The global online market is expanding really fast and has already reached 178 billion USD in 2021 while this year is expected to grow further by 16%. This means the demand for digital professionals is constantly increasing as well, and we are not talking only about traffic managers, email marketers, SEO and SMM specialists which have already become obligatory for almost every marketing department on the planet.
We are here to talk about the emerging figures which will soon shape the face of the new digital market, the one of online education. More and more companies and independent experts launch their e-courses and tutorials aimed to spare a significant amount of time to the students, compared to a classic offline way of studying.
Today Internet users want to expand their knowledge in different fields, so they’d be able to feel confident in every situation, be it a conversation about healthy eating or private investments matter. Unlike in the past, the consumers feel less need to rely on experts who will take important decisions for them. Instead, they seek somebody who will guide them through the new topic and help them to take their own action.
Today’s clients need skilled professionals to become tutors, and the most open-minded experts are already trying to fit in this new role. Nevertheless, it’s almost impossible and also pointless to build an online school or a course by yourself. There are so many processes involved that need constant attention and control, so you will need a team of people who could help you automate the procedures.
“But where do I look for qualified professionals since we are talking about a completely new business here?”, you are probably trying to figure it out now.
Well, you may not find many talents who already have solid experience in the e-learning field but you could find people who are eager to learn and already possess a set of important personal qualities, such as:
- curiosity;
- communication skills;
- analytical skills;
- passion for education;
- the ability to self start;
- problem-solving.
It’ll be easier for you to start with candidates who already have worked in education, even if their resume includes only offline experience. This way, your staff will already know how to create an effective plan of studies and you’ll have to simply adjust it to an online world.
Don’t be afraid to enter the e-learning market if you have a small business. Many projects were launched by a team of 2–3 people and now they’ve expanded into big companies with dozens of employees.
Now that you know all the facts, here is the list of the professions your online course will need to thrive:
Online course producer
This is one of the key figures in the e-learning business. The producer helps the founder to create the course from scratch, promote it and prepare for release. He/she studies carefully the target audience and attracts potential customers by creating a marketing funnel.
Before starting to sell the full version of the course the producer usually gives clients access to a couple of lessons for free or for a small amount of money.
This way, future students can appreciate the quality of the information and more likely will make a final purchase.
Usually, the producer repeats the course launch from 2 to 5 times during the year, based on the company’s strategy of growth and human resources available. This approach is highly effective to assure a solid source of passive income to the course founder and, as a result, to guarantee monthly salaries to the employees.
Skills needed:
The online course producer should display strong organizational skills, be a multitasker, an excellent leader to the team, and have an analytical mind. He/she will have to study competitors and create a customer portrait so it’s important to have strong marketing knowledge, as well as the ability to come up with new ideas in order to create a unique selling proposition to set the company apart from the competition.
Online course project manager
The project manager works side by side with the producer and supervises all the processes. For example, he/she constantly measures sales results and other important data which allows the company to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy.
This professional figure also distributes the budget, controls if all the deadlines are met, manages and motivates the staff.
The list of duties actually could go on and on and depends on the company’s size and goals to achieve.
Skills needed:
Since this professional leads the project, he/she needs to show leadership skills in order to build a solid relationship with the team. The position also requires strong organizational qualities to be able to coordinate the work of different departments, mapping out deadlines and executing each phase of the strategy correctly.
The successful project manager can also bring to the team his/her excellent communication skills. These professionals have to keep in touch with potential and already existing customers, students, partners, and other stakeholders, so conveying the right message to various groups of people is crucial for the position.
The last but not least quality is risk evaluation. A good project manager always sees a potential problem before it arises.
Education coordinator
This professional figure is responsible for the course structure. The education coordinator decides what to include in the plan of studies and what to cancel. He/she determines how many lessons the e-learning program will consist of and how to make the whole process the most comfortable and effective for students.
Thanks to the supervision of the education coordinator you can increase the quality of your product making sure the customers love it and are motivated to make it through the end, without asking for paybacks or constantly procrastinating.
Skills needed:
The education coordinator should be aware of the most up-to-date methods and approaches to the studying process. Since we are talking about online business, he/she always has to keep a close eye on digital trends in order to offer the best e-learning experience to the students, through the best tools available on the market. Another crucial skill is to be an excellent listener. The education coordinator needs to know what the customers think about the course, if there is something they’d like to improve, or some questions to ask. This way the students will always feel important for the company and be sure their voices are heard.
Student counselor
The counselor provides students with any kind of advice related to the studying process, through different channels: email, phone, social media, live chat, etc. This professional also checks the homework (if the course includes this option) and motivates participants to pursue their studies.
He/she also helps the students to solve technical issues related to the use of the online learning platform and handles disagreements.
Skills needed:
As this specialist has to act at the same time in the interest of the company and of the students, he/she needs to possess excellent communication and negotiation skills, cope with stress and be able to work under pressure.
The counselor also needs to know how to use the online learning platform and all the additional software made available for students and the staff.
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