Big Data, Internet of Things, cybersecurity, agile, social management, distance networking, etc. These are increasingly sought after skills.
In the near future their impact will become ever stronger. As a result, they will in turn affect training.Steve Dineen has simplified some of the main impacts we will see.
The YouTube effect
The widespread passion for the use of online videos has also permeated the world of education. However, we need to be careful that the videos are not only concise, pleasing and attractive (like most viral social media videos) but also able to impart learning.
The main tool is the smartphone
Habits have changed. We all try to use our smartphones as multi-purpose tools. It is therefore necessary to accept that training content and formats always need to be manageable in mobile form too.
The "beauty of change"
This constant need for change stems from a management vision that is clearly financially-driven.
Use information
Data is a Game Changer. We live in a world where most online interactions as well as access to management, purchasing and supply processes are traceable. These are information universes that should be recognised as being fundamental sources for training analysis.
If the world changes, so do skills
The basic training skills remain the same but technological changes require the introduction of new specialist skills. It is not a question of adding a young social media expert to training teams. This would be meaningless. Instead, it is a question of reflecting on which typical skills taught through training should be imparted via new interactive forms (from analysis to design).
Sponsorship is necessary
The involvement of C-level executives is no longer simply an option, it has become something essential. The involvement, both in the ‘emergence of training need’ phase and in the ‘promotion of training initiatives’ phase, must involve the active contribution of management.
Technology is the tool, not the goal
Technology in training must aid learning or professional skills, not be a skill taught for the use of the technology itself.
How then can we go ahead in concrete terms? It is a matter of respecting some design aspects typical of advanced training in the best possible way.
- Remember the purpose of the training. Training is intended to produce learning and this must be correlated with the business prospects of the company.
- Training has always been designed as a learning experience. Let's continue with this idea, remembering to understand the meaning and sense of the experience from the user's perspective.
- Training needs to be designed as if it were a project. We need to start from the strategic business perspectives, explore the available information and make assumptions about the operational scenario. We need to avoid working in routine ways.
Here are the main ones:
