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In today's rapidly changing world, the importance of learning and development in the workplace is more critical than ever. With technology advancing at an unprecedented rate, organizations must stay ahead of the curve to remain competitive. The COVID-19 pandemic clearly highlighted this need for upskilling and reskilling employees to meet new demands and challenges facing businesses.
According to a survey conducted by Simplilearn, since the pandemic, about 86% of organizations across the globe started offering online training to their employees. This shift
towards virtual learning has created a unique set of opportunities as well as challenges for employers who are looking for ways to develop their workforce to remain successful in the dynamic market.
In this article, we will explore some popular trends in training and development that can help businesses plan effective and learner-oriented employee training programmes.
Latest Trends in Learning and Development
Rise of Microlearning
The average human's attention span has been steadily decreasing over the years. According to studies, the average attention span is now 8 seconds, less than that of a goldfish. This means that traditional forms of learning such as long lectures can be ineffective in the current times. To overcome this challenge and keep learners engaged, organizations are increasingly relying on microlearning.
What is Microlearning?
Microlearning is a teaching technique that focuses on providing information in short bursts, with each lesson lasting from 30-seconds to a few minutes. This makes microlearning particularly attractive for busy professionals who may not have the time for longer forms of learning or training programs but still need to stay up-to-date on their industry knowledge on a regular basis.
In 2022, the global microlearning market was valued at about$2 billion and is projected to reach $6 billion by 2032. Multinational companies like Google, Cisco, and IBM, have successfully implemented the concept of microlearning for their L&D activities.
Due to the benefits offered by microlearning, more organizations are keen on adapting it. A survey has revealed that 94% of employees prefer microlearning on the job.
Research has shown that the retention rate of information learned via microlearning is 70-90% more than traditional learning. Microlearning allows employees to gain the knowledge and skills they need to do their jobs effectively, which can substantially improve their job performance. A study by the eLearning Industry observed that microlearning enhances the performance of employees by 25%.
Focus on Upskilling and Reskilling
With the ever-evolving use of new technologies and frameworks at work, such as blockchain, data analytics, and data visualization, organizations have to ensure that their workforce has the required skills to stay ahead of the curve. Upskilling and reskilling are two strategies commonly used by organizations to solve this problem.
Upskilling refers to equipping employees with new skills or developing the existing ones further, which can improve their performance.
On the other hand, reskilling involves teaching an employee completely different skill sets so that they can adjust to a new job role within the company. An example of this could be an employee transitioning from a customer service representative role to a digital marketing specialist’s profile. Reskilling helps companies save time and money as they don't need to find new hires outside the organization to fill the job, and also increases talent retention.
According to Linkedin’s 2023 Workplace Learning Report, 89% of L&D professionals believe that proactively building employee skills will help organizations easily adapt to the evolving nature of work. The report further states that since 2015, skill sets required to perform a job have changed by 25% and this number is expected to double by 2027. Only 8% of L&D professionals expect their budget to decrease in 2023.
Experts at the World Economic Forum predict that by 2025, about 50% of all jobs will require upskilling or reskilling to meet market needs with the rapid development of new technologies.
Inclination Towards Data-Driven Learning
Learning and development industry trends show also that organizations are focusing more on data-driven learning. It is a type of educational approach where data analytics is used to identify gaps in employee knowledge and skills. The objective is to provide personalized training materials to employees so that they can gain maximum benefit from it.
By collecting data on learner engagement and performance, organizations can make informed decisions about employee training programs . Data-driven learning also provides a better understanding of the effectiveness of learning programs and their return on investment for the organization. It allows organizations to allocate resources more effectively so that learners can gain maximum benefit from their training sessions.
About 27% of L&D professionals rely on surveys to gather data on their training program's effectiveness.
The number one priority of L&D professionals in 2023, is to prioritize improving their data literacy to create informed decisions and improve the outcome of their training programs.
In a survey, 82% of L&D professionals responded that data analytics and reporting features are the most critical aspect of a Learning Management System.
To leverage a data-driven approach, Talview's Exam Solutions for Certification Providers offer organizations a comprehensive suite of features, including advanced reporting and analytics capabilities, that make it easier to evaluate employees and gain insights into learning outcomes.
Discovering On-Demand Learning
Recent trends in training and development suggest that with the mass adoption of remote or hybrid work modes in the current times, companies across the globe are turning to on-demand or self-paced learning for the training and development of their employees.
On-demand learning is a type of learning where employees can access course materials and resources at any time and in any place. It allows employees to learn at their own convenience without the need to wait for a scheduled training session.
This type of learning has been gaining traction in recent years, and studies have shown that 58% of employees prefer to learn or train at their own speed, with the method also reporting a 25% increase in retention rate
Investigating, Repurposing, and Outsourcing Content
Due to the increasing demand for dynamic learning materials, organizations are choosing to repurpose content from their legacy courses or outsource the process altogether. This can help them save time and money while providing employees with useful educational resources.
Repurposing content is when existing digital content is converted into more interactive formats such as podcasts, microlearning modules, quizzes, etc. This type of approach enables organizations to easily update their training materials without having to start from scratch each time. Repurposing enables organizations to keep their training materials fresh and up-to-date with modern frameworks while being cost-effective.
Outsourcing content refers to the process of hiring an external organization, such as a consultant or agency, to create new learning materials for your organization. This can be done on a project-by-project basis or through an ongoing contract depending on the strategic training and development needs of your organization.
Emerging trends in training and development found that many organizations prefer to take a hybrid approach, where only 25% of training is outsourced. As per Statista, about 62% of US-based organizations either partially or fully outsourced their training in 2022.
Increase in Online Certifications
Online certifications are becoming increasingly popular in the learning and development industry. Organizations recognize that certifications can help employees develop their skills, learn new technologies, and boost their job prospects. As a result, companies across the globe are investing heavily in online certification programs for their employees.
The combination of cost-effectiveness, and convenient scalability makes online certifications an attractive option for companies looking to invest in employee development and training.
According to a survey conducted by Future Learn, 75% of organizations rely on online certification to train their employees. About 60% of employers felt that online certification is beneficial for white-collar workers and 89% of employers believe that online learning and certification will be common in the near future.
There are several platforms available for online certification. However, most of the platforms lack the tools to ensure well-monitored exam conditions and maintain the credibility of their certification programs.
Talview’s Exam Solutions for Certification Providers have an end-to-end solution to address these issues. It provides an automated system for creating, managing, and delivering online assessments. Our AI-driven solutions aim to authenticate and monitor the test environment effectively.
Additionally, the platform can be used to measure an employee’s technical as well as cognitive abilities. The results generated from these assessments can be invaluable in determining the training requirements of your workforce.
New-age of Training: Extended Reality
In recent years, innovation in the field of Extended Reality (XR) has opened up a world of possibilities for learning and development activities. XR is a broad term used for all immersive learning technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) that provides users with interactive experiences by combining digital elements with the physical environment.
The use of XR technologies can help organizations reduce costs associated with training while still providing employees with engaging learning experiences. For instance, it can be used to provide product demos without needing physical products or replicas.
It can be used to create realistic simulations for employees to practice their skills in a risk-free virtual setting. It also allows learners to interact with each other and engage in group activities, making the learning process more collaborative and enjoyable.
Recent trends in learning and development show that XR-based training can lead to an increase in knowledge retention of employees by 75%, and boost engagement by 4 times as compared to other e-learning methods.
Additionally, these learning methods also have the potential to create an emotional impact on the learner. A study revealed that learners using VR felt 3.75 times more emotionally connected to the content.
By 2030, up to 23 million roles worldwide will be using Extended Reality for training, meetings, and other use cases.
How Can Talview Help?
Talview’s Exam Solutions for Certification Providers is a learning and development software designed specifically to help organizations deliver high-quality certification programs. The platform enables certification providers to create and manage certification exams virtually, enable remote proctoring, automate assessment processes, and analyze results in real-time.
Here are some of the features and benefits of our solution:
- Streamlines the entire online testing process, from scheduling to monitoring
- Allows test takers to take online exams from any device and operating system
- Offers AI-powered remote proctoring solution to ensure the integrity, security, and compliance of the test
- Automates the authentication of the certification process
- Provides comprehensive reports on candidate performance in the test
- The platform is highly customizable and can be tailored according to the requirements of each organization
Conclusion
L&D training trends have changed drastically over the past few years. Organizations are now looking for solutions that provide an engaging learning experience for their employees. Companies are planning to invest more resources into developing their workforce.
Extended Reality (XR) technologies are an innovative way to deliver engaging learning experiences to employees which can generate expectational learning outcomes. The application of these technologies in organizational training is only going to increase in the coming years.
Visit Talview to request the demo.
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