Trends in training? Back in 2014, a Daily Mail article stated that “50% percent of the jobs existing today will become completely redundant by 2025.” The rapid progress of technological change is automating certain industries and therefore it is essential for a workforce to be able to adapt and grow to these shifting demands. With the proportion of millennials coming into the workforce growing year on year, new approaches need to be taken to optimise the performance of a workforce, especially in FMCG industries. The Bersin by Deloitte Future of Corporate Learning report showed that “22% of millennials desired learning benefits, as compared to 19% wanting flexible work schedules and 14% wanting cash bonuses.” The workforce of today want to be prepared for tomorrow and companies can support this by offering the best possible training to them as possible.
1. One of the upcoming trends in training and educating a workforce is the use of Micro-learning. Historically video content would often be drawn out and as a result would lose the attention and focus of those watching. Micro-Learning, such as bitesize 90-120 second chunk videos, provides an engaging format for a generation who have a notoriously short attention span. With these short videos, relevant information can be learnt as and when it’s needed rather than an overload of information that will be forgotten quickly.
2. Virtual and Augmented reality have had a prominent rise in the Video game industry over the last few years and so the technology has had ample investment into it. Nowadays companies are beginning to incorporate this gamification into the business setting to accommodate for busier scheduling and to increase overall efficiency. In order to run a board room simulation, it no longer requires the presence of everyone in the same room, nor for the room to even be there, as long as they have reasonable internet connection, a computer or mobile and a 3D headset suitable for VR. The future applications for VR are near endless and as software developers become more skilled in creating this content we will see its usage skyrocket.
3. The fast-moving consumer goods market is one of the largest in terms of spending per head in both training and e-learning and is one of the first to begin to embrace the use of mobile learning. With over 2 billion smartphones worldwide, companies can apply this in both developed as well as emerging economies to; engage their employees in daily tasks, use instant messengers for faster communications, share documents and videos that can be viewed on the go, as well as several other key functions. Simon Casuto, president and managing partner of eLearning Mind, states because of mobile learning his company are “finding that many of the businesses we work with see improved adoption, knowledge retention, and better engagement with training materials as a result.”
4. Finally, there has been a lot of attention shifting towards training in social media as it can both save time and potentially reputation for a business. People are well versed in the world of social media in our daily lives as it has become integral to communication between friends, however, it is only recently that companies are starting to see its benefit in the workplace. With the speed of information nowadays, a tweet or Facebook post can go viral in hours and this creates a greater level of transparency for businesses than there used to be. In the case of the release of information that may be damaging to the company, such as Nike and the exposing of their child labour factories, employees are becoming trained in risk limiting responses to try and cool the frenzy on social media. Additionally, with Facebook releasing a new Workplace section on their website, this provides a means to use social media for learning and developmental purposes and a way of communication and sharing that is cleaner and more efficient than using outdated e-mails.
These trends in training demonstrate the changing times in which we are working, and training will continue to develop as an industry. To find out more about FMCG training, new trends in training, or to enquire about our training consultation, contact us at info@smithcarey.co.uk
