My 4-year-old niece FaceTimed me the other day.
It wasn’t by accident or with someone else holding the phone. She has learned how to unlock my sister’s phone, find my name in the contacts list and FaceTime me. Countless times throughout the week, I will see my sister’s name pop up on my phone, and sure enough – my niece, Lillian, will be on the other end. I enjoy her newly acquired skill, but she really needs to work on holding the phone still and moving it away from her face – hopefully, this will come with time.
Consider this:
7 years ago FaceTime didn’t exist – now 4-year-olds know how to use it.
11 years ago smartphones didn’t exist – now 81% of Americans own a smartphone
Desktop sales have declined from 157 million units to 88 million units from 2010 - 2019, as more users have switched to a mobile friendly laptop, tablet or smartphone (Statista)
Over 1/3 of all college students take at least one online course while 1/6 are completely online (InsideHigherEd)
What does this mean?
Simply put – technology is changing the world as we know it. The rapid expansion and easy adoption of technology has enabled us to be more mobile and technologically savvy than ever. People are taking advantage of it as the above statistics show.
Most importantly, the democratization of technology, coupled with the shift in workplace demographics, is changing the way we do business. The workforce is now made up of digital natives who grew up with smartphones in their hands and received information instantly. These employees are lifelong learners who value knowledge and continuous learning, as the skills they gain give them security and confidence to take control of their careers.
As employers, we must create learning environments for our employees. One fundamental concept we teach in all of our trainings at Butler Street is Operating Reality – the ability to see problems and opportunities through the eyes of your client.
Think about the operating reality of your employees for a minute. How does the training your company offer compare to the way your employees have received content and information for most of their life?
Smartphone users can access almost any piece of information at their fingertips and watch, listen, read, or even interact with others about any given topic. If they have a question, they type it into the Google search bar and an answer instantly appears. If they want to learn a new skill, they go to YouTube and a series of videos appear that teach the desired skill.
Where I am is where I learn.
Does your training offer a similar type of experience for your employees?
Possibly – as nearly 75% of U.S. companies use online learning today. However, type “eLearning” into Google and 159 million results appear – so, how can you ensure your online training is effective? Start by asking yourself these questions:
Can my employees access their eLearning anytime, anywhere from any device?
Is my eLearning interactive?
Does my eLearning help my employees improve the skills that are necessary for their specific job?
If you need further help assessing your eLearning or online training – we can help.
If you don’t have eLearning in place today, the benefits of an eLearning strategy are as follows:
Allow employees to learn at their own pace by providing training that is available anytime and anywhere through any device
Increase revenue – Revenue generated per employee is 26% more for organizations that offer technology-based training such as eLearning (Topyx)
Cost-effective – IBM saved $200 million after incorporating online learning into their training strategy (Topyx)
Scalable, repeatable methodology to train employees
Agile – click of the button and you can be up and running with an eLearning strategy for your business
Supports microlearning – any type of learning that takes place in short spurts and is easy to digest
It is predicted that by 2020, 98% of businesses would have implemented an online learning strategy to meet their employees’ continuing education needs and desire for eLearning.
2020 is 2 months away: Need help getting there? Contact us to learn more.
Sources: https://www.statista.com/statistics/272595/global-shipments-forecast-for-tablets-laptops-and-desktop-pcs/ https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2018/11/07/new-data-online-enrollments-grow-and-share-overall-enrollment https://www.topyx.com/lms-blog/3-statistics-on-the-business-value-of-online-learning