The Complete Guide to Employee Learning and Development for 2022

What is Employee learning and development?

Employee learning includes any training to help people improve skills or learn new ones. It is a formal process where talent development teams help the workforce perform jobs better. 

Employee Development is the overall development of people to get new skills, attitudes, or knowledge that prepares them for future roles and personality improvement. It can take many different forms, such as mentoring, self-directed learning, coaching, informal learning, or learning by doing.

Benefits of Employee learning and development

L&D teams help employees perform better at the workplace and overcome any hindrance due to a lack of skills or knowledge. It allows teams and organizations to be efficient and acquire skills required for business. Some of the benefits of L&D are as follows:

• Define the training needs that will help the company realize its business goals
• Determine teaching material and learning method
• Build and effective learning and development process
• Optimize training processes to improve ROI
• Collect and review training evaluations
• Track performance of people in training programs
• Assess learning effectiveness
• Provide a better learning experience
• Enhance people skills,competency and knowledge to improve performance
• Help employees to acquire new knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are relevant for their current and future function/Job
• Help with succession planning, find and nurture talent for the future. 
• To align employee goals and performance with organization
• Improve attitude towards job and other coworkers
• Bridge skill and knowledge gap
• Making new employee productive quickly

Employees with access to learning & development opportunities will likely to stay longer at their workplace for an extended time and be more engaged with their job responsibilities. Opportunities to learn, and internal mobility allow organizations to retain their employees.

What is the need for organizations to invest in L&D platforms?

L&D helps organizations acquire and retain top talent. A survey has highlighted that organizations that spend at least $1500/employee on training opportunities have earned 24% higher profits than companies that have lower employee training budgets.

Additionally, it also allows organizations to save money on facilities like classrooms, equipment, and instructors, which makes the procedure profitable and effective.Investment in the L&D platforms has shown assured results.

Other reasons which encourage organizations to invest in practical and relevant employee learning and development platforms:

• Better knowledge retention
• Accessibility of resources
• Training flexibility
• Helps to reinforce essential knowledge
• Remote training for employees
• Reduced training costs
• Higher employee productivity
• Spot skill gaps
• Build team for future

Points to consider while choosing a L&D platform

Selecting an employee L&D platform is an important decision for an organization that considers the following critical features: 

Allow constant update

If an employee wants to learn something, the material must be up-to-date. The learning platform must be flexible enough to allow constant updates as the changes occur dynamically.

Mobile compatibility

Smartphones are the way of life now, and it's imperative that any learning platform launched needs to be mobile compatible.

With learning available on mobile, it makes it easier for organizations to ensure that their entire workforce gets updated in a short time. Employees can train at any time, irrespective of their physical location.

Compare features/benefits

It's important to compare available features and map it to organization needs. Extra features can complicate the learning experience and intimidate learners, thus slowing down the learning pace. Assess LMS thoroughly to ensure organizations aren't paying for something irrelevant. 

Compatibility with existing system

The solution must integrate and comply with the existing systems.

Analytics availability

Measuring the employees' performance and skills is an overwhelming process. Analytics play a major role in gathering insights on metrics. 

Various delivery methods

Many delivery methods are used as per organization needs, target audience, and skills required. Some of the common methods are:

• Classroom training - Conventional classroom training takes place in a physical classroom with a trainer leading the session. It was earlier considered an effective method of training employees on complex topics. Trainers have to segregate the learners based on the scale of their skills and customize the sessions based on competency. Disadvantages of this method are an investment in an external SME, facilities like a classroom, etc. This method is ineffective for simpler and short topics.
• Interactive training: Activities like games, quizzes, group interactions,and activities that keep employees engaged in a non-conventional classroom setting. Employees can choose activities and learn in a self paced environment. 
• On-Job training - Shadow training focuses on the employee's specific needs and takes place on the job.It helps individuals transition smoothly into new roles, boosting existing skills. It is a time-intensive training plan that works effectively when there are enough resources to support employees throughout the program.
• E-learning- E-learning, includes online self paced training with the help of videos, quizzes, and courses, interactive games, tests and gamification. Employees can finish training sessions on computers, mobile phones or tablets. It's one of the most accessible types of employee training to upskill, especially for remote employees. 

Find out a LMS which supports all of the above or methods required as per requirement.

Measure the effectiveness of learning and development programs?

Organizations need measurable metrics and collect the relevant data post the training session.

Employee surveys, quizzes, official certification exams, and one-on-one talks can be used to measure how well the training worked after the session. With more data on how well something works, it's easier to measure and calculate an organization's return on investment.

Conclusion

Employee learning & development programs are critical in boosting the employees' morale and productivity. Implementing the above tips help organizations select the best online L&D platform to ensure effective implementation.

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