As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to force the digital transformation of corporate training and development programs, it is important to recognize that the winds of change are only set to accelerate not subside. As training and learning delivery methods have pivoted to be mostly online, another disrupter threatens to upend education: Artificial Intelligence (AI). Combined together these two factors, COVID-19 and AI, will revolutionize the foundations of corporate training.
Automation will affect millions of employees whose jobs will either rapidly change or disappear. Similar to how people can’t be trained to outrun cars, learners cannot be taught how to think faster than an AI algorithm. When the potential of AI is fully realized, millions will need to learn a new skill set or vastly enhance their existing skills.
This disruption will require a significant change in logic from those who deliver and administer corporate training and development programs. A simple shift to providing virtual training programs will no longer be enough in this context.
Instead, the foundation of organizations’ corporate training & development programs will need to be reassessed, re-evaluated, and rebuilt. Below is an examination and discussion of the top three factors companies must consider if they are to foster truly effective corporate learning and development programs post COVID-19 and amidst the looming impact of AI.
You Will Need to Re-Train Your Workforce to Future Proof Your Organization
It is not a matter of ‘if’ your organization will need to re-train your human capital; it is actually a question of ‘when. As AI capabilities evolve and begin to displace manpower it will be imperative for organizations to decide whether to discard or re-train employees with obsolete skills. Turnover is a significant cost for employers, while re-training will allow for organizations to retain top talent and still update their skillsets. As your organization defines the employment openings which will help it move forward in the future, it will be key to map out which existing staff members can be re-trained to fit those job descriptions.
The question then arises of what such training and development programs will look like – and how to deliver these programs to large sections of, if not entire, workforces. To put it simply two- way video conferencing tools will no longer be enough. Remote training delivery must transform itself into effective virtual training programs that use 3D, immersive technology, custom curriculums, interactive activities, engagement monitoring, accurate testing and skills assessment, and more. To ensure learners ‘unmute’ and engage with learning content will be key to ensuring the creation of a skilled workforce that will excel in the new roles they are required to fill in the coming years.
Encourage Adaptability and Erase Fear of Failure
As learners take on the challenge of re-training for new job requirements it will be key to foster a learning environment where failure is not only acceptable but a signifier of progress. The importance of the ability of professional learners to face challenges, fail, and get back on the horse should not be underestimated.
As previously mentioned quality training and development programs will need to evolve past relying on video-conferencing calls and outdated curriculum design. Specifically, this will be important when aiming to create learning environments where temporary failure is not seen as a permanent letdown. Indeed as a decentralized and increasingly global and location-agnostic workforce emerges post-pandemic, curated, custom, and innovative remote learning programs will need to be administered.
The question of how learners from all age range and diverse backgrounds can be encouraged to ‘fail’, to not understand course content – yet still persevere should be posed many times in order to create a learning curriculum and delivery that leaves no one behind.
Your Organization Will Lead Innovation to See Results
It is easy to state that remote training and development programs must be ‘innovative’. But what constitutes ‘innovative’? The answer to that lies in evaluating your organization’s unique learning needs. Curriculum design must be based on the key learning objectives defined by your organization. The delivery of the curriculum should be based on teaching techniques that are geared towards the learning capabilities of remote learners.
How will students be engaged whilst distance learning? How can lessons be taught effectively when Google is readily available? Answering such questions will be key to creating training and development programs that prove return-on-investment (ROI) in a context where both AI and the COVID-19 pandemic will reshape and change training and development beyond recognition.
