This fall, my husband and I ventured to Vegas for the first time. Eschewing the one-armed bandits and high-stakes tables, we instead focused on shows, casino wonders, desert day trips, and other experiences. For those six days, Google was our best friend as we grabbed our phones to find out the Bellagio fountain times, obtain The Beatles LOVE tickets, locate the Ghirardelli ice cream parlor (of course!), and navigate our way out of the bowels of Caesars Palace (it’s a long story). I found it a bit scary that we automatically turned to our phones rather than ask the concierge standing right in front of us as we whisked from casino to casino.
Googling the answers to questions or checking YouTube for how-to videos is easy and obtains instant information (plus offers the additional benefit of no one inquiring why we want to know). So is “Googling it” the future of learning? Training Top 125 winners and other experts offer their take on the topic, with most advocating companies provide employees with accessible in-house, context-driven resources, particularly for brand/product-specific questions, to avoid employees picking up incorrect information on the Web and running with it.
Learners clearly do want quick answers on demand when and where they need them. Our 2018 Training Industry Report findings indicate 30 percent of respondents use mobile applications to deliver training, and 21 percent utilize online performance support or a knowledge management system. While respondents use mobile devices only to deliver 1.7 percent of training hours, they turn to blended learning techniques—which can include mobile applications and online training—to deliver nearly 70 percent of training hours.
On the financial side, the report found that overall training expenditures decreased 6.4 percent from 2017 to $87.6 billion, but training payroll increased 13 percent to $47 billion. Likewise, average training salaries jumped more than 5 percent to $88,174, according to Training’s annual Salary Survey.
I’m glad to see companies upping the ante for Training professionals’ pay as they play such a crucial role in organizational development, culture, and success. As our mantra states: Training Matters—and so do the people who create it, deliver it, measure it, and reinforce it.
Training Matters continues to be the theme of our Training 2019 Conference & Expo (February 25-27, 2019, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, FL), which will provide the 4 Cs: connection, collaboration, community, and camaraderie. Co-located events include the Learning Leaders Summit—where participants will develop a call to action to make the changes necessary to deliver the strategic value of learning to their organizations—and Innovations in Training (IIT)—an immersive learning experience at sites throughout Orlando. Visit www.trainingconference.com to register today.
Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous New Year! Let’s connect in Disney World in February and really up the ante by turning possibilities into reality for you and your organization!
