Training research highlights the changing needs of our customers and individual learners with the introduction of new technologies and working practices.
As we’ve developed our new suite of eLearning courses, we’ve used feedback from our customers and industry research to design training that meets the needs of today’s learners – here’s a summary of what we found.
Curious about new training methods
While customers were happy with LRQA's face-to-face training, they were curious about different formats and keen to explore opportunities to reduce time away from the office and the associated travel and accommodation costs. 42% of customers surveyed stated that they would be interested in trying other channels of delivery than face-to-face.
Industry research tells us that digital technology is changing the shape of industry and influencing how we learn. Learning has become more flexible; an organisation can request training at their place, their pace and using the mode of learning that meets their business and workforce needs.
- 58% of employees prefer to learn at their own pace[i].
- While 41% of people learn at their desks, around a third of people learn while they travel to and from work[ii].
- Mobile learning has seen a 5% increase year on year[iii].
On the move
Customers told us that they thought eLearning would be ideal for delivering standardised training to many workers over a large geographical area. 37% of the global workforce is mobile and 30% work somewhere other than their work location[iv].Face-to-face training remains the preferred option for practical learning, with blended learning – which combines multiple training formats – seen as an opportunity to save on time away from the workplace while meeting learning needs in an optimal way.
Looking further forward
Millennials, who have grown up with digital technology, will make up 75% of workforce by 2025[v]. According to trainingindustry.com, 87% of Millennials stated that professional development and career growth are very important[vi]. However, the biggest barrier to learning is often time. Learners want short, bite-sized learning that is fun to go through in their busy lifestyles[vii].
When asked about future expectations of training, we found that there is demand for different delivery methods based on business need and changes in how delegates learn and spend their time. Research from LinkedIn found that 7 out of 10 organisations are incorporating video-based online training into their learning cultures[viii]. Technology needs to be seamless and create a positive learning experience – we have taken this feedback on board to develop a process that we believe makes booking and experiencing the training simple and enjoyable. We’ve worked hard to make sure we avoid common pitfalls like painfully long forms or difficulty in finding the relevant information.
Progressing or regressing?
Lifelong learning is vital to keep up with technological advances and the changing way we work. The half-life of many professional skills is estimated to be five years[ix] - which means that half of what you learned five years ago is now likely to be irrelevant. Organisations and individual learners need to find effective ways to maintain and develop the changing skills and knowledge they need to succeed. This mission has been at the heart of the new courses that we’ve been developing at LRQA and we will continue to focus on combining the best technical insight and emerging technologies to support our customers throughout their careers.
[i] https://learning.linkedin.com/resources/workplace-learning-report-2018#
[ii] https://www.elucidat.com/blog/modern-learner-profile-infographic/
[iii] https://learning.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/business/en-us/amp/learning-solutions/images/workplace-learning-report-2019/pdf/workplace-learning-report-2019.pdf
[iv] https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/HumanCapital/gx-cons-hc-learning-solutions-placemat.pdf
[v] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/02/3-ways-millennials-are-changing-the-world-of-work
[vi] https://trainingindustry.com/articles/learning-technologies/top-learning-trends-for-2019/
[vii] https://www.eidesign.net/tips-strategies-to-engage-millennial-workforce/
[viii] https://learning.linkedin.com/blog/learning-thought-leadership/introducing-the-2017-workplace-learning-report--top-trends---cha
[ix] http://www.admarco.net/inbound-marketing-messaging-sales-performance-blog/bid/113040/The-Half-Life-of-a-Learned-Skill-is-5-years-Toward-a-New-Culture-of-Learning
