The modern workforce is more culturally and generationally diverse than ever before. It’s not uncommon to find as many as five different generations of employees present in larger organisations, ranging from baby boomers all the way through to millennials and Gen Zers.
However, judging by most of the new learning and development (L&D) content being created today, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the millennial generation has taken over.
With millennials making up more than half the global modern workforce, increasingly millennial-focussed L&D programmes perhaps aren’t surprising, but they are misguided.
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Mythbusting millennial stereotypes
There are many common myths surrounding millennials and their learning preferences. However, recent research suggests that many of them are simply untrue. For example, one of the most prevalent myths is that they don’t like reading books.
However, research found that millennials actually view digital books as a vitally important learning mode. They also have a preference for handouts and other written material, something typically associated with older generations.
Millennials may be the first true digital natives, but this doesn’t mean they are the primary drivers for new modern workforce practices and expectations. The truth is that technology, an accelerated pace of work and the changing nature of customer experience are the real drivers behind many of the new workplace practices seen today.
Effective training focuses on ‘modern learners’
One of the biggest issues with creating L&D programmes specifically targeting millennials is that they exclude many other members of the modern workforce. Instead, organisations should focus on meeting the training needs of a much broader, more diverse group, known as the modern learner.
Modern learners are ready and willing to take charge of their own development goals, but still have an expectation that their organisation will help to facilitate them. Herein lies one of the key challenges facing L&D professionals today.
Whereas in the past many L&D programmes were built around day-long training sessions and classroom learning experiences, modern workforce environments often do not allow for this.
The ‘always on’ lifestyle, combined with the fast pace of business is driving a major trend towards bitesize digital learning that individuals can fit around other commitments.
Progressive L&D teams are already embracing this more informal learning culture by creating an ecosystem that provides diverse, yet personalised, learning.
Six key ingredients for modern workforce learning
An effective modern workforce L&D programme should contain six key ingredients that combine to help achieve learning goals:
(1) Bite-sized and modular content
Modern learners have access to vast amounts of information at their fingertips, which makes knowing where to find an answer just as important as having the knowledge. With uninterrupted time being limited, providing short bursts of information that can either stand alone, or be combined into broader programmes is key.
(2) Learner-centric
Learning experiences need to provide a variety of “just-in-time, just-for-me” options that enable modern learners to choose what, how and when they learn. Doing so provides opportunities to gain new skills or take on new challenges, all within a bespoke learning environment.
(3) Connected to real workplace activity
Advancements in technologies allow learning content to be embedded where and when it is needed, even as part of day-to-day activities. Gone are the days of browsing through a static learning catalogue. Instead, modern learning can use data gathered about the learner to recommend the right training resources at the right time.
(4) Mobile enabled
Approximately 54 per cent of the global population now owns a smartphone, which means L&D content can be available to the learner wherever they are, whatever they are doing. An effective L&D programme considers all appropriate avenues for learning on the go. Videos, ebooks and audiobooks can all be consumed anywhere, so making them available on mobile devices significantly improves flexibility for learners.
(5) Uses diverse and engaging video formats
Video has become an increasingly important learning tool but not all video is created equal. Modern workforce L&D programmes should select the right video for the right training purposes, using tools such as animation and interactive scenarios for specific learning needs.
(6) Drives long-term knowledge retention
Learning new skills and behaviour rarely happens overnight. It needs continuous application of formal and informal learning by reading, watching, experiencing and interacting. Ongoing practice and application is a critical part of any L&D programme, helping learners to recall and use new knowledge on a regular basis until it becomes engrained in their day-to-day activity.
Agata Nowakowska is Area VP EMEA at Skillsoft
