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The supersonic speed of the internet and technology has transformed trends and methods of training and learning. As the dynamics of the workplace have changed in recent years, as our offices have moved part or all of their space into our homes, competition for candidates has intensified, and as the importance of retention has continued to grow, corporate training has moved up the priority list.
By 2024, employers who fail to exploit the new, digital, limitless opportunities for learning and development will likely face serious disadvantages. But why not?
Retaining and up-skilling a workforce with knowledge, or more precisely valuable knowledge, developing the skills of the individual, and opening the doors of corporate education/training wider is likely to be one of the HR trends of 2024 - let's see what the main directions will be.
There is no doubt that face-to-face and offline training will not disappear completely in the near future. For some training courses, we still consider that there is no substitute for face-to-face presence, but the digitalization of corporate training has now moved beyond rationalization and into the zone of proactivity. The fact that neither the location nor the date is conditional on the completion of a training course or the acquisition of a particular skill not only makes it more accessible but also encourages employees to learn. With a dedicated internal communication platform, there are therefore limitless possibilities for employers to ensure the continuous training of their employees.
What to look out for when choosing a digital solution for training and development?
Perhaps still a little foreign-sounding, perpetual learning focuses on the experience, on the harmony between content and form, which is as attractive as possible. In this area, technology is brimming with better and better solutions, and it is worth exploiting them. New skills and knowledge are better retained and even better used if they are in themselves experiential, fun, and therefore easier to acquire. It is not by chance that virtual or augmented reality (VR, AR) is popular in areas such as art exhibitions, video games, sports broadcasting, etc. It is also having a major impact on corporate training. Learning the new skills needed, and practicing in a non-live situation (virtual environment) and in a fun and interactive way also gives employees more confidence.
The use of artificial intelligence in learning and development is certain to be among the top solutions in 2024. Personalization of the pace and content of training, feedback, repetition, highlighting areas for individual development, assessments, etc., all of which can be easily achieved with AI tools, will help a lot in self-learning.
Microlearning is not a new topic, as we have known for a long time that when there is too much new information to learn at once, failure is unfortunately more likely. We get overwhelmed, tired, lost in the newness, and it's harder to see the connections when the details are out of place. In addition, attention and motivation start to plummet. That's why it's a good idea to break things down into smaller units and steps. In corporate training, too, it is better to have a more digestible amount of knowledge that can be assimilated in a shorter time. If an employee gets stuck somewhere, it is possible to repeat a given topic, chapter or test as long as necessary to move on to the next small chunk of knowledge with confidence.
It is not only recruitment challenges that are driving companies to focus more on internal training and development. Professional training and development of existing staff is a particularly good investment. Employees also appreciate it when their employer cares about their professional development and is usually eager to learn new skills. It also makes it easier for them to keep up with technological innovations.
Since the covid, changing working hours has required most companies to ensure that workers have remote access to all the materials they need. Digitalization has naturally had to extend to internal training and training materials. But remote working has also brought with it the need for colleagues coordinating teams to learn new leadership skills in this new kind of system. The demand for this type of training is likely to continue to grow. In addition, companies are also paying a great deal of attention to training their new managers in-house, with a view to effective leadership and sustainable organization.
The role of experience in learning has already been mentioned - so the opportunity for games and competition is almost unmissable if you want to offer employees a really fun way to learn. The accumulation of points, the gradualness, and the possibility of attractive prizes, all stimulate the motivation of the individual. Moreover, it also plays an important role in the life of the community, as competition, joint or individual performance and its recognition and reward, and league tables at team level are also very motivating. Knowledge is better retained and learning is more fun.
Continuous development is an important requirement at both individual and company levels. It is crucial for responding effectively and quickly to market changes, innovation, competitiveness, retention, and even employee well-being. With ever-increasing technological innovation, the field of learning & development will take on a whole new and powerful dynamic in 2024, and companies need to keep pace.
If you are interested in how our system can support your company's learning and development processes, please contact us!
