The pandemic has been the biggest catalyst for the unprecedented changes in the way the world is working and learning. Driven by a rise in remote and hybrid working, L&D teams have been forced to adopt to new forms of training.
With newer tools and technologies, there is now a pressing need for people to unlearn, learn and relearn with the help of training interventions that focus on key digital skills that are essential to keep the workforce competitive and productive.
Moreover, it’s clear that a digital-first mindset is the way to survive and sustain. What Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, had mentioned in the early days of the pandemic pretty much sums up the situation, “We saw two years of digital transformation in two months.” Those that failed to adjust, found it hard to subsist because the pandemic literally catapulted everyone headfirst into the digital world.
Through all of this, learner expectations too have changed. There is now a paradigm shift from conventional training to truly personalized, on-demand learning that is embedded in the flow of work. Learners want more control, autonomy and flexibility over their own learning journey.
They look forward to smart and relevant content curation that will offer them content that is appropriate for their needs, wants, job roles and future aspirations. At a time when there’s a lot already on their platter, they expect systems to understand them and guide them better in their learning by crafting the best path for them.
In short, the focus is now entirely on what learners really need and want – nothing more, nothing less! The future of learning is going to be about empowering learners to make their own learning decisions while the role of L&D teams will be about promoting, encouraging and enabling learner autonomy.
I recently had the opportunity to interact with leading L&D experts and discuss several key points with regards to the changing culture and scenario of L&D today at the Future of L&D Virtual Summit 2021. We deliberated about a host of interesting aspects including:
You can watch the webinar here: