The Future of Learning & Development – Trends for 2021

Category: Technology

Learning and development is undergoing a tectonic shift. Major technological break throughs, unrecognizable changes in the economy, the pandemic and an outdated workforce are the primary reasons for the shift. The sea change in the business environment needs innovative sourcing, hiring, training and cross training of manpower. “Workforce Talent Management” has now become a necessity for organizations to survive. If it is working it is already obsolete is an adage most truthful for the Information Technology industry. Keeping pace with the tech curve has now become the responsibility of not only the individual but also the organization. Let us list a few distinct trends in the Learning and Development ecosystem in 2021. Organizations may have to adopt these strategies to reshape the role and nature of learning for the growth of their companies. Trend 1: Transforming Existing Workforce The primary objective of L&D is to make the workforce relevant. A continuous learning culture, faster upskilling and compulsory cross skilling will be the 3-point agenda of any L&D department. Digiterati recommends an eagle-eyed focus on core competence skills and cross skilling in one or two futuristic technologies. This will ensure an agile workforce ready to seize new business opportunities, giving a swagger to the marketing department. Case Study by Digiterati: The new world of L&D needs Hybrid Training Strategy Trend 2: Sourcing Filter – Do you just know it or can you also do it? Traditional sourcing and hiring methods must be replaced with tests to measure quantitatively the relevant skills of hires by demonstration proving their speed, accuracy and systemic behaviour. A six-line program written in multiple languages was shown to the students and were asked to identify the language. Amusingly, this simple question turned out to be the biggest filter for the most padded and colourful CVs at Digiterati’s campus recruitment drives for software engineers. Academicians smell them at a mile – the doers and the knowers! Involve the teachers in the hiring mela! Trend 3: Shift to Outcome based training A hybrid model training including online training, instructor led training focussing on continuous monitoring and proctoring will be the new training methodology. Online training allows learners to explore on their own pace without peer pressure. The ability to chat and clarify their doubts with the trainer makes it almost a replica of one-to-one training. The continuous monitoring and task-based evaluation identifies the strengths and weakness of the trainees and helps to focus on improving it. The outcome-based model helps to measure the skill the trainee has acquired over any other model. While adapting to the emerging Learning and Development Trends, learn what are all the secrets that can make your talent transformation model outcome-based.