What Stands Out in the Corporate Education World of 2022?
L&D (Learning and Development) departments provided support to employees during a long year of skill gaps in hybrid work environments. But now we have started to return to normal work environments. So what's next? We spoke to e-Learning industry experts, leaders and students about what they expect and need from L&D in 2022 to find out what's going on in the industry.
Edtech Türkiye 
2022 Corporate Education Trends
Digital learning continues to help employees adapt to change while many people still work from home and online education is a part of our lives. People are now adopting a self-directed, individual approach to learning. Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT), webinars and e-Learning are among the tools used for corporate training while working remotely. It is almost certain that online learning will be permanent in our lives. So how can you continue to deliver effective training while avoiding digital fatigue in this new normal? We conducted research with more than 1,000 L&D professionals and students, as well as industry experts, to find the key trends for 2022.
1. Real Micro Learning
25% of L&D professionals say microlearning is the learning approach they're most successful in at their company. The training content, which is presented in small pieces, is becoming increasingly popular among employees who have to squeeze corporate training into their busy schedule. The duration of lecture sessions is reduced to eight minutes thanks to the micro-learning approach. But it's not just about reducing the length of the learning material. “We will see an increase in digital learning fatigue in 2022,” says David Perring, Fosway Group Research Director. "Companies will need more value-centered, people-centred learning to combat this." he adds. As more workers face burnout, the need for shorter, more result-oriented and work-related learning experiences is greater than ever before. Microlearning also respects the time of employees outside of work, thanks to individual-centered learning that enables them to learn topics that will benefit them.
2. Flexible Blended Learning
The new working environment continues to evolve and hybrid working methods are getting more mature every day. “We will see very sharp increases in participation in in-person events, but the rate of learning delivered digitally will be much higher than pre-pandemic levels,” says Nick Shackleton-Jones, CEO of Shackleton Consulting. 30% of companies are returning to face-to-face corporate training, but they do not completely abandon digital training and offer alternatives to employees. Blended learning design continues to be renewed to suit the diverse demands of the new learning environment. This modern approach to blended learning maximizes impact while giving people choice and flexibility.
3. Video-Assisted Social Learning
Video is an approach that is constantly coming up as a focal point for L&D teams. This year is one of the times when video comes to the fore. 41% of learning team leaders say they want to integrate video learning into their training. Video-assisted learning is not a new approach, but it is not always effective either. So how can you harness the power of video? In this era of solitary work environments, videos have proven to be critical for people to continually collaborate and build relationships. Drawing on the work of collaborative learning of people, L&D leaders focus on short, emotional videos inspired by social media covering topics such as real events, SME and thought leaders interviews.
4. AI-Based Personalized Learning Experiences
Most companies have plenty of learning content. But the real challenge is to deliver the right content to employees at the right time. 15% of L&D teams are unsure how they can use artificial intelligence (AI) to personalize learning.
AI tools leverage data to deliver customizable learning paths. In this way, employees can receive training on the relevant subject whenever they need it. Lori Niles Hofmann, NilesNolan Learning Strategist, said: "Employee-centered approaches and incentive learning have been used in various forms over the years. But we have yet to see the full potential of these approaches." she says.
At its core, this trend is all about data. Even if you don't have all the necessary technological infrastructure, you can collect data to find out what works in the training you provide to employees and create personalized learning experiences for them.
5. Priority Is Being Healthy and Happy
Rapid change and increasing global uncertainty have put many employees under strain. Collaborative learning in the workplace is now more difficult because there is pressure for individual learning. It's not surprising, therefore, that our survey highlights employee well-being and mental health as a focus for L&D leaders in the new year.
Brandon Carson, Vice President of Walmart's Learning and Leadership Department, said, "I am thrilled with the opportunity to positively impact the lives of our employees." He states that they will focus more deeply on the well-being and health of their employees.
Conclusion
L&D needs to keep up, as our ways of working will continue to evolve through 2022. We've shared with you 5 training trends that will help you create value for your company and employees in the coming year. Whichever of our shared approaches you focus on, the key to success in the year ahead is putting your people at the center of L&D.
