Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

e-learningLearning & development

Technology-based training is uninspiring says forum

by Personnel Today 24 Jan 2008
by Personnel Today 24 Jan 2008

A ground-breaking learning forum hosted by Wright Solutions has concluded that, despite the continued growth, technology based training is generally leaving employees feeling uninspired.

‘The Future of Learning’ forum took place in November at the Birmingham offices of the Institute of Directors. The hugely successful event was attended by senior training executives representing some of the UK’s foremost organisations and with the responsibility for developing more than 150,000 employees.

The group acknowledged the increasing role played by the Internet, iPods, e-learning and online learning communities but predicted a strong future for more personal, face-to-face group training.

Paul Wright, managing director of  training and HR recruitment specialists Wright Solutions explained “the event was really designed to get people thinking about the future delivery of training. The overriding concensus was that face-to-face training is hugely beneficial in stimulating employees, developing interaction and nurturing social skills. This said, technology can never replace traditional training but can be extremely effective when used to support it”.

‘Generation Y’ an altogether different proposition…

The forum also discussed the much hyped ‘Generation Y’ with a view to helping attendees devise effective training strategies for people in their twenties. These employees were seen by the group as typically being more expensive to employ, less loyal, highly ambitious and having a strong sense of work/life balance.

Two key points emerged from the debate. Firstly, it was acknowledged that technologies such as e-mail and text messaging have helped to erode the interpersonal skills of Generation Y. Next, younger employees tend to focus on future objectives rather than previous achievements. Both factors clearly have a role to play in shaping future training initiatives!    

Finally, the forum provided an intriguing look into the future. Virtual worlds are widely tipped to become more popular than the internet within the next 15 years. For training purposes, virtual classrooms are already being used by 18-25 year olds. Perhaps virtual worlds can help make training for ‘Generation Y’ more effective, placing employees in a virtual workplace or scenario as part of a traditional course?

Enhancing training to maximise impact…

Following the forum and in response to the growing trend towards just-in-time training, Wright Solutions have already started to enhance their vast portfolio of training services. Throughout 2008, the company will use a range of short, punchy complimentary exercises to strengthen courses and programmes and maximise the impact that training has on delegates. In doing so, Wright Solutions will exploit their existing partnerships with Video Arts and Fifty Lessons, the world’s foremost digital video business library.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Future free-to-attend training forums will be held on a regular basis in order to explore innovative ways to improve the way in which training can be delivered. The next meeting will take place in February and training managers and heads of department can reserve a place by contacting Wright Solutions on 0121 687 4040. 


 

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
Hospitality sector workers reveal level of discontent in happiness survey
next post
Pilots union to ballot members over BA plans for separate European airline

You may also like

Investing in skills when budgets are tight

12 May 2025

Leading with honest feedback: A responsibility in recruitment

24 Apr 2025

High-level apprenticeship spend doubles in five years

16 Apr 2025

Number of SMEs hiring staff in decline

10 Apr 2025

Gen Z and ‘conscious unbossing’: how can HR...

7 Apr 2025

How to build a commercially-minded workforce

3 Apr 2025

Why the apprenticeship shakeup is good news for...

20 Mar 2025

Scrapping NHS England could affect critical training, warn...

14 Mar 2025

Employee engagement: Growing disconnect between effort and recognition,...

13 Mar 2025

Schneider Electric doubles ex-military green skills scheme

13 Mar 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+