9 March 2026
Thomas Peter Rønholt, Client Director
Rambøll, Grundfos, Alfa Laval and JBT Marel are just some of the global organisations that have really embraced virtual project management training. Precisely because it offers an ideal opportunity to reach as many of their employees as possible.
What I see as the primary appeal of virtual training for larger, global organisations is that it gives employees – regardless of their physical location – the opportunity to acquire the same knowledge, the same language and a network across locations. And the opportunity to do this without the high travel costs and lost working days associated with more traditional classroom-based teaching.
For Rambøll, Grundfos, Alfa Laval and JBT Marel, all of which have been delivering virtual training for several years, the recommendations are: shorter virtual sessions, typically 2–3 hours per day, spread over a longer period of 2–4 months – depending on the number of sessions and the organisation’s needs.
This means that participants need to stay focused for shorter periods at a time, but also that they have the opportunity (and are encouraged) to apply the topics directly to their projects between sessions.
By applying tools and models to their own projects and project teams, and reflecting on the results, participants acquire new knowledge in a completely new way, leading to better outcomes once the training is complete.
First and foremost, it’s about capturing their interest in what they see on screen. Among other things, we have set up a special studio/room equipped with lighting, a camera and a touchscreen, where the facilitator can highlight text, add notes and more directly on the slides.
Participants can also choose whether they prefer to see only the slides or the slides with the trainer on their own screen.
Furthermore, polls, breakout rooms and direct questions to participants are standard features of virtual sessions to maintain engagement.
Furthermore, we hear from many participants that it is valuable to see and experience different ways of facilitating virtually. This is something many of them can use more or less directly in their own project teams, when they are also spread across different locations and/or often work from home.
No, as always, it is a matter of striking a balance between objectives, wishes, needs and possibilities.
For the organisations mentioned above, this is a conscious choice, whereby the social interaction between participants at the coffee machine and/or during the lunch break (which is not possible virtually) is addressed through other measures and initiatives.
At Mannaz, we find that virtual project management courses are often seen as an important complement to other further training programmes for global employees.
This could be as a gateway to a more advanced level, whether virtual, blended or traditional face-to-face development programmes. A virtual programme can also be seen as an alternative, so if you have 8–12 participants at the same location, you can opt for in-house face-to-face training instead.
Please do get in touch if you’d like more information or have any questions.
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