Millennials are shaping the future of the workplace and companies are working on providing a workplace that is adaptable for them. One of the trends with millennials is personal growth within the company. Young people within the company want to make sure that they don’t just clock into work and leave (from nine to five) without enhancing themselves.  Enhancement can be done through learning and development, and because of this need by millennials, there has been a shift in learning and development in the workplace. So let’s have a look at what are the current trends for this.

Everything is now global, social and mobile

The current workplace has become more diverse and therefore learning and development has changed in accordance to the change in the social structure of the organization. Having more minorities has shaped how to make sure employees are able to be trained and trainers can create a desired outcome in this process. More and more employees are given the option to be mobile in their workplaces. While this is a good thing, it is happening at a really fast pace and learning departments are finding it difficult with the provision of materials as well as being able to implement it effectively. Lastly, today’s employees are collaborating more with their peers on the job and there has been a provision made for peer to peer learning and incorporating group learnings.

Shift from ‘Push Training’ to ‘Pull Learning’

In the past companies prepared workshops and seminars for their employees as a form of learning within the organization and it was pushed on employees. Currently, employees can now access training and educational materials according to their learning needs. This has caused a shift in how employees have access to learning and development.

Modern learners have different needs

Today’s learners have numerous characteristics and needs. In order to understand them, you have to understand what makes them succeed or disengage. Therefore, there is a need to understand employees and work towards making sure you adapt to their learning needs. There are different scenarios for employees to consider.

1. Learners are overworked and lack patience. Focused learning and supportive learning can counter this.
2. Learners have become more mobile. Learning has to be mobile too and easily accessible.
3. Learners also bring in their personal experience into the classroom. Using these circumstances makes learning more easier.

Blended learning is huge

When focusing on learning you need to note that there are multiple learning methods. This allows for blended learning. Blended learning is the mixture of different modes of learning in order to give different options to learners according to their learning needs. These include virtual classroom sessions, self-guided eLearning modules, in-person training, and performance support resources. This will give learners better access to materials and ensure most employees learning needs are met.

In conclusion, the current trends for learning and development are rooted into how the workplace is evolving. When considering how employees learn all these changes need to be incorporated into the educational systems for companies. To find more about millennials and their contribution to the workplace visit us here.