The velocity of technology and business change is unprecedented; product and technology cycles are becoming shorter and customer expectations are changing rapidly. Additionally, the Covid-19 pandemic has catalysed digitization. As a result, firms have started recasting enterprise-wide processes to adapt to the needs of their internal target audience - the employee, who is digitally savvy, demands high-quality solutions and is not ready to wait. Additionally, everything has gone virtual and prior degrees of separation with respect to distance, geographies and time zones have been eliminated.
A shift from one-size-fits-all learning to a high degree of personalization. Technology is now a mature industry and there are diverse set of needs. While there is growing demand for new, digital skills (AI, Data Science, Cloud etc), a large volume of demand is still there for legacy skills. This calls for a segmented approach.
There has been a shift from standard predetermined push based sessions to byte-sized self-directed learning sessions. The classic delivery model was a classroom-based model with standard full-day training sessions, which involved dedicated time away from work.
As a result of the above two shifts, learning is becoming multi dimensional and channel-agnostic which involves innovative approaches so that millennials are engaged.
Another interesting shift is from technologies to focus on core competencies like Problem solving, communication and leadership skills. Select IT companies have already recognized the need for these core competencies at scale and begun different programs to train the workforce.
The final shift includes moving away from physical certificates to learning passports and creation of a digital reputation for the learner on social media that is verifiable.
Most organizations have defined the following four key action areas for learning and development:
Building business acumen to better understand customer context: It is very critical to have deep functional domain or business/vertical specializations to deliver high-quality customer-centric solutions. It is important for employees to build business acumen and align their learning priorities to a domain. This can help them understand the client context and pain points better.
Building fit-for-purpose infrastructure and technology that delivers content, tracks progress effectively - In the digital age, the ability to position curated content in small consumable byte-sized modules is the most effective way to enable learning. The delivery of this content is needed to be increasingly virtual and accessible across devices. A fit-for-purpose technology infrastructure is critical to monitor learning journey maps that records progress against individual development plans. Further, enterprises need platforms or channels to attract learners and engage in group learning, creating processes that involve a seamless handshake between self-directed and social learning.
The costs of not getting L and D right or falling behind in this race have serious implications for business readiness. The workforce of tomorrow as well as the jobs of tomorrow will likely be very different from what they are now. This talent is not "off-the-shelf" and has to be developed. Therefore, L and D has to step up and deliver on the talent and capabilities necessary for enterprises to compete.