The pandemic has taken the entire world by surprise. It has forced most companies to rebuild how they do business and train their employees to address disruption and business dynamics. How will organizations get ready for professional development and retraining of their employees in 2021? Let’s take a look at some of the key trends that will change the learning environment this year and for the foreseeable future.
The explosive increase in speed of technological solutions implementation
With the transition to remote control, companies actively implemented tools for working and training distributed teams. The volume of distance learning has grown, solutions have appeared for conducting virtual classes and remote interaction of teachers and students.
LMS systems began to release new functionality actively, exciting projects on remote assessment were launched. The volume of investments in EdTech solutions at the end of last year reached a maximum compared to previous periods.
Corporate universities have been actively building their competencies in webinars and online training, the development of distance courses, and the methodology of online programs.
At the same time, difficulties arose with the training of production personnel. Here startups came to the rescue, which allows transferring training to VR, creating an environment close to reality as possible for practicing practical skills.
Changing the corporate training plan
Some programs and focuses have emerged in the past year to support the new operating model and maintain efficiency when working remotely.
Among them are programs for managing distributed teams, managing personal performance at a remote location, stress management, well-being (employee well-being) and mental health, programs for working within the framework of COVID-19, and training in remote interaction tools.
New requirements for Learning & Development (L&D) products and services
In connection with the shift of the traditional approach of face-to-face training towards digital services and solutions, L&D will need to learn how to create educational products and services according to all laws of product launch. To think over the UX / UI, the user path, work with product metrics, and build user support.
Suppose in full-time training, and corporate universities had practically no competitors within the company. In that case, when we go online, we begin to compete with open sources on the Internet: Coursera, YouTube, bloggers, niche educational resources.
To not lose in this struggle, it is necessary to attract product, business analysts, customer care specialists, etc., to corporate university teams.
Artificial Intelligence
According to research, artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve and will remain the number one trend in the tech world for many years to come. It’s no surprise that many well-known brands are using AI to organize access to content and help people.
AI is increasingly being used to automate routine tasks, allowing people to focus on tasks that require higher-order thinking skills. One of the biggest trends in process automation.
Biden Commits to Investing ‘Closer to 2%’ of GDP in Science Research. (Source: Nextgov)
Data analysis
The creation of new educational products will increasingly be based on data analysis rather than on the intuitive impressions of teachers. Digital learning services generate a wealth of data about student behavior and interactions with content, enabling the transition from a teaching-as-art model to a teaching-as-science model.
Individual training
Personalized learning means providing learning materials and activities based on the learner’s choices and outcomes. A pre-graded approach or recommended study paths based on the previous selection is used to select training modules.
Personalized learning will remain a significant trend in 2021. It is used in conjunction with artificial intelligence, assessment engines, and other tools.
Redesign of approaches and processes in corporate training
Hybrid offices and combined work formats will soon be a new reality. Knowledge and skills will be needed here and now, so the ability to immediately test and implement what you just learned will become the new norm.
It will affect the approaches to the development of materials, the methods that are used for teaching. The tools and mechanics of training programs will change and ways to measure the effectiveness of training.
There will be a need to edit and update content more often. Requirements for development speed will increase. All this will lead to rethinking and relaunching new learning formats.
Online learning is becoming an essential part of shaping the corporate culture of many companies. It is vital for corporate universities and training and development teams to create opportunities to maintain Learning Agility in companies in these circumstances.
At GBKSOFT, we believe that the ability and willingness to learn and retrain, adapt and apply knowledge and experience in a constantly changing environment is more relevant than ever for employees of any level. At the same time, it should be remembered about efficiency, about how training affects commercial results.