Skip the Travel, Keep the Learning: Why Online Training Works

It’s the middle of the workweek, and you’re buried in emails. As you skim through, you spot an invitation to a one-week conference designed to help you grow as a housing professional.

On paper, it sounds like a fantastic opportunity—a chance to step away from daily tasks and focus on honing your skills.

Then reality sets in:

• Travel expenses: The costs for flights, hotel, and meals will add up—fast.
• Workload concern: Who will cover your responsibilities while you’re away?
• Scheduling conflicts: Can you afford to be out of the office? Will your colleagues be available?

Your enthusiasm fades and you delete the email. Another missed opportunity—not because you don’t want to grow, but because the logistics make it too complicated.

What if there was an easier way to advance your skills?

There is. HAI Group Online Training allows you to gain new knowledge and certifications on your schedule from anywhere—without the stress of travel or time away from work. Research shows that self-paced learning often surpasses traditional in-person training when it comes to effectiveness and retention, making it a wise investment in your professional development.

What is HAI Group Online Training?

Since 1995, HAI Group Online Training has helped more than 30,000 housing professionals earn certifications, advance their careers, and build skilled, high-performing teams in more than 5,000 organizations.

With more than 100 courses and certifications available, learners can access the latest on:

• Compliance
• Customer service
• New employee onboarding
• Management and leadership
• Cybersecurity
• Finance
• Human resources
• Risk management, and much more

Learn more about available courses in the 2025-2026 course catalog to find the best learning opportunities for you and your team.

Need some direction? Curious about what’s most popular? Check out the top courses from last year that housing professionals took.

Live versus online training: which is more effective?

Traditional in-person training has long been the norm, but it’s not always practical given today’s increased workloads, tight budgets, and time constraints.

Online training offers clear advantages:

• 85% of learners who have experienced both online and in-person learning say online training is equal to or better than in-person training.
• In the same report, 94% of online learners preferred the flexibility of self-paced study.
• Compared to those who took in-person training, employees trained online show a 15-25% improvement in performance.
• 63% of students choose online learning because of its convenience.

The right path with HAI Group Online Training

Here’s how HAI Group Online Training can help you and your team succeed:

• More flexibility: Train when it is convenient for you—no need to rearrange schedules.
• Significant cost savings: Say goodbye to costly flights, hotels, and venue fees. Online training provides the same instruction taught by industry leaders at a fraction of the cost.
• Improved knowledge retention: Learn at your own pace, revisit course materials as needed, and reinforce key concepts without the pressure to keep up with a live instructor.

Self-paced learning helps reinforce key concepts for long-term knowledge, increasing employee retention to as much as 60%.

• Consistent team training: Ensure every team member receives the same high-quality instruction, whether they take a course today or next year.
• Immediate access: No waiting for scheduled sessions. Jump right into training when the need arises and revisit course materials anytime.

Subscriber benefits

Another perk to HAI Group Online Training is its subscription service. As a subscriber, you gain access to:

• Exclusive discounts on certifications and courses
• Unlimited access to self-paced courses for you and your team
• Management tools to track learning progress, assign courses to team members, create a professional development plan, make bulk purchases, and more
• Housing-focused training, including risk management courses, at no extra costs

Bottom line

Online training provides a cost-effective, flexible, and highly effective alternative to in-person training. With HAI Group Online Training, you can learn at your own pace, improve knowledge retention, and train your entire team consistently without the burden of travel costs or scheduling conflicts.

Reach out to Online Training’s customer success specialists today and invest in your professional growth—on your terms.

This article is for general information only. HAI Group® makes no representation or warranty about the accuracy or applicability of this information for any particular use or circumstance. Your use of this information is at your own discretion and risk. HAI Group® and any author or contributor identified herein assume no responsibility for your use of this information. You should consult with your attorney or subject matter advisor before adopting any risk management strategy or policy. 

HAI Group® is a marketing name used to refer to insurers, a producer, and related service providers affiliated through a common mission, management, and governance. Property-casualty insurance and related services are written or provided by Housing Authority Property Insurance, A Mutual Company; Housing Enterprise Insurance Company, Inc.; Housing Specialty Insurance Company, Inc.; Housing Investment Group, Inc.; and Housing Insurance Services (DBA Housing Insurance Agency Services in NY and MI).