The global shift to remote workforces resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for corporate online training and learning. The digitization of learning and development (L&D) grew dramatically as the pandemic spread, catapulting corporate L&D to the top of the agenda for many businesses. In 2020, companies of all sizes and most every industry were forced to respond to new challenges with an increased emphasis on resilience, adaptability, and focus. The training and “upskilling” of employees is more urgent than ever if companies are to meet the needs of newly remote, stressed, and distracted workforce.
The 2021 Anticipated Trends for Corporate Training and eLearning
eLearning refers to the use of electronic technologies (primarily, the Internet) to support all types of learning programs, including corporate training and workforce development. The availability of enhanced cloud-based technologies over the past decade or so has driven a shift from in-person, classroom-based sessions to eLearning-based corporate training programs. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this shift in training.
As we begin 2021, some of the trends expected in corporate training and eLearning include:
Performance Over Skills
While most companies have an increased need and urgency for employee training and learning, there will be an emphasis on its impact on the bottom line. Given this, course design and development will be increasingly examined for its ability to improve business performance at the employee, division, and corporate levels. The byproduct of this will be employee reskilling.
Learning as a Constant
There will also be a renewed emphasis on learning during the flow of work, also known as “contextual learning”. eLearning platforms make this possible, allowing business leaders to benefit from the integrating learning into employees’ everyday work. This will emerge as a significant approach toward the development of valuable and applicable skills.
Increased Collaboration
Company stakeholders are realizing the potential benefits of collaboration in all areas of a remote work setting, including corporate training and learning. This realization will bring a new emphasis to such courses as listening and communication skills, problem solving, conflict management, and leadership development.
Importance of Mobile Learning
The importance of mobile learning, or “m-learning” has increasing over the past several years. But since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, the need for mobile learning has exploded. In fact, some studies anticipate growth from $80 billion to $280 billion by 2027. The availability of mobile learning options ensures that critical training information is available to employees when and where they need it. It also offers an element of convenience that can help ensure employee engagement and follow-through of training activities.
Emphasis on Microlearning
Microlearning refers to the structuring of corporate training and learning courses into bite-sized chunks of information. The “micro” approach to learning continues to gain traction in corporate training and program managers continue to see increased user comprehension, retention, and success when they break down learning into logical segments and progressions. The microlearning approach makes additional sense when you consider the fact that busy employees can have a better learning experience when you anticipate that they will complete a course (especially longer courses) in logical segments.
Detailed Review of Analytics
One of the major advantages that eLearning brings over traditional, classroom-based training is in its ability to capture detailed data regarding user engagement, progress, and success. This need for the enhanced capture of analytics has grown with increasingly remote workforces and an enhanced desire for their participation and accountability in corporate training programs.
LMS Portals for Corporate Training and eLearning
LMS Portals provides our clients and partners with a cloud-based, multi-tenant Learning Management System (LMS) that allows you to launch and manage private eLearning environments (portals) on-demand. Each portal can have its own unique branding and includes powerful tools for course development, user onboarding, collaboration, analytics, and more.
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