07. What are the Current Trends of Training and Development?

 Current Trends of Training and Development

Businesses are doing everything they can to develop a staff that is productive. The labour market of today is cutthroat. They have clear objectives and drive themselves. It also takes work on your part to redirect their energies towards productivity.  Much of it is dependent upon what your business can provide for them. The main themes in corporate training and development for 2022–2023 are covered in this blog. (Snehnath Neendoor 2023 November)

The field of training and development is always changing to meet the needs of businesses and their workforce. This development is starting to resemble a revolution in light of the recent turmoil in the economic world.

According to LinkedIn's 2023 Workplace Learning study, since 2015, the skill sets needed for modern work have changed by 25%; by 2027, this percentage is predicted to double. In light of new research showing that 77% of companies are having trouble filling positions—a 17-year high—offering effective reskilling and onboarding programmes is crucial now more than ever.

As new technologies are introduced and embraced, there is a growing demand for strong foundational training. Last year, if you had asked me what a "prompt engineer" was, I couldn't have told you what it did or what abilities you needed to succeed in that position.

Companies with extensive and flexible staff development and training programmes stand to benefit the most in such an environment. Because fewer outside talent is entering the workforce and because work is changing to accommodate new digital methods, developing individuals internally is becoming a more competitive advantage.

But sustaining that skill takes ongoing effort and knowledge of emerging trends in the industry. 

                                                                              (Rob MacAllister 2023 April)

                                        

1. Organizational Agility and Continuous Learning

Continuous learning is necessary to increase organisational agility, giving staff members the ability to quickly understand novel circumstances and take appropriate action.

By offering new educational opportunities and keeping up-to-date training materials that address the organization's immediate needs as well as larger market realities, L&D teams may lead the way.

Companies and their workers can both gain from adopting an agile organisational structure. Employees benefit from access to opportunities for training and the learning of new skills that help the organisation grow and prosper in difficult market conditions.

2. Upskilling and Reskilling for the Future

An increasing number of companies are beginning to implement a skills-based approach to talent management. By prioritising skills above roles, this approach guarantees that workers have the state-of-the-art abilities required for success.

Additionally, companies are starting to implement best practises for product development more widely, creating project teams that prioritise job completion over following conventional departmental and business unit hierarchies.

Most employees share the same excitement for retraining and acquiring new skills. According to PWC's workforce of the future report, 74% of workers desire to continue getting new skills in order to stay employable.

Employers can improve their skill-building programmes even more by introducing incentive or recognition schemes that pay staff members for their involvement.

3. Employee-centric Learning Experiences

The success of an organization's L&D programmes as a whole depends on how well each individual employee's learning experiences work out. Businesses may improve the effectiveness of their training programmes and get closer to their goals by putting their people first and making the most of every experience.

The fundamental tenet of an employee-centric learning culture is to support individual achievement as a means of propelling organisational expansion. To maximise their learning experience, businesses can look at every employee's training lifecycle, from onboarding to departure.

4. The Broader Use of Learning Experience Platforms (LXPs)

LXPs provide all the resources needed to create cutting-edge L&D programmes with distinctive learning paths. Combining learning content from various sources, authoring tools to enable the production of fantastic new content, increased use of data and analytics to suggest pertinent information to each employee, and the technologies required to support modern L&D practises are all examples of this.

LXPs provide an answer to numerous issues that L&D will be confronting in 2023. It is not unexpected that companies are switching from conventional L&D technologies to LXPs and all of its advantages.

One-size-fits-all, generalised training is no longer effective. Each employee is unique, possessing a unique set of abilities, backgrounds, and specialties. 

5. Data-driven Learning & Human Resource Information Systems (HRISs)

Integrating HRIS data with your learning platform is a useful first step that enables you to compare learning platform data with business unit and demographic information. Deeper customisation of experiences is also made possible by this integration, as HRIS data is often highly informative.

Organisations can create learner experiences that are more relevant and personalised by implementing a data-driven approach. It also aids in the identification of critical learning indicators, such as, for example, compliance issues with line managers or skill gaps within particular business units.

6. Data Security and the Rise of Cyber attacks

Data is the foundation of emerging technology. For modern operations, it is imperative to harness additional data and use it to improve L&D processes. But there's also a greater chance of cyberattacks because of our growing reliance on technology.

There is an increasing risk that hackers will breach business networks, hold data hostage for ransom, or make it available to the general public. IT staff were forced to quickly alter business networks in response to the pandemic, which also hastened digital transformation projects and created new virtual workflows that unintentionally increased the attack surface for cyber criminals.

7. Generative AI in the Workplace

By automating the generation of learning content, generative AI empowers learning and development (L&D) teams to produce realistic and contextually relevant case studies, simulations, and scenarios that captivate students and promote skill development. This enables learning and development (L&D) teams to match student demands for high-quality, personalised learning experiences while saving time and money. Through the provision of intelligent recommendations, personalised assessments, and real-time feedback, generative AI aids in the creation of interactive and adaptive learning materials. 

By producing insights, promoting knowledge sharing throughout the company, and extracting and organising information from massive volumes of data, generative AI also enhances knowledge management and collaborative learning.

8. New Sources of Training Content

The content that employees receive from a training programme ultimately determines its worth.

Training material research and production take a lot of effort on the part of L&D workers, who may choose to outsource the process and use generic content from other sources.

Organisations will have more choices in 2023 when it comes to obtaining superior training materials.

01. Repurposing

02. User-generated

03. Generative AI    

9. Well being Programs and Mental Health Support in the Workplace

Companies need to give employees opportunities for growth that go beyond acquiring hard or technical skills in order to support their mental health and overall welfare. Programmes on stress reduction, optimistic thinking, mindfulness, and even better time management techniques can be included in this way, giving staff members the tools they need to perform well even in the face of increased workloads.

Some companies are investing in wellness areas where workers can unplug, rejuvenate, or practise meditation while at work. Many people may not think it is possible to make the extra investment, however effective well being programmes have several advantages, 

such as:

• Improved motivation and productivity

• Fewer absences

• Higher job satisfaction

• Better company reputation that helps the hiring process

• Higher staff retention

References

1. Neendoor S. 2023 November 07, Training and Development trends to watch out for in 2023 , [Online], Available at: https://kitaboo.com/top-trends-corporate-training-and-development/ [ Accessed on 15th of November 2023]
2. MacAllister R., Trends in Employee Learning and Development 2023 and Beyond, [Online], Available at: https://www.valamis.com/blog/trends-in-learning-and-development [ Accessed on 15th of November 2023]
3. Olmstead L. 2023 October 31, L&D Trends to watch in 2023, [Online], Available at: https://whatfix.com/blog/learning-development-trends/ [ Accessed on 15th of November 2023]