According to one recent study, approximately 74% of workers say they want to acquire new skills through workplace training.
If you needed a single statistic to help underline the importance of corporate learning, let it be that one.
People want to show up to work every day and do their best.
It's just that the definition of "best" often changes frequently, especially in fast-paced industries like healthcare or personal finance.
At the same time, employers need a flexible, adaptable workforce to remain competitive - neither side will get what they want if corporate learning doesn't become a top priority.
Thankfully, the future of learning is being shaped by a number of modern trends and innovations that are making it easier than ever to accomplish all this and more.
By coming to a better understanding of the learning innovations that are making waves today, you put your entire business in a better position to make the right kind of impact tomorrow.
By far, one of the biggest drivers of change in workforce development today has to do with talent shortages.
It doesn't matter what type of business you're talking about or even the industry that it's operating in - almost everyone is feeling the crunch right now.
According to one recent study, 75% of employers around the world report that it is currently difficult to find the talent they need.
This is one unfortunate trend that you can expect to continue.
Thanks to how quickly everything moves these days, entire industries are being upended - leading to a shortage of the highly skilled workers needed to fill available positions.
Because of that, many organizations are choosing to develop their talent internally, through continuous upskilling and deskilling programs.
Another major driver of change in workforce development has to do with the changing expectations of modern workers.
Every generation has their own unique preferences, and the current crop of young workers is no exception.
Employees now expect more personalized, accessible, and engaging learning opportunities, influenced by their experiences with online platforms like Coursera or LinkedIn Learning.
This leads to another driver of change in modern workplace development: the rise of remote and "hybrid" work environments.
This shift towards remote and hybrid work structures has created new challenges in delivering training, requiring businesses to rethink how they provide learning opportunities in a virtual environment.
But to better understand where we are, you need to first understand where we came from - meaning the shift from training to continuous learning and performance support.
In the past, corporate training involved more formal, instructor-led training sessions that always had specific learning objectives.
If you wanted to take a sales team and teach them how to perform better on sales calls, you would make them attend a training session dedicated exclusively to that purpose.
While still relevant, these models are increasingly seen as insufficient to meet the demands of a rapidly changing work environment.
This has led to a shift towards continuous learning, which is simply the idea that there are always opportunities for improvement if you're actively looking for them.
Again, regardless of industry, there has been a growing recognition that learning should be an ongoing process that supports employees throughout their careers.
This has led to the rise of micro-learning, just-in-time resources, and performance support tools.
It's gotten to the point where many organizations are integrating learning directly into a worker's daily tasks.
They're available at the same time as any other resource someone might need throughout the day.
This allows employees to access learning materials at the point of need, reducing downtime and fostering immediate application of knowledge.
You don't have to set aside special training sessions to help people advance - they have the power to do it on their own whenever the need arises.
There are a number of technological advancements in learning methodologies that have made all this possible.
As a way to keep people invested in both the system itself and their own success, many organizations are using techniques like gamification.
This incorporates badges, leaderboards, and other game-based elements to increase engagement and motivation.
Cloud-based learning solutions are also popular these days, as they allow for easy access to learning platforms and materials from anywhere, anytime, enabling a more flexible and decentralized approach to workforce development.
This continued evolution would not have been possible were it not for a number of emerging technologies, many of which are reshaping corporate learning with the same impact they're having in the rest of our lives.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere these days, and the presence of AI and machine learning in personalized learning is no exception.
AI technologies can assess individual learning behaviors and preferences to deliver personalized content, for example, which is great for helping employees focus on areas where they need improvement.
AI tools can also provide real-time feedback on learner performance, offering tailored advice and actionable insights to improve learning outcomes.
These types of systems can even create customized learning journeys, adjusting the curriculum based on performance data, making sure that employees receive the right content at the right time.
This all creates a more specific learning experience that people are deeply engaged with in a way that wasn't previously available.
Note that it also does so in a fast, efficient, and cost-effective way, too.
Virtual and augmented reality are also being used in many ways to create more immersive learning experiences.
VR and AR can create lifelike environments where employees can practice skills without real-world consequences.
Industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and even something as seemingly straightforward as customer service can benefit from these technologies for training purposes.
Finally, we arrive at the blockchain - a technology being used for secure, verifiable credentials and skill validation in a way that benefits everyone.
Keep in mind that the blockchain is a permanent ledger - once information has been added to it, it cannot be changed.
Blockchain technology enables secure and immutable records of certifications, degrees, and skills, preventing fraud and ensuring that learning achievements are trustworthy and easily accessible.
Learners can also build digital portfolios using blockchain technology to demonstrate verified competencies to current or prospective employers.
All this has created a perfect storm, allowing both workers and their employers to move beyond traditional roles into more skills-based organizational structures.
It's not what you can do in a general sense that matters - it's what you can contribute specifically on a day-to-day basis that counts.
This has led to an increasing emphasis on skills over job titles in a way that few could have predicted. You're even seeing this a lot in the hiring process.
Organizations are shifting from traditional job descriptions to a more fluid, skills-based approach, where roles are defined by the competencies needed rather than rigid titles or hierarchical structures.
All this underlines the importance of developing not only the hard skills that a lot of people are familiar with, but soft skills as well.
Hard skills are those that involve some type of specialized knowledge or technical capability that few others might possess.
This can include but is certainly not limited to coding, data analysis, or even financial management.
Soft skills, on the other hand, would be things like communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.
Companies are investing in programs that develop both types of skills, recognizing that employees need to balance technical proficiency with strong interpersonal and leadership abilities.
If you're looking for ways to effectively implement your own skills-based learning programs, one way to start is through a careful skills assessment.
You need to assess all current skill levels across your entire workforce to see what you do well, what you're missing, and what gaps can be filled.
That insight can then be used to create more personalized learning programs.
Cross-training is another example of a way in which you can implement skills-based learning programs across your own organization.
Whenever possible, you should encourage employees to develop new skills that let them go above and beyond their current roles.
This is a great way to inspire career development, and it enhances your organization's overall ability to remain flexible and agile, too.
Finally, collaborative learning is one of the best strategies to implement a skills-based learning program as quickly as possible.
Everything from peer learning to mentorship programs and team-based projects promotes the exchange of skills and knowledge, supporting a more holistic approach to learning.
Adaptive learning systems are another modern phenomenon that helps organizations customize the learning experience in the most precise way possible.
These adaptive learning systems use algorithms to analyze learner interactions and create dynamic learning paths that adjust based on progress and individual preferences.
Not only does this allow for real-time adjustment, but it also helps embrace learning analytics as well.
That last part is particularly important, as any insight can be acted on if you know what you're looking for.
By tracking how employees engage with content, adaptive systems can identify trends in learning behavior and offer insights into how the platform can be improved.
You can even use predictive analytics to help anticipate skills gaps and learning needs moving forward.
Based on your current status and other factors like changing market conditions, you can see what skills you might need that you don't currently have - allowing you to take steps to fill them proactively.
Data can also be used to spot learners who are most likely to succeed and promote tailored learning experiences that increase retention and job readiness.
Especially in fields that are growing increasingly competitive all the time, this is an exceptional position for organizational leadership to be in.
At LX Studio, our vision for the future of corporate learning is one that allows you to break free from the "one size fits all" box of traditional education to embrace an iterative process that always makes sure you're ready for the right challenge at the right time.
Our team of learning design experts can help create industry-leading micro-credentials and badges, for example, which offer a new way for people to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Not only does this help create a more complete picture of themselves as professionals, but it helps shed a light on the true strengths of your organization as well.
We're also revolutionizing learning experience design through Learning Environment Modeling - the only results-focused, university-backed, proprietary, learning strategy methodology that helps deliver evidence-based, transformational learning experiences - no matter what.
Both are opportunities to not just better prepare yourself for the future of corporate learning, but to take these trends and innovations and use them to build the workforce of tomorrow that your business will come to depend on.
If you have any additional questions about the future of learning that you'd like to discuss in a bit more detail, or if you just want to get additional insight into corporate training trends and workforce development, please don't hesitate to contact LX Studio today.