TRAINING TRENDS 2015

ARE YOU UP TO IT? DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING?

2015 TRAINING TRENDS PROVIDE BETTER BUSINESS RESULTS

As learning and development people, I am always looking to stay on top of the industry. I try to brainstorm, share articles, talk over ideas and collaborate to find the best techniques to meet the clients’ goals. But as learning providers, our job is also to help educate our clients about which new ideas are fleeting trends and which are the future of learning. Every company has limited training dollars, and we believe strategically implementing these techniques in 2015 will make the best use of budget and have a real impact on the bottom line.

This year is a year of maturing training trends that can be implemented across the board and provide a noticeable upgrade to how we engage, motivate and impact our employees. Our clients have found success using the following 5 trends and 2015 should be the year other market segments begin to implement them as well.

1. RICH MEDIA

If you’ve ever heard talk about different learning styles and how some people are visual or auditory learners, I am quick to set the record straight. “Learning types” are a myth that’s my reply. We are all visual and auditory learners. Everyone learns better when they are able to associate visuals with other media like text and sound. Good design finds ways to incorporate different media, and decreasing costs of rich media make expanded use of video, animation and interactive graphics a no brainer.

By bringing rich media into your blended learning, you’re going to have better outcomes. Video and animated graphics are easy to place within well-designed templates. We can significantly shorten seat time by using rich storytelling techniques to provide context, while using exploratory activities for content that needs to be practiced and retained. The success of rich media sites like YouTube, Khan Academy and Lynda.com has made the use of video and guided instruction an acceptable, and even expected, medium. This is increasingly shown in our clients’ work as now more than three-quarters of the training solutions we recommend include rich media, and our graphic design team has doubled in the last five years.

Embedding rich media into your design creates better design. When employees connect more with the material, you will get better fulfilment of the training goals – whether that’s more effective sales conversations, fewer on-the-job accidents or faster speed to competency.

2. PERSONALIZATION

Making training results personalized to each employee has been elusive in our industry. Exercises in adaptive learning are still in their infancy and tend to create bland information that does little to create engagement or relevance. Yet the need for scalable personalization is crucial for consumer execution, as well as for training that’s optional or needs viral distribution.

For several years we’ve seen how sites like Amazon provide a personalized experience around content. Using basic portal technology combined with learner-initiated, user-created profiles, we are able to serve up content in a highly personalized way. Giving learners a personalized experience has boosted engagement and helped learning go viral in organizations like HP and others. Adding portal personalization capability does not negate your LMS, but augments the capability of your content from within the course structure.

Integrating basic portal technology into content has many unexpected dividends. In addition to helping employees see how they’re doing, the portal also lets you track what learners are focusing on, what information they want and what they need. By giving you control over which metrics to view, you can track multiple targets and know when employees are ready to implement what they learn.

3. BITE-SIZED, NON-LINEAR EDUCATION

One of the most frequent requests we get from clients is shorter, more accessible learning. With employees busy with other duties and often on the go, giving learners bite-sized programs is vital. Still we need to be careful, since putting many 5-minute segments in sequence may be as tedious or difficult as a few 1-hour engagements. This is why deconstructing a linear e-learning curriculum has become such an important trend.

For example, we can teach five specific concepts in five minutes (5-in-5) in multiple formats that can be accessed individually or combined in multiple sequences based on your training need. Many of these techniques are used in the marketing world and are being adapted for training purposes. This trend boosts your bottom line by retaining high efficiency with short content development times while still meeting training goals.

4. INTEGRATION OF MOBILE INTO EXISTING PROGRAMS

While classroom instructor-led training (ILT) is still the most popular type of training across the industry, more and more of us access information through mobile devices. Mobile and other types of e-learning are growing quickly, especially when used as a supplement to the classroom. For the past several years we have been talking about mobile learning, but have been surprised by the resistance to adopt this medium. We believe this barrier has been broken for 2015, as an increasing number of our clients now ask for mobile, and more than 80 percent want at least tablet functionality.

Both as a best practice and a common practice, we see companies using mobile devices to augment existing training. Unlike the e-learning that sought to replace classroom-based training as a cost saver, mobile learning becomes a resource for traditional training. It can be used before and after the classroom to update and provide content (flipping the classroom), and provide an interactive device for polling, gamification or other tools in the class itself.

We believe this trend will only strengthen as mobile devices become ubiquitous in the workplace. For example, mobile can be on the manufacturing floor as a resource, provide just-in-time education and supplement expensive on-the-job training processes. Adopting mobile technology into your employee and customer education processes can save costs and provide a better blend of education to meet a broader audience.

5. GAMIFICATION

This last trend almost didn’t make it because compared to the others gamification is used more as a platform. And too often people still view it as a fad, because games and gamification can create too much sizzle and not enough substance. However, when deployed well gamification is still an important trend, providing a way to engage with content as well as provide a mechanism for repeated practice or exploration of important concepts in a competitive way.

Our clients are successfully implementing gamification as capstone or concluding activities that enable the learner to practice and clarify understanding of complex and critical processes. For consumer or non-mandatory education, the effect of gamification is amplified. We see this as a continuing trend that can bring big results, but must be adopted with caution to avoid using it incorrectly.

All of these trends share common attributes. Each contributes to the revitalization of ways to communicate and educate our internal and external populations. All of these trends have been adopted successfully in the marketing world and blend into the changing ways we seek information. Lastly, and most importantly, they each can contribute to a shorter, more engaging, accessible and effective learning experience.

Do you agree that these trends are here to stay? Let us know the ways you’ve successfully implemented these trends.

(do read our article on gamification at http://amarjeetsran.blogspot.my/2015/10/gamification.html)

2014 in a Brief

Last year we looked at seven major trends in eLearning, including gamification, social learning, MOOCs, and talent management integration.

While these trends continue to gain steam, others are now on the horizon for 2015.

They include:

VIRTUAL REALITY (VR)

With Facebook’s purchase of VR headset company Oculus Rift for $2 billion, virtual reality is on the cusp of becoming mainstream.  While Matrix-like ‘jacking in’ may still be some years off, expect to see early experiments with VR learning and training environments in 2015.  These may take the form of immersive learning games, or augmented reality scenarios using something like Google’s Glass technology, or they may be simply the use of VR technology to simulate a traditional face-to-face classroom.

MILLENNIAL-TARGETED TRAINING

Millennials (those born between 1982 and 2002) will make up 75% of the workforce by 2025, and already comprise one third of all employees.  Given that 65% of them say opportunities for personal development and training were the primary factor in choosing their current jobs, expect to see more and more companies creating training targeted to this younger generation.  This means more gamification, mobile, and social aspects in training to appeal to Millennials’ desire for visible progress, flexibility, and feeling of community.

MORE MOBILE

Despite all the hype (including a mention in our trends piece last year), only 10% of companies are heavy users of mobile learning functionality.  Expect that to change over the next 12 months as, not only are companies signalling an increased focus on mobile learning apps, mobile web performance support, and mobile performance support apps, but wider structural changes are happening as well.  

Almost 2 billion mobile phones are expected to ship in 2015 (compared to just 270 million PCs) and with such market penetration, and with people using smartphones more than PCs to access the internet, this can only mean a bigger importance for mobile.

ACTUALLY MEASURING RESULTS

With record amounts of money pouring into L&D departments and corporate training courses, increased scrutiny comes as well.  There’s over $130 billion at stake, so expect more and more firms to demand observable results and clear performance metrics.  This means more frequent skills testing, and more real-world practice during and after training.

INDIVIDUALIZATION

This goes beyond Personal Learning Environments, and into offering multiple paths for individual learners to complete a single training objective.  Driven by Millennials’ desire for flexibility, and a results-oriented culture looking to make training time as effective as possible, expect 2015 to be the year more employers move away from one-size-fits all videos and recorded presentations, and towards individualized eLearning.  

Course content will be developed for different types of learners: graphics for visual learners, voiceovers for auditory learners, or text for those who prefer reading to sitting through a lecture.

A YEAR OF CHANGE: 2015 EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING TRENDS

The growing preference for video over text-based communications will have a profound impact on training and leadership development in the coming year.

An improving economy and shifting age demographics in the workforce will make 2015 a big year of change for corporate globally. While employees are leaving old jobs for new at an ever-increasing rate, we’re also seeing a technological shift in the way employees want to communicate—with a growing preference for video over text-based communications. These changes will have a profound impact on training and leadership development in the coming year.

Here are some key trends we see in 2015, and what companies can do to build compelling training programs that deliver results in the face of these changes.

THE ECONOMY IS UP—AND SO IS JOB HOPPING. 

With some countries noticed increasingly optimistic about the job market, more individuals are leaving unsatisfactory positions to find new work. The Bureau of Labor Statistics in US reports that the national quit rate has risen significantly over the last year. As hiring also picks up, opportunities are rife in nearly every industry—and especially in tech, where a recent analysis of unemployment data by Dice.com saw the unemployment rate dip to an average of 3 percent, with 55 percent of employers actively seeking to hire tech talent.

BABY BOOMERS ARE READY TO DROP OUT. 

A recent report by XYZ University has found that even while people are holding onto their jobs later into life, the aging American and some parts of the global market in Europe & Asia workforce already is seeing significant turnover. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 10,000 Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) retire, on average, every single day.

Some industries are feeling the effects of that trend more than others—especially real estate, manufacturing, insurance, and health care, four of the largest industries in the country that also have the oldest median employee age.

With so many employees leaving their jobs due to better job prospects, retirement, onboarding, knowledge retention and management training will be critical.

MILLENNIALS ARE NOW THE MAJORITY. 

In 2015, Millennials will become the majority of the workforce. With that comes the expectation of more flexible schedules, on-demand information, and more opportunities to do what they define as “meaningful” work. It also likely means more turnover—the same XYZ University report found that turnover among entry-level Millennials is significant, with 70 percent of college grads leaving their first job after graduation within two years.

On the training front, this means continuous learning and social learning will become increasingly important.

LESS TEXT, MORE VIDEO. 

In our personal lives, video has become the communication method of choice—and the same trend is happening in corporate environments. Driving that influx of enterprise video is a confluence of technology advances and simple human nature. Video is simply more engaging and impactful than text, and people retain more information when they watch video. Video activates more parts of our minds with visual content that can more easily hold our ever-shortening attention spans. And a new generation of smartphones, Webcams, and simple video software has made creating, sharing, and accessing video is easier than ever.

WHAT DO THESE TRENDS MEAN FOR TRAINING?

The statistics say it all. With more and more organizations facing talent management challenges due to increased job hopping and changing demographics, knowledge retention and training become all the more important.

But how, specifically, can companies address this growing need?

In Malaysia during the booms before the crisis in 1997 & 2007 we saw this trend in great aspect.

According to Cisco in its update, this year 85 percent of companies expect to create more video content than they did in 2013. And along with the expected uses in marketing and social media, a rapidly growing set of organizations now are coming to rely on video for sales enablement, employee training and education, executive and management communications, and recorded online video slide presentations for social learning.

PRESERVE INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE: RECORDING AND SHARING SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE

When it comes to sharing information on technologies and processes, video makes it easier to show rather than tell. In particular, screen recording tools enable employees to demonstrate to colleagues how to perform a task or reproduce an issue, and video cameras on smartphones and mobile devices offer team members a way to document a process or issue while onsite in the field.

With social knowledge sharing, video can benefit an organization twice:

FIRST, by recording answers to frequently asked questions, subject matter experts save time that otherwise would be spent on repeated face-to-face inquiries, giving them more time get work done.

SECOND, capturing and sharing that expertise in a corporate video library also helps to ensure that vital information doesn’t eventually leave with the employee.

WELCOME TO THE COMPANY: VIDEO FOR MORE EFFECTIVE ONBOARDING

New hires have lot to learn from the moment they step through the door on their first day. In addition to learning company procedures and policies, new recruits also must get up to speed on business strategy and product details as quickly as possible.

Many organizations seek to address this challenge with face-to-face or classroom-based on boarding, but those solutions have a critical weakness. Once the session ends, it can’t be replayed, leaving new recruits to only hope they caught all the important points.

Video solves that problem, making it an ideal tool to support and scale on boarding programs. With just a standard laptop Webcam and a video platform, companies can create a library of new hire training videos with tutorials and best practices for every role across the company. Video also can be used to provide new employees and their families with on-demand information about company benefits and enrolment procedures. And unlike paper manuals, video delivers a more immersive experience for new hires and gives them the opportunity to learn about the company’s culture and familiarize themselves with the personalities of the organization’s key people.

2015 promises to be an exciting year for employee training. With the right tools, companies can make sure that their learning and development programs continue to be effective in the face of changing economic and demographic factors.

 

5 Corporate Training Trends You Can’t Afford to Ignore

 

BUSINESS-CENTRIC LEARNING

The idea of business-centric learning came onto many people’s radar last year, after the Brandon Hall Group did a survey showing that about 40% of businesses were developing their learning strategy in alignment with business needs, while the other 60% were focusing on the learners and the content.

David Grebow of the Brandon Hall Group offers these characterizations of the three types of learning:

§  Just-in-case learning is content-centric. This is the one-size-fits-all model that made up the training landscape for many years, particularly with the widespread implementation of e-learning. As Grebow notes: “We took the instructor completely out of the picture, and ended up with nothing but content.”

§  Just-in-time learning is learner-centric. Here the learners’ needs are the focus of course development, and learners can access the information when, where, and how they need it.

§  Just-for-me learning is business-centric. Grebow writes: “There is no point in focusing on just-in-case learning when the business case for the learning has not been made. No need to get that content out there just in time if the learner has no time to waste finding an answer to a question with no relationship to the business needs. What makes the most sense strategically, as well as operationally, is to provide the exact information that is just for me, when and where I need it, as long as it supports the business needs of the company.”

Business-centric learning isn’t in opposition to a learner-centric mode. Instead, it involves aligning the learners’ needs with the business needs. There are two major factors necessary for effective business-centric learning.

First, the business goals of the training must be clearly defined.

Second, the relationship between the business goals and the training must be measureable.

New technologies that enable advanced data collection and analytics can provide support for companies making the switch to business-centric learning.

VIDEO-BASED LEARNING

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) and other forms of online training have ushered in the era of video. Research has shown that more than 80% of learning takes place visually and that a combination of video and audio demonstrations are effective ways to learn tasks.

Today, all it takes is a computer to produce a training video. As a result, video-based learning is being used more and more, not just in online courses but in traditional and blended courses as well.

MULTIPLE LEARNING FORMATS

In addition to more video, we are seeing much more variety and flexibility in the use of learning formats. In the past, training was usually delivered either one way or another—either instructor-led training or e-learning, in a seminar or as a tutorial. But thanks to both the BYOD (bring your own device) movement, in which employees use their personal smartphones and tablets for business purposes, and new multimedia technologies (from screen casting software to simulations), training formats can be tailored both to the content and to the needs of the learners.

Blended courses, responsive design (i.e., content that works on any device or operating system), and mobile learning are three of the ways this trend is currently manifesting.

MORE SOCIAL MEDIA

The use of social media in training has been somewhat controversial, as organizations are understandably concerned about the privacy of their proprietary information. However, not all social media tools necessarily need to be public, and companies have much to gain by using communication and collaboration tools beyond the discussion forum.

In a recent article on the future of L&D, David Wentworth and Mollie Lombardi of the Brandon Hall Group wrote that “companies still lack the knowledge and insight around how to use [social] tools for learning and development.” In a study, they found that while almost 60% of companies were using social for learning, fewer than one-quarter thought it was effective.

The authors say that one reason is the limited scope of the tools the firms are using, which aren’t the ones that are best for learning. “Companies are using document sharing, discussion forums, and blogs, but they aren’t generally using video or micro-blogs—which our research shows are more effective—to improve their learning functions.”

COMPETENCY-BASED TRAINING

Finally, the competency-based education model is making huge waves at all levels of education, and companies are also realizing that what is really important is not that employees sit through training, but that they can do something useful at the end of it.

Competency-based training requires reorganizing training programs around demonstrable skills, which requires clearly articulating the desired learning outcomes and developing assessments that validly measure those outcomes. Organizations that adopt a competency-based approach will find themselves much better able to cope with the skills gaps currently affecting many industries.

Mirroring what is happening in higher education, the training landscape is in a bit of an upheaval, which is being fuelled by new technology-enabled learning tools and by new ideas about the best ways to educate today’s workforce.

These five trends have largely emerged over the past few years. Smart innovative companies are already embracing them, and organizations that choose to ignore these trends will soon find themselves left behind.

 

 

 

 

 

5 TRENDS FOR THE FUTURE OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Five key trends and best practices that companies should consider include the use of mobile technology, adoption of social learning tools, alignment with corporate objectives, use of adaptive learning principles, and the ability to measure effectiveness.

In today’s world, organizations that fail to adjust their learning management practices and solutions often struggle with organizational growth or productivity. As a result, leading companies are abandoning traditional methods of learning in favour of more effective solutions—often involving technology innovation—that engage talent and improve performance. This report highlights key trends affecting the future of enterprise learning and recommendations for selecting the right provider.

KEY FINDINGS

·         One-third of companies are increasing their budget for learning and development.

·         41 percent of companies describe their culture as “Controlling.”

·         Only 10 percent of companies are leveraging mobile learning solutions.

·         59 percent of companies are leveraging social learning activities.

Source: Brandon Hall Group 2014 Learning and Development Benchmarking Study (n=569)

PRIORITIZING THE INDIVIDUAL

Organizations are facing several critical pressures, including a short supply of leaders, the need to develop and engage employees, and issues with turnover.

Finding and keeping talent is no longer an HR challenge but a strategic business priority. Yet, most companies are unable to build lasting relationships with their employees in an effort to overcome these challenges. Instead of empowering employees with the tools they need to succeed, many companies feel threatened by their workforce and fearful of change. In fact, when asked to define their company culture, 41 percent of companies described it as “controlling,” or a highly structured and informal place to work with little collaboration. With the emergence of a younger generation and the rise of the independent worker, companies must rethink their approach to talent and begin to prioritize the “individual.” They must provide a new mechanism for learning—one that can adapt to the needs of a changing workforce and align closely with organizational objectives.

For many companies, an updated learning and development process is long overdue. Brandon Hall Group’s 2014 Learning and Development Benchmarking Study shows that more than 50 percent of companies have revisited their learning strategy less than two times over the last five years.

It may seem surprising (considering the state of the global economy over the last few years), but learning has remained, for the most part, stagnant. The good news is that one-third of companies are increasing their budget for learning and development over the next 12 months.

With nearly 50 percent of these companies currently spending $100 per learner per year, companies will need to become more strategic about their learning programs and technology enablers. Brandon Hall Group research indicates that the top areas of learning investment include internal L&D staff and external consultants.

Although having the right resources and expertise is critical, companies may want to consider the role technology can play in transforming their learning functions.

TRENDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Although learning is one of the most mature areas of talent management, it is also one of the most innovative. With recent technology advancements and the rapid adoption of social collaboration, learning and development has come a long way. Yet making a decision to improve a learning management program and invest in a learning management solution is often a daunting challenge. Five key trends and best practices that companies should consider include the use of mobile technology, adoption of social learning tools, alignment with corporate objectives, use of adaptive learning principles, and the ability to measure effectiveness.

·         GOING MOBILE. 

Mobile has transformed the way companies work, interact, and collaborate. With global penetration rates skyrocketing, organizations that are not considering mobile in all areas of HCM will have a difficult time competing for talent. Despite this reality, companies are still slow to embrace mobile learning solutions. Only 10 percent of companies are using mobile Web-based learning solutions.

Some 8 percent are using mobile learning apps, 5 percent mobile performance Web-based sites, and 4 percent are using mobile performance apps Most companies recognize that mobile learning solutions can improve adoption, expand global reach, and engage users better, but do not understand how to execute a mobile strategy.

Additionally, some organizations find it challenging to determine what options are available and which providers to consider. Regardless of the barriers they are facing, organizations looking to improve their learning functions will need to make mobile part of the equation and determine what requirements they have in order to select a technology partner.

·         UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL. 

Companies are quickly embracing social media tools, as well as investing in social collaboration tools to better engage employees and foster a learning culture. Although social has become mainstream, companies still lack the knowledge and insight around how to use these tools for learning and development.

Of the 59 percent of companies using social for their learning strategies, only 24 percent say they are effective. One reason is that companies are limited in the social tools they are using. Companies are using document sharing, discussion forms, and blogs, but they aren’t generally using video or micro-blogs—which our research shows are more effective—to improve their learning functions. Companies must educate themselves on the value of social learning and invest in providers that offer solutions that drive business outcomes.

·         CONSIDERING ADAPTIVE LEARNING. 

Adaptive learning is a methodology that breaks traditional models and allows employees to learn at their own pace. It has gained popularity with educational institutions, referred to as “adaptive teaching,” where a teacher will gather information on individual students to learn what they need to do to improve their learning. In the workforce, adaptive learning is conducted similarly.

Employees can be monitored individually and in real time to determine what learning approach will best suit their needs. It has advantages for younger generations entering the workforce that have expectations around flexibility and interaction.

Adaptive learning can be effective at improving efficiency, as well as employee engagement and retention since it allows employees to build confidence and overall expertise. Companies may want to consider breaking traditional learning methods by introducing aspects of adaptive learning.

·         ALIGNING WITH BUSINESS OBJECTIVES. 

The learning of the past operated in silos where learning professionals had little interaction or input from other areas of the business. The learning of the future must be closely aligned to overall corporate strategies in order for companies to achieve results.

Any program or technology investment should involve input from business leaders to ensure that learning is driving retention, engagement, and performance. For those companies that did align learning and business priorities (48 percent), more than 70 percent were able to improve company revenue.

·         MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS. 

To determine if the learning strategy in place is driving business outcomes, companies must find a way to consistently measure its effectiveness. Companies should determine metrics in advance and include both business metrics and learning/HR metrics. Currently, most companies are considering team encouragement, employee engagement, and employee satisfaction over more concrete business metrics such as retention, turnover, and revenue per full-time employee.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Most companies must adapt their learning strategies to meet the demands of today’s workforce. Traditional models of learning do little to bridge the gap between employer and employee or to improve engagement and performance. By aligning learning strategies with corporate objectives and leveraging innovative technology, organizations will be able to significantly improve their learning functions. Key takeaways:

·         SELECT THE RIGHT PROVIDER. 

In the past, organizations had limited technology choices for learning and development, but today there are new solutions emerging every month. Organizations should consider providers with innovative capabilities such as mobile and social and also understand the importance of measuring the effectiveness of learning activities.

·         COLLABORATE WITH THE BUSINESS. 

Learning professionals must work closely with business leaders to design the learning program and also to gather input on the right technology providers. With executive support, organizations can help shift their approach to learning and create new vehicles for enabling individual success.

·         PUT THE INDIVIDUAL FIRST. 

Companies must shift the way they view employees and consider focusing on the individual and his or her unique learning needs. For some companies, this strategy may include aspects of adaptive learning; for other companies, it could mean a different communication strategy.