Having been diagnosed with ADHD as a child and growing up a younger 1994 born millennial, I was very inspired by a Ted Talk by Gabe Zichermann. In his talk he explains why video games are making kids smarter (and seemingly “ADD”). He believes that kids are not in fact attention deficit but that the real world is just too slow and boring for a video game trained mind. We have been trained by video games to think faster and multitask.
According to the 2018 Workplace Learning Report by LinkedIn, 94% of employees felt that they were more likely to stay at a company if it invested in their career development and 87% of millennials compared to 69% non-millennials say development is important in a job.
Companies need to keep up with the way younger employees process information considering by 2025 75% of the workforce will be made up of Millennials and soon the even more tech-savvy Gen Z will be joining us.
Here are 4 Out of date training methods that you should avoid if you want to keep up with a stimulation seeking tech-savvy workforce
1. Traditional eLearning
Although eLearning seems like an up to date, affordable form of training, it can often be perceived as a boring lecture that has been recorded. Learners are unable to interact and contribute, making it difficult to fully invest in the class. The goal in eLearning is to present information, and ‘tick a box’ for having done so, without considering the engagement level of the learner.
2. Not updating training
A company is more likely to succeed if it promotes a culture of learning. By encouraging such a culture your employees will feel that they are being invested in and given the opportunity to grow.
If you are presenting the same training, in the same way all the time, employees may feel that, because the information has not been refreshed, they are not being valued as learners and it is not worth their time. People want to progress and if they feel that the company/organisation they work for is not evolving they are likely to disengage.
3. Classroom/Seminar style training
According to a CIPD 2015 annual report on Learning Development, face-to-face delivery of training is still dominant in organisations. This method of training can be an expensive and, in some cases, ineffective. Unfortunately, in this form of training there is often little to no engagement, potentially leaving employees uninterested and unmotivated. On top of this there is no way to accurately track the effectiveness of the training.
4. Theory-based training
It is common knowledge that we learn by doing. If you learn from a book and receive straight ‘A’s in a test it does not prove that you can apply that knowledge in a practical environment.
So, what now? What is left for trainers to do?
Let’s get inspired by the youth in our workforces. Instead of viewing this as a cog in the wheel, let’s embrace how technology can improve employee motivation and benefit your organisation.
I joined Droman Solutions just over six months ago. Since doing so my world has been inspired by the possibilities of immersive learning in training. I knew that immersive learning was being introduced into classrooms, but it had not yet occurred to me that it could be used as a training solution.
By working with real police officers facing real investigative challenges the brains behind Droman Solutions found that a highly effective solution lies in immersive learning.
Immersive learning helps to engage learners by fully immersing them in a realistic workplace environment and familiar job-related scenarios. Through the medium of a serious game, learners’ inquisitiveness and competitiveness are encouraged through a rewards system; wanting to get the questions right and get their accreditation at the end.
Immersive learning can save your company money in the long run, while being easily updateable. According to Dr Natalie Coull (lecturer in Computer Security and Head of Cyber Division at the University of Abertay in Dundee), immersive learning provides learners with a deep understanding of the concepts being learned , whilst being engaging and motivating. This would explain why International Data Corp. (IDC) projects that total spending on AR/VR products and services will be growing from $9.1 billion in 2017 to nearly $160 billion in 2021 with employee training being one of the reasons for this growth.
If you have any questions on how you could implement immersive training solutions in your company, please feel free to contact us. We will be delighted to help.
