The world of work is constantly evolving. While learning on the job has always been important, it’s now more critical than ever to upskill and stay relevant. Current trends in workplace learning in many organisations show that Learning and Development (L&D) is a department in its own right.
In this post, we’ll discuss workplace learning and explore some of the latest trends according to LinkedIn’s 2024 Workplace Learning Report. We’ll also discuss some SACAP Global short courses and workshops you can complete online to stay ahead of the curve and future-proof your CV or business.
What is workplace learning?
Workplace learning is critical to advancing your career and growing a business. Although we are constantly learning while working, a formal approach to gaining skills in the workplace has become necessary as the business landscape and job market shift and become more competitive.
This formal approach, called workplace learning or L&D (learning & development), involves a holistic approach to business success and individual growth. For example, besides developing personal skills, L&D departments focus on diversity and equity programmes and promote a supportive company culture.
As part of human resources within an organisation, L&D has become a cross-functional department, as it considers the need to attract and grow talent and provides opportunities for employees to succeed.
As the 2024 Workplace Report states:
“As AI reshapes how people learn, work, and chart their careers, L&D sits at the center of organizational agility, delivering business innovation and critical skills.”
This post will discuss the report’s latest trends, including how businesses must embrace “skills agility” to stay relevant.
Current trends in workplace learning
L&D looks different for every company. However, here are some of the overarching trends in workplace learning in 2024:
1. Aligning learning to business goals
Adaptability is critical in a world of generative AI. To become adaptable, we need to constantly learn, unlearn, and relearn, which, by its very nature, involves adaptation and change.
Companies must focus on aligning learning with business goals, equipping employees to grow with the business, and promoting the overall benefit of both employees and the company. Taking courses and upskilling is no longer just a “nice to have.” Thankfully, online courses offer an accessible way to upskill while working.
As the marketplace becomes more competitive, businesses must prioritise staff retention. One way to do this is to ensure your staff are engaged and supported while working towards their career goals.
2. Focus on skills agility
While many people might feel threatened by AI and how it will affect their careers, there is a massive opportunity to take advantage of AI when it comes to workplace learning.
LinkedIn’s latest report discusses the concept of “skills agility,” which means staying adaptable and taking on new challenges, even within the same organisation. This type of agility also allows for more internal mobility, flexibility, and employee retention.
Learning also allows building a solid and supportive company culture, which can help foster a sense of purpose.
3. Creating a culture of learning
Learning for the sake of learning can be rewarding. However, in the context of workplace learning, it needs to be strategic to offer maximum value for both the individual and the organisation.
For this reason, it’s not sufficient to judge the success of an L&D programme only qualitatively. There needs to be a systematic approach to collecting and analysing quantitative data to ensure that learning is strategic and offers a return on investment.
It’s also essential to build a holistic learning system instead of offering ad hoc courses that might be enjoyable but don’t offer long-term value.
In this way, taking courses or upskilling needs to form part of a holistic learning culture, with the required skills development planning. As the 2024 Workplace Report states:
“Companies with strong learning cultures see higher retention rates, more internal mobility, and a healthier management pipeline than those with smaller levels of commitment.”
4. Helping employees develop their careers
While disruptive, AI offers many opportunities to help organisations empower and upskill their employees. One benefit of AI is that it can help develop personalised learning programmes.
The 2024 LinkedIn Workplace Learning report discusses how many organisations intend to upskill, but when done at scale, it can take a lot of work to implement. Data shows that it takes years to get these programmes off the ground and to measure their impact.
Therefore, focusing on personalised learning and even “micro-learning” opportunities is much more effective. Targeted programmes are more effective than “one-size-fits-all” learning that happens at scale but takes time and effort.
5. Improving employee retention
In today’s zeitgeist, employees crave stimulation and the need to upskill and stay relevant in the job market. They want to be more involved at work and have more flexibility and mobility.
As mentioned above, focusing on skills agility is valuable for building a successful business and helps to improve employee retention. In other words, skills development is more than just the bottom line; it is also about creating a sense of purpose, meaning, belonging and camaraderie at work.
LinkedIn research shows that Gen Z employees crave purpose and fulfilment. Therefore, to cater to future generations and inspire newcomers, developing a plan to empower and upskill employees for mutual benefit is critical.
Learn valuable interpersonal skills at SACAP Global
The 2024 Workplace Report lists analytics, interpersonal, presentation, problem-solving, and people management skills as priority focus areas. At SACAP Global, we offer a variety of specialised short courses and workshops that can help you build relevant skills and stay current with workplace learning trends.
As people management skills become increasingly important, our management and leadership short courses can help you build the necessary competencies to grow a business successfully and lead its people.
Interpersonal Skills
- The Advanced Interpersonal Communication course empowers you to engage more meaningfully with others, manage conflict and provide tools for navigating social and work dynamics.
Problem-solving skills
- In Coaching Skills for Managers, you’ll learn how to use the art and science of coaching to motivate and get the most out of your team by cultivating growth through learning with the progress-oriented conversation management style.
- The Intro to Business Environments course will help you understand the complexities of contemporary business. Learn about globalisation and explore functional business areas like marketing, operations, business, and finance.
People management skills
- Intro to Management and Leadership will teach you valuable management skills to drive business growth. You’ll also learn more about managing key leadership issues – including knowing when to manage and when to lead.
- Sharpen your team management skills with Employee Motivation and Wellness. This course will teach you how to inspire and empower your employees and discuss the importance of engagement and employee wellness to business success.
- In Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent, you’ll learn more about best recruitment practices. We’ll also give you tools to motivate and inspire employees through rewards and compensation and tips on managing employee grievances effectively.
Contact us to learn more about implementing a holistic learning strategy that delivers maximum value. For more information about our specialised online short courses and workshops, browse our course list.