly tedious to manage. Tedious work robs your team of precious capacity, but it also is error prone, and there is much less room for error with ILT.
The solution for ILT management is a Training Management System (TMS)
This is where modern training management software steps in. A Training Management System is a new class of learning technology, designed to handle operational tasks - not content creation and delivery tasks like your trusty learning management system.
A TMS works with all of your existing learning technologies, from your LMS to your calendar systems, email systems, CRM, and other enterprise tools like business intelligence dashboards (Power BI) and HRIS platforms. A TMS is so highly connected because it takes data in from across your organization to help you plan, schedule, and communicate to everyone involved in your ILT program. From learners, to instructors, to staff, and stakeholders.
Administrate is a popular TMS for teams doing high volumes of ILT training. And since you landed on our blog, we are going to tell you exactly why we are the best:
Smart Scheduling
Our
training scheduling software powered by AI helps you plan hundreds of courses in a few minutes, then it scans all of your calendars, resource availability, and course requirements and helps you build a schedule for hundreds of ILT events/sessions.
- Automatically finds perfect time slots
- Prevents double-booking disasters
- Handles time zone tetris
Resource Management
You can
see all of your resources at a glance. Resources means: classrooms, special equipment, support staff and services, instructors … really, anything can be considered a resource and Administrate can track it for you.
- Tracks instructor availability
- Manages venue capacity
- Ensures equipment readiness
Error-Free Communication
If you send out 5 emails to 10,000 learners, that is possibly 50,000 errors. You can’t have that, it won’t look good even if it is just a typo. But dealing with bulk email management makes this scenario possible if not likely.
Administrate uses powerful automation tools and deeply personalized email templates to help you build and send emails to everyone, at the right time.
- Sends automated reminders
- Updates stakeholders instantly
- Handles last-minute changes
ILT isn't just making a comeback – it's getting a complete makeover for 2025. By combining the irreplaceable human element of live instruction with modern training management technology, organizations can finally scale their training programs without losing that personal touch.
The future of corporate training isn't about choosing between digital and live instruction – it's about using technology to make live training as scalable and efficient as digital learning, while maintaining the engagement and effectiveness that only a live instructor can provide.
Ready to join the ILT revolution?
It's time to upgrade your training management game with technology that makes live instruction both scalable and sustainable.
Because let's face it – some things are just better live.
More Below
Case Study
Roche diagnostics unlocks 300% training ROI with Administrate
