Trends in L&D are growing exponentially. Gone are the days when business works as it did before. We must now be more adaptable to working around disruptions, embracing innovations, and rethinking old habits that no longer serve us.

Working professionals are searching for enriching careers that are in balance with the rest of their lives, and companies are searching for employees who can meet today’s challenges and adapt to fast-paced change. For all businesses looking to attract the best talent and set them up to succeed, the skills of a knowledgeable Learning and Development (L&D) company like SA Business School have never been more essential.

Worldwide, nearly nine out of ten companies are facing a skills gap. Post-pandemic we have seen an accelerated shift toward digital platforms for commerce, communications, and other essential business functions. Therefore, it is increasingly important for companies to deliver timely and effective employee training. Professionals are eager to acquire these skills, with 70% willing to leave their current position to work for a company that is more willing to invest in their training and education.

When you have skills to teach and workers who want to learn, the last thing you want to do is lose the opportunity by falling back on minimally engaging traditional educational programs. Here are ten trends in L&D for 2022 that point toward better educational solutions which resonate with today’s workforce’s brightest minds.

Trends In L&D Are Here And We Must Act

In the past, the purpose of training and dedication would only focus on keeping workers prepared to meet the requirements of their job, increasing productivity and performance, and maintaining compliance with laws and industry regulations.

We are broadening the purpose of learning and development through our tailor-made solutions to obtain the full array of available Skills Development points through our recruitment, training, hosting, and absorption of learners at local campuses. As an accredited training provider, SABS offers innovative and transformative leadership programmes in Management, Business and Commerce, Information Technology, and Learnerships.

Today, professionals want to excel, but they also prioritize their values and mental well-being.

This mindset is particularly prominent for the newest generation, Gen Z.

Therefore, if companies want to stay relevant and attract top talent, they must stay ahead of trends in L&D which includes training related to mental and physical health, diversity and inclusion, and soft skills.

 

It is a challenge for companies to comply since the process is getting more complex across industries. You must learn software skills and new hardware quickly to stay ahead of market trends and customer expectations. In this educational environment, an individual-led approach proves to be the most adaptable and scalable. By adopting trends in L&D that prove successful, companies can empower employees to build and develop the skills needed for the future.

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If you want to create an incredible talent pool and scale your business with highly-qualified and skilled workers, then get to know the below trends in L&D.

1. Improve the Employee Experience

Resources are important in the survival of businesses, and training can quickly waste them.

Employees must retain what they learned and integrate it into their skillset, which is why it does not make sense to force them into arbitrary structures and timetables. Trends in L&D suggest that prioritising your employee’s experience and putting their individual needs first creates the best conditions for deep learning.

E-Learning is an excellent solution for improving employee experience. The simplistic, user-friendly features like mobile device compatibility, social media integration, a well-organised document library, and video content with relatable presenters can create an encouraging learning environment.

Also, a truly personalised educational experience, allows you to provide real-time feedback and immediately incorporate suggested improvements.

2. Support Internal Mobility

Promoting internal employees with highly specific expertise is beneficial since they already align with your company culture.

It only works when people want to stay within your organisation and feel supported in taking on new roles and additional responsibilities. 

Companies that make an extra effort to support internal mobility with initiatives like career development classes and personal coaching retain employees for an average of 5.4 years, compared to 2.9 years for employees at a typical company. It also helps ensure that sudden departures do not leave you with critical knowledge or skill gaps.

 

3. Pivot Toward Hybridisation

Every business has experimented with remote working solutions post-pandemic. Although we are all returning to the office, remote working setups are becoming permanent.

Employees particularly appreciate having access to work-from-home options, with more than half expecting to spend the rest of their career working hybrid or remotely at least part of the time. Training programs must be adaptable to on-site and remote learning environments and should teach employees the skills to thrive in a hybrid workplace.

4. New Technology Is An Investment

Trends in L&D are showing us that innovative, engaging learning experiences are an intelligent method to use when training students.

Modern formats like virtual or augmented reality, powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning technology, can create captivating and memorable experiences that will help critical concepts and skills stick in your learners’ brains.

5. Teach Power Skills

Collaboration, leadership, and collaboration skills are known as ‘soft skills’ compared to knowing how to code or operate heavy equipment.

However, trends in L&D are suggesting that the real power is in relating to people, building connections with them, and helping them develop to their full potential. No matter the number of hard skills an employee has mastered, cultivating their soft skills can always lead to improved performance, better outcomes, and more opportunities for them to advance. 

6. Reskilling and Upskilling

Trends in L&D are showing that reskilling and upskilling are having an immediate and productive benefit on employees.

Reskilling is about teaching employees’ new skills to prepare them for a different role within the organization and upskilling is building on an employee’s existing skills to raise them to a higher competence level.

 

Technology evolves rapidly, so workers must constantly update their skill sets to keep up with the pace. They can achieve this more easily with robust support from SA Business School to stay current with the latest developments and trends in their industry.

7. Use Specialty Platforms

You can also use our E-Learning to train large groups of employees in a brief time.

General, all-in-one educational solutions are helpful for creating rich and dynamic learning by providing you with tools and resources that address your organization’s unique needs and its workforce.

Specialty platforms like our E-Learning will keep your curriculum from becoming generic and dull, whether or not you are using gamification or AI.

8. Enriching Instructional Content

Most employees want to learn skills that will make them better at their jobs, but they do not want to feel like robots.

Burnout is real and more prevalent which is why trends in L&D show that educational programs seek to enrich the learner as a whole individual rather than just for the job.

The onboarding process is important because it instills the organization’s culture and values and helps employees feel secure in how they fit into it.

Courses on mindfulness, physical fitness, and other positive habits can help employees maintain a positive mindset over the long term, making them feel better about bringing their whole selves to work.

 

9. Microlearning

Education is evolving and four-hour lectures are not an effective delivery method of education.

Like it or not, trends in L&D are rapidly shifting and we have shorter attention spans.

We are all busier and more pressed for time than ever. By condensing educational materials into ‘micro-lessons‘ that students can absorb within five to fifteen minutes, can make learning more accessible and student-friendly.

10. Video Is Still King

Since the fast internet, high-quality video and online streaming have taken over.

Trends in L&D show that video content is the most engaging and cost-effective way to deliver information online. When educational content is delivered through video, learners are 95% more likely to retain it than if they had read it in a text-only format.

Modern technologies like AI video generators, make video production more affordable and scalable than ever. They can automatically generate professional-quality productions from a single plain-text source document, saving users time and resources.

 

Learning Is A Limitless Journey

Technology and education work well together and the student helps guide the process.

Trends in L&D suggest that it is the student’s motivation to learn on their own terms that will make all the difference.

Companies that want to deliver necessary skills to their workforce must respect that process and implement effective solutions that empower learners to understand and integrate what they learn, not just retain the bare minimum needed to pass a pop quiz.

If you want to stay ahead of trends in L&D and keep your team motivated and excited for more educational content, you should provide instruction in a format that will engage, enlighten, and resonate with them on a human level.

Solutions like SA Business School provide engaging and accessible ways to continue your limitless learning journey in the working world.

Contact us to start your learnership journey.

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