Modern Learning For The Digital Era

Rapid digitization has huge talent implications. Organizations must take a more agile, proactive, and creative approach to upskilling their workforce for the future.

Redeploying and retraining existing talent makes sense on so many levels, yet many learning programs have not changed much in decades. How can firms modernize their learning practices for the digital era? Our Modern Learning insights examine how firms can design and implement robust training that will support digital transformation.

Modern Learning in Action: A Tale of Two Retailers

From changing customer habits, to automation and economic uncertainty, many factors are driving business transformation. Our animation looks at two fictional market leading and highly competitive retailers, Liberty Groceries and National Supermarkets. As retail moves online, both firms are on a race to digitize. Improving efficiency and having the right in-house talent will be vital to their overall strategy. This means that upskilling their workforce from within will become a greater priority. Who can seize the competitive advantage? Watch our animation to see their two different approaches to learning, and their impact.

Given the speed and scale of disruption, firms must be increasingly proactive in developing those skills that will allow them to compete and remain relevant in the workplace of the future

Changing times demand changes to learning practices. Current learning models are rigid and out of step with employees' interests. Many programs do not incorporate the appropriate level of digital courses that will allow firms to upskill and remain competitive in the future. Likewise, many employers do not promote a culture where employees are encouraged to stretch themselves or try to learn new skills outside their comfort zone. In collaboration with Mercer, we’ve prepared the following two papers to help organizations shape their workforce by combining employer- and employee driven learning. This includes developing new parameters for learning structures, delivery methods, and breadth of content.

Modern Learning for the Digital Era lays out foundational program design features, while Making Modern Learning Last outlines the roadmap for sustained success.