The Illusion of Unlimited Access to Training: Why Too Many Choices Kill Learning
As the president of illuxi, I remain astonished by how many Canadian public organizations award no-bid contracts to international training platforms.
The main argument behind these decisions? Access to digital libraries with thousands of courses.
On paper, this seems like a great initiative: offering employees a vast selection of training content and allowing them to learn at their own pace. But in reality, this approach is a dead end.
Too Many Choices = Lower Engagement
In his book Vos idées de A à Z, Gaëtan Namouric explains a well-documented cognitive psychology phenomenon: the more choices we have, the harder it is to make a meaningful decision.
Applied to corporate training, this means that having thousands of available courses does not guarantee employees will complete them. Even worse, without a structured learning path, learners become disoriented, waste time, and ultimately disengage.
The Risks of This Approach:
✅ Decreased engagement – Too much content, no clear direction, and no perceived relevance.
✅ No measurable progress – Without a structured path, how can you track real skill development?
✅ Minimal organizational impact – Investing in a massive content library without aligning it to actual employee and business needs is a waste of resources.
When the Most Popular Course Is… “How to Write a Resume”
We recently worked with a public sector organization to analyze how their employees were actually using an international training platform. And guess what?
The most viewed course was: “How to Write a Resume.”
It’s safe to say that these employees weren’t updating their resumes to apply for jobs within their own institution. This speaks volumes about the lack of engagement and the misalignment of training content with real workforce needs.
A Structured Learning Path: The Key to Effective Training
Instead of providing an infinite buffet of courses, a targeted and structured approach delivers far better results. At illuxi, we focus on:
🔹 Aligning training with actual employee roles and responsibilities.
🔹 Creating a logical, progressive learning path that builds skills naturally.
🔹 Using data-driven recommendations and skill assessments to personalize learning.
When training is structured, it fosters organic discussions among employees:
“Have you done the module on time management? What did you think of lesson 4?”
These informal conversations reinforce learning far more effectively than navigating a chaotic, unstructured course catalog.
Data-Driven Learning: A Game-Changer for Training
The key to success isn’t the number of courses available—it’s using data to create coherent, scientifically backed learning paths.
Before choosing an online training library, ask yourself:
🔹 Are the courses aligned with the real needs of my employees?
🔹 Is there a structured learning journey that enhances retention and skill development?
🔹 Can we measure the actual impact of training on employee performance?
Stacking up thousands of courses doesn’t create a skilled workforce. But guiding employees through structured, relevant training leads to measurable success.
So before falling for the illusion that “more is better,” ask the real question:
What training is truly valuable for my organization?
