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.
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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.
