eLearning and training: a permanent or temporary combination?

According to the Fosway Group, 94% of companies  changed their training and development strategy in 2020 in favour of online training. No company expects to push for face-to-face learning in the next 12 months due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic. 

This also applies to management training. But what will happen once the health situation returns to happier? Forbes suggests 5 reasons why online learning for managers will remain an upward trend.

1. Greater economic and environmental sustainability

eLearning is cost-effective and time-saving: it is estimated that the trainee saves up to 60% of time compared to face-to-face training. In addition, the content created can be reused, creating additional resource savings. Not to mention that online lessons reduce environmental pollution. 

The World Economic Forum predicts that between 2018 and 2022, 40% of our skills will have to be replaced by new skills ( reskilling). According to Deloitte employees see training as a great incentive to choose a job. 94% say they would stay in a company if it helped them to grow. 

2. Learning anytime, anywhere 

Almost half of the people take the courses during the weekend and 56% say they appreciate the learning that can be enjoyed "in their time of need". Once the pandemic is over, we will see that some of the remote work in 2020 will have become a consolidated and permanent norm. Hybrid office and remote working solutions will make online learning more attractive.

3. A better experience from new technologies

With the development of technology, facial and voice recognition will become more common. So it will be possible, for example, to give immediate feedback to a senior executive based on an instant analysis of how he or she is communicating (made through exact measurements of facial expression and tone of voice). 

4. Virtual learning has been normalised

Before Covid-19, online study was often seen as a sterile substitute for face-to-face learning. Today, Fosway Group reports that 82% of companies are seeing an increase in demand for digital learning from senior stakeholders. Studies show that virtual learning can be as effective as classroom learning. 

5. Digital learning reinforces change 

Thanks to virtual learning you can enjoy the course in small pieces, distributed over time. A full-day classroom lesson can be transformed into three or four short online sessions that can be enjoyed over a few months. This reinforces learning and behaviour change, facilitating personal experimentation in everyday life. 

The pandemic has strengthened the factors in favour of digital training. Classroom learning still has its pros, but eLearning will continue to grow in 2021 and beyond. Companies using the crisis to innovate will learn more and attract more talent. 

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator