Learning is one of the most important parts of any job, and it never really stops. Or at least it shouldn’t. Young people fresh out of education need to learn in their first job how to apply all the theories they have gained and put them into practice. Those established within their careers continue learning to stay ahead of trends, apply industry best practices, master new pieces of equipment or software, and find new ways to be ever more efficient and effective in their roles.
For employers, nothing beats a workforce who are hungry to learn and develop. So, what should they be doing to encourage and accelerate that? Much of it comes down to providing staff with learning experiences that feed their curiosity and motivate them to better themselves. A survey from City & Guilds Group found that 69 per cent of respondents complained training content was not always exciting or engaging, a sign that they were “bored and disinterested”.
Thankfully, there are new ways to make learning experiences more unexpected, engaging, and measurable, taking us beyond the classic tick-box training we’ve become accustomed to for all these years.
Learning through stories
A lot of learning has shifted to more of a self-directed, online self-serve model and away from the hand-holding structure where one might engage with a trainer or facilitator. While that’s made training a lot more accessible, the reality is that most of this learning isn’t fun or engaging. From tedious “how-to” guides to GDPR training videos, current e-learning formats are simply falling short – and yet they can cost businesses a fortune.
To truly win in this area, employers should prioritize online learning experiences that are a lot more immersive and interactive. Storytelling is key here, as it can make people feel like they have been through an experience and learned from it. For example, in the healthcare sector, this could be training that simulates a care home or hospital, where workers encounter different scenarios and interact with patients with different character arcs. This type of story-led training is not dissimilar to a video game, with the added bonus of building practical skills and knowledge that apply to the real world. This is important because learners don’t just want to be told information; they want to be given the chance to engage with it and be asked to do things with it.
AI in learning
The ability to customize online training content at the click of a button is now possible, thanks to advancements in generative AI. This will allow organizations to develop more tailored training experiences for a fraction of the price, eschewing the one-size-fits-all model.
For example, a retail company might use AI-based tools to develop a series of customer interaction simulations that would teach new starters how to handle routine inquiries and complex customer complaints, providing real-time feedback as they learn. Meanwhile, in a healthcare setting, AI could help doctors and nurses practice new medical procedures or assess safe patient handling in different settings – from a hospital bed to a bathroom.
In fact, there are many benefits to AI when it comes to learning. For example, it can analyze an individual’s learning pace and preferences to create customized training programs, leading to better engagement and knowledge retention. It also has the potential to better predict future trends and skills requirements, helping organizations to proactively train their workforce to meet demands when they’re required. We’re also seeing AI being used to curate training content in real time, keeping those materials up-to-date with the latest industry developments. Finally, it can also help provide immediate feedback to learners to help them achieve their goals faster.
A new way of assessing people
Of course, training is only one piece of the puzzle. How we assess people’s skills and knowledge also needs to evolve. For example, many online courses currently use multiple-choice tests, which aren’t always a good assessment of whether someone truly understands what they’ve learned.
Fortunately, technology – in particular AI – has the potential to assess people’s skills and knowledge quickly and consistently. For example, if you’re managing a team of workers in a warehouse and want to teach them safe lifting techniques, you can use a program that tracks a worker’s physical movements in real time, which could make it easier to know whether they have adopted the correct position. Not only is this a more standardized way of assessing people, but it also reduces the risk of injury in the workplace.
In the near future, technology may also be able to improve people’s soft skills, such as communication, which is particularly important for customer-facing roles. Of course, this will require a personalized approach to training those skills. For example, combining different learning formats (written, video, and audio) with simulated practical scenarios. This would make it possible to assess a broader range of skills based on multiple data points to determine whether someone has gathered relevant experience and knowledge to do well in their role.
Piecing everything together
Shifting how organizations approach learning and development can undoubtedly bring fruitful results and create a much happier workforce. Technology like AI has the biggest potential to disrupt how businesses deliver training completely.
As we look ahead, the integration of technology in learning and development is not just an option but a necessity for organizations aiming to foster a culture of continuous learning. In doing so, they can empower their employees to excel in their current roles and prepare them for the challenges of tomorrow. Organizations that act on this potential will lead the way in innovation, productivity, and employee satisfaction, ultimately reaping the rewards of a skilled, knowledgeable, and motivated workforce.
