We’re in a new decade.
With this comes the inclination to assess the past, plan for the future, and analyze trends that could potentially apply to your business strategy.
Training Journal and Training Industry recently published articles that delve into the role of learning and development in 2020 – here’s a look at some of the trends they’re noticing:
Learning for all levels
There’s a growing need for training programs to accommodate employees on a wide spectrum. This doesn’t necessarily mean designing a ‘one-size fits all’ course, rather, gathering feedback from a range of departments in order to better understand company requirements and pain points.
Training Journal says that listening to and connecting with the frontline for example, will help increase employee retention. “It encourages these workers to play an active role in the company’s strategic decisions, so that organisational objectives can be in line with each employee’s individual goals.”
Keeping connected with frontline employees also helps leaders remain informed with the current climate of the organization. Are employees engaged, energized and connected? Or, are they working in silos with little involvement with others?
Virtual learning
It’s no surprise that virtual demand has spilled over into learning and development. Training that was once done in a classroom setting is adapting to online courses – ones that are much more interactive and engaging than the earlier versions of static e-learning. This option offers convenience, increased accessibility and decreased costs for corporations. Through webinar recordings, the sessions can also be easily accessed and have a lesser impact on work schedules.
Participant experience
Employee satisfaction remains key in determining the success of a training program and the return on investment for companies. That’s why keeping courses engaging, relevant and interactive, and allowing participants to provide feedback, ask questions and have the chance to apply learning on the job is important. Gamification is another key ingredient for training success and retention. Having these components in place will stimulate self-motivation in the content that learners want to master.
Soft Skills
Despite the ever-growing popularity and demand for technology, soft skills like innovation, creativity, effective communication and collaboration, will remain a priority in 2020, Training Industry says. Leadership training consists of these skills and needs to be an on-going focus for organizations to continue developing the talents of the team.
“Soft skills training is becoming core to organizational and employee success,” according to Training Industry. “[They] are not learned in a one-and-done training event. To truly develop these skills, employees require multiple training experiences over an extended period of time to learn and practice them.”
Accompanying these trends is an emphasis on companies to foster a learning culture. This means providing opportunities to apply training, frequently following up with employees on what they’ve learned, and implementing the processes and skills learned into daily routines and business practises. Companies that have a strong learning culture will continue to retain and attract top employees, drive motivation and positively impact their bottom line.
One trend that rarely changes in training success is having vested interest from management. When it comes to sustaining and implementing training programs, leadership buy-in is vital. The greatest source of learning retention is the actual application of the content to the role, which requires consistent coaching and follow up from leaders, reinforcing the learning.
To read the full article by Training Journal, click here.
To read the full article by Training Industry, click here.
