Innovative training technologies are nothing new. Almost all major companies utilize some form of online learning module, and even top business schools offer remote training opportunities that employers can utilize (usually for a healthy fee). But now that those technologies are in place and very familiar, the time has come to iterate and improve upon them. In the coming year, expect several new training and development solutions, as well as many smaller improvements to those you already use every day.
Increasing Accountability
Almost every Training & Development coordinator knows the look: the employee slumped down in his or her chair, eyes glazed over, clicking rapidly through whatever online learning module they’re being forced to read (or not read, as the case may be). In 2013, expect several new web-based solutions for keeping employees accountable for actually participating in training modules. This new focus on accountability is a welcome development for employers, especially within emergency services like police, fire fighters, and paramedics.
Training in the Cloud
The trend of employees working remotely has exploded in recent years, but training resources have failed to keep up. In 2013, look for a number of new cloud-based remote training solutions to emerge. A few pioneering companies have already released systems that allow training managers to import all their classroom resources onto cloud-based platforms and enabling remote users to sign on when their schedules allow.
Greater Focus on Mobile
The modern workplace is rarely sedentary, especially for managers. Most managers spend much of their working days away from their desks and on their feet. Expect training needs to adapt to this increasingly pervasive work style in 2013 by enabling greater access to T&D resources from mobile platforms. This will allow managers and trainers to check user progress and engagement, and potentially even respond to trainee questions from a mobile device.
Training Becomes Reactive
New challenges arrive at breakneck speed in the modern workplace, and with them come needs for new skills and knowledge. There may simply be no time for building a new training deck, mounting a new e-learning module, or even booking a conference room for an afternoon learning session. Instead, training managers will have to think on their feet and respond quickly to new challenges. Look for groundbreaking solutions in this space — aided largely by the mobile developments I described above — during 2013.
All told, 2013 is set to bring a host of long-awaited solutions to the corporate training space. This will be the year that you finally put away the clicker and the laser pointer and begin relying on mobile, cloud-based technologies to make your training faster, smarter, and more agile than ever before.
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