This list - in the form of a short paper published on eCom's website - is intended to inform learning and development (L&D) professionals and help them negotiate with their organisation's senior management over such things as L&D materials and budgets.

"Upskilling your team helps your organisation become more effective and efficient," explained Allan Maclean, eCom's Marketing Manager. "If, like many, L&D professionals have chosen eLearning as a vehicle for doing this, they may be wondering whether they should create the content in house or use an eLearning partner to do it for them. This paper examines the ways an eLearning partner can help in creating bespoke eLearning content efficiently and cost-effectively."

According to eCom, the six reasons to work with a digital learning specialist to produce eLearning materials are

• rapid delivery - New or updated relevant eLearning content should be created and deployed as soon as possible, since the sooner learners have access to this, the sooner they - and their organisation - can reap the benefits of improved productivity. However, it's also important to choose a competent, experienced eLearning producer with a diverse skillset to develop content that meets the learning needs - and does so quicker than an in-house team would take.
• cost-effective content - Using in-house staff to create eLearning content can take longer, cost more, and may not have all the necessary resources in terms of people, skills, software, licences, and so on. Outsourcing eLearning content creation leaves in-house L&D teams free to focus on other L&D priorities while a professional team creates custom courses at a fraction of the cost.
• technical experience and expertise - The eLearning partner should already have a great deal of technical expertise and experience in order to be able to design, develop, and deliver an engaging and impactful learning experience. Typically, the eLearning partner will supply the services of a competent project manager to oversee the content development process; instructional designers; UI/UX experts, and digital designers.
• access to the latest technology - The eLearning partner should have access to the latest technology and know how to get maximum value from using it.
• on-trend courses - Understanding core instructional design (ID) principles, coupled with a knowledge of the latest ID and digital design trends, an eLearning partner should create content that's both visually appealing and highly effective.
• building trust - Finding an eLearning partner that understands your business, culture, and learners' needs is key since this will enable the resulting learning materials to be appropriate for the learning needs.