Getting staff to learn new skills and gain knowledge relating to their job, and also helping them progress either within an existing role or progress within a company could be seen to be costly in time and financial resources, as well as having an impact on productivity. But this is often not the case, especially when employees study with an established learning provider or college online.

Thanks to the technological innovations of the Virtual Learning Environment, students can now benefit from a range of web based applications such as web cast classes in real time, forums and course management and information, in a seamless and easy to use online accessible platform.

One important factor for employers to consider when thinking about online learning for staff is that many employees are keen to learn new skills in order to get more from their career. This will have great benefits in the workplace, giving staff the time to develop and put their skills form online learning into practice.

Time too can be seen as a costly expenditure, especially if employees are taking paid time off work. But when considering that the time taken off work can improve performance thanks to the online learning of new skills, techniques and responsibilities it can pay for itself many times over.

As online learning has increasingly become the study mode of choice for a range of employers, courses such as online business degrees and courses in Internet Marketing have been developed especially with work based learners' needs. Online colleges understand that their students will have professional and /or family commitments.

Most courses delivered online by colleges and learning providers that are tailored for students who are work-based will be ideal for employers looking to improve the skills of their workers. This is because online learning is an interactive, engaging and informative way to learn the same subjects offered by traditional 'walk in' colleges.

With easy ways of communication, making use of e-mail, mobile and other communications technologies, students of online learning can expect to get the same level of communication with teachers as a traditional college - but without the hassle of having to arrange in-person meetings or having to get to a college.

The e-learning revolution has seen a wave of new educational technologies that can be applied to online learning, with studying and information dissemination having a greater impact on students in full time or part time employment. Students can relate directly to their work and improve on it not just after the course has ended, but throughout the course.

Online learning for employers is made more attractive thanks to the demonstrative benefits of the Virtual Learning Environment, which can involve the employer in the application of new skills learnt by their staff, as they are aware of not just what the students are learning, but how they are learning.

Virtual Learning Environments for employers considering online education have made accessing quality education more affordable and more beneficial to all.