Learning and Development programs are an essential part of a successful human capital strategy. Professional development is a proven way to improve employee engagement and retention, plus it keeps your team's skills sharp and relevant.L&D programs can also be expensive. US businesses spent around $98 billion on professional development in 2024, with an average per-employee cost of $774.
Learning managers are under pressure to do more with less, while also demonstrating clear ROI on L&D expenditure. Fortunately, technology is helping firms to deliver training that's faster, cheaper and more effective. And the good news is that technology is getting even better.
What are the biggest innovations in training and development?
Many organizations have already adopted a Learning Management System (LMS) to oversee professional development programs and deliver mandatory training.
A good LMS is a superb basis for a technology-driven approach to learning and development. Here are some more tech innovations that could drive even further change.
1. Artificial Intelligence creating bespoke training materials
Many commercial LMS platforms are adding Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools that can potentially improve professional development outcomes.
One use of AI is to create a learning path that's more tailored to the individual. Generative AI can help make complicated decisions about the order in which learning materials, based on the employee's current progress. AI chatbots can also answer questions and offer clarifications.
AI can also help create new learning materials. Need to make a quiz based on a 200-page textbook? Ask a Generative AI tool to analyze and produce some sample questions. You can also use AI to create written training materials, podcasts, and even video learning modules.
2. Virtual Reality opens a new world of training possibilities
Virtual Reality (VR) training has been around for some time. It’s mostly been the preserve of high-fliers, such as surgeons and precision engineers. However, the cost of VR equipment has plummeted in recent years. Now even a small enterprise can look at a cost-effective virtual training solution.
Walmart, for instance, has started using virtual training to onboard new customer service staff. This has allowed them to cut an eight-hour training session to just fifteen minutes, saving millions of dollars. In the corporate world, businesses are using VR to help develop soft skills. For example, leadership candidates can practice public speaking in front of a digital audience or role-play a virtual meeting.
VR learning seems to offer impressive results. A PWC study claims that VR learners are four times faster to train than other eLearners. They also end up 275% more confident about applying their new skills in the real world. More and more people have VR kit at home, which would make this learning tool available to remote workers too.
3. Microlearning helps people find time for development
Microlearning has quietly become part of our lives in recent years. Lots of us will gladly spend 15 minutes enjoying a TED Talk, watching an explainer video, or listening to an informative podcast. More and more, training and development professionals are leveraging this format to deliver bite-sized training sessions, known as microlearning.
Microlearning isn’t just about breaking larger modules into smaller chapters. Instead, each microlearning unit should focus on a single idea or concept. It’s an ideal format for rolling out training about new processes, regulations, or policy changes. Training and development professionals have an area of channels they can leverage for microlearning, from YouTube to Spotify to an internal blog post.
Advocates of the microlearning approach claim that it leads to 50% more learner engagement. Of course, that depends on how you deploy microlearning material. But it’s certainly a great way to keep engagement levels high, especially when dealing with remote workers.
4. Gamification helps drive learning engagement
Gamification is the process of making the learning experience feel like a game, offering rewards for completing units and gentle nudges to keep going. One of the most high-profile examples of this strategy at the moment is the language app, Duolingo. Over 110 million people use Duolingo each month to grow their language skills.
Enterprise-level learning games are increasingly commonplace, with companies like KPMG saying that they've seen positive results. One study shows that 30% of employees learn better with gamification tools, and that number seems likely to rise as Gen Z enters the workforce.
Educational games are especially suitable to learning on mobile devices. Users may be more willing to engage with training materials when they're on the move if the learning tools are fun to use.
5. Learning and development data improves outcomes
Flexibility is key to a successful employee learning and development program. You need to adapt to sudden training needs (such as upskilling for AI adoption), find new ways to connect with learners, and demonstrate ROI to senior leaders.
This flexibility is only possible if you have rich data about your learning programs. Thankfully, modern LMS platforms have been getting better and better at providing detailed data, allowing you to track the success of your learning program with immense precision.
Artificial Intelligence can now help turn that data into insights. Using AI-powered analytics, you can identify the strengths and weaknesses of your learning strategy, allowing you to focus on improvements. In the long term, that means spending less on learning and development, while outcomes get better and better.
Need help with employee training and development?
While training and development technology might be changing fast with creativity and innovation, the overall purpose stays the same. It’s all about empowering people to achieve their potential. No matter what the next year throws at us, training and development teams will be ready.
If you are looking for a learning and development partner to help you build out more effective training programs for your team in this virtual environment, reach out to us for a complimentary consultation with one of our certified trainers.
