The Internet is flooded with a plethora of articles on the Hottest Trends in the L&D Space, Learning Trends in 2019, Top 5 best predictions for L&D and more. Most of these articles emphasize on the same factors just with some twist in language. I would like to look at this from the perspective of organization leaders why? Because they are key people that influence, help and take decisions to move their organization forward. So looking from their viewpoint will highlight the challenges they are facing to keep their business and people current.
A study of 800 CEO’s by Conference board suggested that CEO’s around the globe were losing sleep over three key issues surrounding organizations:
- Attracting and retaining top talent
- Impact of disruptive technologies
- Developing the next generation of leaders
So how can Learning & Development help resolve these concerns?
- Attracting and retaining top talent: A recent research by LinkedIn suggested that 94% people say they would stay with an organization longer if the organization invested in their career development. Another research suggested that nearly 60% of millennial’s believed a state of the art training program is the reason for them to accept a job. Hard to believe, because I focus on a good boss, and pay but I digress. The two facts are enough for us to factor not only the importance of having Learning as an employee benefit but also having a training program that delivers Impactful learning experiences. This would include training that is personalized not only in terms of making it available anytime, anywhere and on any device but also making it relevant for their job roles, giving them options in terms of fundamental, intermediate and advanced levels, and giving them hands-on opportunity where needed.
- Impact of Disruptive Technologies: Leaders now are finding it difficult to hire talent that not only knows the latest technology but also has some experience in that field. This is where training needs to step in and bring not only training courses but also give employees the best practices, implementation and or troubleshooting skills for these new technology topics.
- Developing the next generation of Leaders: A study by Deloitte suggested, the half life of a learned skill was 5 years. This gives us a clear idea on the lifetime of skills learned which is precisely why organizations today need to work on a forward thinking approach to Training employees. The idea is for organizations to embrace continuous learning within organizations and expose employees to various forms of learning right from the day they walk into the organization for the very first time. Talent Developers are also encouraged to stay well informed of Industry trends so they know what’s coming and how they can avoid any skill gaps.
References:
1. The Conference Board: C-Suite Challenge 2019™
https://www.conference-board.org/press/pressdetail.cfm?pressid=7650