In 2013, an estimated 77 percent of American companies utilized some form of online learning within their corporate training materials. Furthermore, research discovered that eLearning helps organizations boost productivity by 50 percent, and that every dollar spent results in $30 of productivity. The enhanced delivery of corporate training materials is obviously changing the way companies teach and employees learn, and that steadily burgeoning trend has shown no signs of slowing in 2014.
But what does the future have in store for companies and their training staffs? As technology continues to evolve and organizations aim to improve their bottom lines, digital training initiatives will surely keep pace. Here are some things to look for from corporate training materials in 2015:
Training on the Go
The portability of corporate training materials will continue to flourish in 2015. Companies are understanding the employee engagement, timeliness, and productivity benefits of a solution that puts content onto tablets rather than anchors it to a desktop computer or the Internet. Training can be taken anywhere—on the floor, in the field, or wherever the opportunity presents itself. Employees are responding, too, especially Millennials, who are lock in step with this technology.
BYOD
The bring-your-own-device (BYOD) craze that has exploded in the past couple years has changed how organizations and their employees access company communications and processes. More businesses are realizing that the financial benefits of letting their workers use their own phones and tablets outweigh the logistic and security risks (which can be actively managed). Expect corporate training materials to continue adapting BYOD in 2015. It makes sense: Companies can reach more employees without committing to a significant capital outlay (at $300-$400 a pop, tablets can get expensive in a hurry), and workers will be more likely to embrace training content on their own devices, at their own convenience.
More Devices, Bigger Phones
In case you missed it, the new iPhone 6 is humongous—a likely response to the success of the Samsung Galaxy Note. Both “phablets” have implications for corporate training materials: Because of their not-so-small screens (for a phone, at least), they can possibly replace iPads and Galaxy Tabs as a way for employees to watch training content. And of course, new technology is always emerging; the latest buzz is the Apple Watch. Though its impact won’t be known for a while until after it’s released next year, don’t be surprised if your employees start asking if they can watch training videos on their wrists …
Live Video Chat
Many younger employees are already comfortable with face-to-face video conversations on their tablets and phones, and older workers are coming around to the medium as the technology makes it simpler. Furthermore, training solutions are evolving to take unprecedented advantage of video capabilities. The combination of these two factors allows training materials to go live. A trainer can remotely guide an employee through a process or rollout and watch how it is progressing in real time. Video training sessions with multiple employees at multiple locations will also be possible—and easy.
Where do you think the future of corporate training materials is headed?
