10 Predictions for 2011 - That will reshape the Training Industry (summarised by Colin Dawson)
Saturday January 15, 2011
The following is a summary of a paper by Doug Harwood, CEO, Training Industry Inc.
The training industry may have experienced more change in 2010 than any year in recent memory. Some would say a resurgence will be experienced in new technologies including the introduction and improvement of the LMS (Learning Management System). These portals include virtual and informal learning tools, collaboration environments, market research, articles, case studies and more.
Here is a summary of Harwood’s predictions for 2011:
1. Total spending for training services will increase by an estimated 7-9%
They expected to see strong growth in products and services spend related to learning technologies for virtual delivery and on-line access to content and information.
2. Training department staffing will grow by a modest 2%.
Expect to see job growth within corporate training organisations to be more focused on bringing experienced training management professionals back in to restructure and align training to the new corporate way. Expect to see more job opportunities with training suppliers as companies continue to source more services than ever before.
3. Selective outsourcing continues to grow while comprehensive outsourcing will become less popular.
This will continue to follow a trend where there is more selective outsourcing engagements around specific training processes, topics and technologies. Expect to see continued growth for the outsourced delivery of training, as well as for custom content development of online and virtual training.
4. The role of the learning leader is shifting from being a programme manager to a solution architect.
Learning is becoming much more about access to information – meaning that the leader must become more a Solutions Architect, someone who designs innovative approaches for employees to access knowledge, when they need it, in relevant chunks, no matter where they are.
5. Learning technologies are becoming social, collaborative, and virtual.
The future of learning technologies has arrived; Learning portals elegantly integrate social and collaborative tools for access to knowledge. They are virtual worlds of intelligence where learners get information that is not organised or delivered as an event.
6. Speed will become the new mantra for training
Success in the training profession and the training market place is about how fast you get things done. Time is money. People want knowledge fast. Companies will want employees who are at peak performance faster than their competitors.
7. Convergence of educational institutions to the supply chain of corporate training will change the supplier landscape.
Universities, community colleges and for-profit educational institutions are all converging on the corporate training market. What will make this market interesting is they all bring a different value proposition than the independent training companies. It will be interesting to see whether the educational institution can successfully shift from an academic approach to learning to a corporate mindset.
8. Learning content will be transformed for easier consumption.
Creating learning content will be less about putting a wrapper around it and calling it a course. It will be more about smaller knowledge objects, even repurposing information that comes from articles, press releases, white papers, competitive research reports and the like, all related to solving business problems (Such as this summary – Ed)
Success metrics for learning will be based on content access, views, involvement and downloads.
The learning leader’s measure of success has shifted from being about how many students attended a programme to how much content has been accessed, viewed, used and downloaded. The learner will vote on quality and effectiveness through activity, i.e. how much they use and participate.
10. Learning leaders will be more focused on relevancy of information.
With the explosion of different approaches and modalities for creating learning solutions, the learning architect will need to shift the focus to maintaining freshness and relevancy when the learner consumes the content. The learning leader’s challenge will be to make available the right content at the right time. Much like managing a website – this will require new skills related to usability, tagging and search – just to name a few.
Editor Comments:
While this white paper applies to the UK there were many comments from other parts of the globe that reinforced his predictions. We would be interested in any comments that our members would like to make as to how these thoughts might apply to the industry in New Zealand. Please email your thoughts to colin@tltraining.co.nz and we will publish in the next edition of Learning Matters