The choice between a Learning Management System (LMS) and a Training Management System (TMS) depends on the specific needs of your organization. An LMS focuses on the creation, distribution and monitoring of online educational content, thus facilitating the learning of employees. On the other hand, a TMS is dedicated to the administrative and logistical management of training courses, including the planning of sessions, the management of registrations and the monitoring of resources. Understanding these distinctions is critical to selecting the most appropriate tool for your training goals.
Vocational training is at the heart of all discussions in French companies. It is a way to develop the skills of employees and remain competitive in a rapidly changing market. And with the global COVID-19 pandemic, it has been put to the test. No more classical classroom training, the digital format is now king!
But what are the consequences of such a digital revolution? What tools can you use to stay on track? In this article we will tell you about LMS and TMS, and the best solution for your business.
The LMS: what is it?
Les Learning Management Systems (“LMS”) or “Learning Management System”, are platforms that allow centralize all training activities in your company. This includes creating training modules, managing access (administrators, trainers, learners), or analyzing all learning data. The LMS very often becomes the best ally of training managers in the follow-up of their goals.
Some LMS qualifies as Learning Experience Platform. For these tools, it is then a question of putting the user at the heart of the experience, by offering all sorts of interactive and personalized features (instant messaging, downloadable resources, training courses, etc.).
The rise of LMS since 2019
Created in the early 2000s, these platforms saw their popularity explode after the 2019 global pandemic, especially with large companies. During periods of confinement, professional training was no longer possible in person. It was then necessary to find other solutions, and online training was one of them!
It was then the heyday of the LMS: many developers were offering more and more comprehensive solutions. And customers are there! In 2019, only 26% of businesses said they had invested in an LMS. They are 59% in 2023 (source: Myrhline x Beedeez study). It is in fact an “all-inclusive” tool, which allows the management of all the components of training, from a fluid and unique interface. But this solution also has some limitations.
The limitations of the LMS
Seduced by this revolutionary new tool, many companies have adopted the LMS. But very quickly, we observe some limits.
Among others, it appears that the back office of most LMSs is often insufficient: impossible management of the training budget, impossibility of planning and monitoring the deployment of training actions, no reporting to refine the talent development strategy...
Businesses then turn to another solution.
The TMS: a solution to the shortcomings of the LMS?
What is TMS?
A TMS is a”Training Management System”. It is a solution that can manage your entire training plan. Its objective is to help you carry out your educational program through key functionalities:
- Resource Management (rooms, speakers, material equipment...)
- Budget Management and training costs
- Scheduling slots and the duration of the training
- Alignment check with annual training goals
- Integration of end of year interviews trained teams
- Analysis of various indicators To check the scope of your strategy
The Training Management System (TMS) is therefore a perfect solution to manage the administrative aspect of your solutions. On the other hand, it does not allow you to create or manage your various training modules.
Who uses a TMS and why?
A TMS is a good solution for very large companies with a complex training ecosystem. This concerns, for example, companies that:
- regularly recruits new talent, and must provide for Onboarding frequent
- has an “academy” or a corporate university (as is the case of the Renault Academy, the Orange Business Service Sales School or the Boulanger Corporate University).
- manage a lot of learners and varied training paths
- need regular training on guidelines or specific regulations.
The Training Management System will then help them to facilitate administrative processes and to focus on the evolution of their training strategy.
LMS, TMS, or both?
TMS and LMS: are they really that different?
Yes! The LMS and the TMS do not meet the same objectives and do not offer the same functionalities.
The Learning Management System (LMS) will help you manage and offer an online content offer to the learners. The Training Management System (TMS), he, will be in charge of all the administrative part of your training.
If you do not have the budget to adopt both solutions, we strongly advise you to opt for the Learning Management System that will allow you to create and modify your learning modules, while engaging your learners in achieving their learning goals.
Choosing a good LMS is therefore essential to achieve your strategic goals, and will have a much greater impact on the increase in skills of your employees.
Towards a fusion of the two solutions?
However, LMS and TMS are not incompatible! They can living together in the same organization, responding to different functionalities. Some businesses have even opted for integrations that link these two solutions.
If you opt for both options, you can organize your learning ecosystem like this:
- your LMS software for onboarding, creating and sharing the content of your training courses and the engagement of your teams
- your TMS solution to monitor the effectiveness of your training plan, ensure compliance with the budget and manage the administrative part of your training.
In the long run, the ideal would be to create a solution that offers all these functionalities at the same time. This would avoid data duplication, the handling of both tools and the integration of connections between the solutions.
While waiting for this little gem to hit the market, we strongly advise you to discover the Beedeez LMS solution ! Complete and transparent, it meets all the needs of businesses in any sector and of any size.
