Current learning trends in Europe and the United States

Addressing the challenges of the economic downturn and the development needs of todays learners
A whitepaper by: Jeremy Blain
Director of the Cegos International Partners Network Overview
In todays tough economic climate, the challenges have never been greater for Learning and
Development (L&D). Technology-led learning now plays a fundamental role in most learning strategies,
with the trend towards more innovative practices largely being driven by todays generation of
technology savvy learners. As organizations focus more closely on the bottom line, measuring the
effectiveness and business value of L&D has never been more important.
This document examines current global learning trends and the impact the economic situation is having
on training practices. It draws on new research by the Cegos Group, a global leader in professional
training, and reveals what todays generation of learners actually want from their learning experience
and how e-learning and blended learning can be made more effective and more accountable.
Market background and key drivers Globalization and the need for organizations to be more
competitive than ever before have led to changes in working practices. This, in turn, has changed the
way that organizations train their workforces at home and overseas in the quest to succeed in todays
increasingly competitive knowledge economy.
The corporate learning landscape has undergone a major transformation during the last few
years from instructor-led to e-learning and blended learning. Added to this is the dramatic
rise in informal learning with social networking, Web 2.0 technologies and other interactive
tools increasingly contributing to the mix.
This shift to technology-led learning has created tremendous opportunities and challenges
for L&D. And, at the same time, the economic downturn has brought additional pressures.
There are a number of pressing issues that L&D must address - How can I harness the
power of new technologies and integrate them effectively within my L&D strategy? How can I
do more with less? How can I demonstrate to the board, functional heads and line managers
the business value and impact L&D has on performance?
With spending on training being put under the spotlight, having a strong Return on
Investment (ROI) focus, from day one, has become essential.
Technology-led learning is continuing to grow at a phenomenal rate across the world. The
world market for e-learning is expected to exceed US$52.6 billion by 2010, according to
Global Industry Analysts. The US retains its dominance in the corporate e-learning market
with a share of over 60%, followed by Europe with a share of less than 15%.
Blended learning continues to rise in popularity too. Organizations are increasingly
recognizing the business benefits of combining bite-sized chunks of personalized content
that can be delivered to the desktop in real-time with learning techniques such as shorter
classroom-based training sessions and on-the-job line manager training.
The right e-learning and blended learning solutions implemented successfully and costeffectively, are
proving to be powerful business tools that help organizations maximize
training budgets, improve performance and achieve long-term growth. Both techniques are
capable of engaging learners more effectively and mean that training can fit around day-today work
activities more easily. This means less time spent away from the office and more
time at the desk being productive particularly important in the current economic climate.
Todays generation of technology savvy learners have become a significant driver of
technology-led learning. Cegos Groups research among companies operating in Europe
shows that the greatest users of e-learning are managers and the under 35s and that
employees are now stating a preference for e-learning and blended learning over traditional
classroom/instructor led training.
Web 2.0 technologies and social learning are set to grow most dramatically in the next few
years as a result of the expectations of Generation Y and the proliferation of social tools like
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Forrester Research predicts that the global enterprise
market for Web 2.0 technologies will reach US$4.6 billion by 2013. The analyst house also
expects serious games to take off in the next five years due to technology populism and
the Generation Y effect.
Training expenditure
Despite the global economic slowdown, most companies across the world remain committed
to investing in training. However, reduced budgets mean that less training is being delivered
and different methods are being considered and used.
The US and Europe have traditionally been on a par in terms of average training
expenditure. UK Trade and Investment estimates that large companies from the US and
Western Europe typically invest more than 2-3% of their revenue in training. Average
training expenditure as a percentage of payroll was 2.15% in 2007 among companies
surveyed by ASTD for its State of the Industry Report 2008.
In the US, recent figures from Training Magazine/Bersin & Associates show that average
training expenditures have fallen 11%, from $1,202 per learner in 2007 to $1,075 in 2008.
This compares with ASTD data which showed average training expenditure for 2007 to be
$1,103 per employee, an increase of 6% from 2006. These figures include training budgets
and payroll. Mid-size companies have been affected to the highest degree with a 48% drop
in per-learner spending. It is perhaps not surprising that midsize firms are the most
vulnerable segment of the market being neither as lean as small companies nor having the
depth of resources of large enterprises. Spending in small companies is down only slightly,
with large companies seeing a drop of 9%. See figure 1. Cegos July 2009
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Figure 1: Average US and worldwide training expenditure
Training Magazine/Bersin & Associates figures for training staff employed in the US tell a
similar story. Overall, the number of organizations reporting staff reductions among their
training functions has shown a five-fold increase from 2007 to 2008. As a result some
organizations are increasingly turning to external suppliers for support.
Figures from ASTD reveal that companies in Brazil spend, on average, $810 per trained
head per year, which is on a par with the USA and Europe. In contrast to other markets,
investment in training in Brazil has been growing steadily during the past five years and is
continuing to grow. This reflects both a significant increase in the perceived importance of
training in Brazil and a growing economy despite the global economic slowdown.
Confidence among learning professionals in the US has finally begun to rebound.
Confidence in the availability of resources increased for the first time in nearly a year
according to ASTDs Learning Executive Confidence Index Q2 2009. Most learning
executives are forecasting stability in their learning expenditures in the next six months and
the majority are predicting that their learning expenditures will improve by the end of 2010.
In comparison, European research undertaken by Cegos in 2009, among L&D professionals
from companies in the UK, France, Germany and Spain, reveals that training budgets in
Europe appear to be holding steady. 81% of organizations expect to sustain or indeed
increase their investments in training this year. The overall split was 53% of organizations
expecting their training budgets to remain the same, 28% expecting them to increase and
19% expecting to see an overall decrease in budgets.
Cegos research shows that France and Germany spend the most on training in Europe. This
can partly be explained by legislative measures. In France, 1% of any companys salary bill
must be spent on training and development or it is levied as a tax on employers. Likewise, in
Germany, the existence of workers councils which look after employees interests similarly
as unions, are responsible for driving the skills agenda and ensuring the L&D budget is
protected from expense cuts.
Training expenditure priorities
Organizations are reallocating training resources towards what they see as their most critical
business issues. According to Training Magazine/Bersin & Associates, the top priorities Cegos July
2009
4
among US companies are meeting compliance requirements and improving skills that are
highly specific to a learners job. The percentage of total training budget allocated to
profession/industry specific training has increased from 15% in 2007 to 21% in 2008 an
increase of 6%. Much of this increase appears to be at the expense of IT/desktop application
training. See figure 2.
Sales training and management/supervisory training both continue to receive large chunks of
funding. Sales training increased from 13% of total training budget allocation in 2007 to 14%
in 2008. Overall, the total spending on leadership development (which includes both
management/supervisory training and executive development), is down slightly, from 21% in
2007 to 17% in 2008.
Figure 2: Average % of training budget allocated to each program area in the US
(Source: Bersin & Associates, 2008)
According to ASTD, 52% of training investment is currently being directed to leadership
training, followed by 16% to sales training, 12% to service and 8% to skills development.
In Europe we are seeing a slightly different picture. Organizations are focusing primarily on
job related technical skills as well as IT skills. Additionally, leadership and professional skills
development programs are well represented. These trends are echoed in the Middle East
too.
Cegos 2009 research shows that in Europe, 44% of employees receive job-related technical
skills training and 33% receive IT skills training. 18% of employees have undertaken sales
related training in the past year, while 25% have undertaken personnel development skills
training, 21 % management skills training and 15% leadership skills development. See figure
3.
L&D professionals are increasingly recognizing that skills like managing change, sales and
negotiation are going to be key in helping organizations win through the recession. For many
companies, investing in professional skills development is a key priority for improving
performance, motivation and retention and ultimately driving long-term business growth. Cegos July
2009
5
Figure 3: % of EU employees receiving training in specific areas (Source: Cegos,
2009)
Delivery methods are changing
L&D functions in the US are modifying the delivery methods used, which impacts budget
changes and cuts to internal training staff.
In 2007, the use of e-learning was continuing to rise, albeit at a reduced rate. ASTDs State
of the Industry Report 2008, revealed that technology-based learning grew from 30.3% of
learning hours made available in 2006 to 32.6% in 2007, up from 11.5% in 2000.
According to Training Magazine/Bersin & Associates, instructor-led classroom training
remains steady, at 67% of all training hours while e-learning has decreased for the first time
ever. In 2007, online self-study courses accounted for 20% of all formal training hours,
dropping to 16% in 2008. Virtual classroom training also fell, from 10% in 2007 to 8% in
2008. Taken together, the total amount of online training (e-learning plus virtual classroom)
dropped 6 percentage points, making it 24% of all formal training hours consumed. See
figure 4.
A number of issues now come into focus. To some extent, some companies may have
reached a plateau with their online learning, while others have realized that online courses
by themselves are not always effective. As a result, companies are increasingly searching
for the right blend of training methods to maximize the effectiveness of learning. Others are
looking for more cost-effective alternatives to online learning which for some enterprises has
proven to be a more expensive route than anticipated. Coaching by line-managers and onthe-job
training are now playing an increasingly important role in the current financial climate. Cegos July
2009
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Figure 4: % of formal training hours delivered by each method in the US (Source:
Bersin & Associates, 2008)
Cegos research reveals a different picture in Europe. While classroom learning is still the
most popular method, used by 93% of employees, e-learning and blended learning are
indeed rising in popularity and are used by around 40% of all employees. The UK and Spain
are continuing to lead the way with more than 50% of employees using both techniques.
Cegos undertook a study in late 2008 among companies operating in the UK, with the key
objective being to evaluate how the economic downturn was likely to impact training
practices during 2009. The survey revealed that e-learning would be the biggest area of
growth for 2009, with nearly three quarters (73%) of organizations planning to use elearning, and 36%
saying they would be increasing their e-learning efforts as a direct result
of the economic situation. See figure 5.
Feedback from L&D professionals in the UK revealed that most were expecting to leverage
more bang for their buck from their training budgets in 2009 and that L&D would need to be
more accountable, cost-effective and less time consuming. The majority perceived elearning to be
capable of delivering on all fronts and increasingly appealing as it means less
time spent away from the desk and more time being productive.
The survey also revealed that the use of serious games for learning and development is set
to grow. More than a quarter (27%) of companies operating in the UK said they have plans
to integrate immersive gaming within their 2009 L&D strategies. More than half of
respondents said blended learning will be a key part of their training strategy and one in five
respondents have plans to embrace mobile learning in 2009. Cegos July 2009
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Figure 5: Planned training methods for professional development in 2009 among
companies operating in the UK
The same survey revealed sales training to be a key growth area for 2009 with 25% of
organizations planning to increase sales function training, focusing on both managers and
individual team members in order to secure increased business and drive growth. The
greatest cuts were planned for trainer development and coaching and development at the
top level of the business.
What do employees actually want?
One of the key challenges facing most organizations today is how can I make training more
effective? The key to implementing successful training programs lies in listening to what
employees actually like and want.
Cegos Group has done exactly this through its in-depth survey carried out in March 2009.
The study compared viewpoints of 2,355 employees and 485 HR directors/training
managers from companies employing more than 500 staff in the UK, France, Germany and
Spain.
The survey identified the following trends:
Learners want to see more technology-driven learning developed during the next
three years and have a preference for e-learning and blended learning over
classroom learning
Employees are keener to embrace collaborative tools like blogs, forums and wikis.
There is a gap between what employees like and want, and what HR professionals
are actually planning to develop over the next three years
Half of employees across Europe want more e-learning and blended learning
compared to 40% of HR professionals
44% of employees want to see collaborative techniques developed compared to
under a third (32%) of HR professionals Cegos July 2009
8
Face-to-face learning is more popular among the human resources function with 42%
of respondents wanting to see more classroom learning compared to 38% of
employees.
Figure 6: Learning methods to be developed in the next 3 years (%)
Employees in Europe clearly like e-learning and blended learning and are overwhelmingly
satisfied with their learning experience. Cegos survey found that for 89% of employees,
blended learning is living up to expectations well or very well, and the same was found for
82% of respondents using e-learning.
Making e-learning more effective
Cegos 2009 European study also looked at ways to optimize the learning experience and
asked end-users of e-learning in Europe how e-learning can be made more effective. See
figure 7.
The vast majority of employees (88%) rated work-based scenarios as a top tool for
improving effectiveness.
In second place, 82% rated self-assessment techniques and in third place, 73% rated
help from a tutor or peer.
The use of podcasts and e-learning on mobile phones were less popular features, with
only 47% and 38%, respectively, of staff rating these among their top three methods for
enhancing their learning experience. Cegos July 2009
9
Figure 7: Techniques to make e-learning more effective
When asked about the criteria for evaluating the quality of e-learning for personal
development, users were primarily concerned about the realism of the workplace situations
portrayed (53% of responses), the credibility and experiences of professionals or expert
reports (50%), interactivity (45%) as well as the use of video (43%). Ease of navigation,
quality of technical content and visual quality of the courses were less important criteria. See
figure 8 below.
Figure 8: Criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of e-learning among employees Cegos July 2009
10
Measuring training effectiveness
As companies look to ensure that training is delivering tangible value to the organization, the
need to put in place techniques to measure the effectiveness and value of learning and
development has risen up the L&D and corporate agenda.
While most companies use some methods of measurement, Return on Investment (ROI) -
the most fundamental and important measure - is all too often being ignored. According to
ASTD International, just 3% of companies globally measure ROI of L&D. Cegos research
shows that 26% of companies in Europe measure ROI, with the UK leading the field with
47% of companies measuring ROI. See figure 9 below.
Figure 9: A comparison of the different methods used to measure training
effectiveness globally and in Europe
Level 1: Self-assessment by learner
Level 2: Assessment of training absorbed
Level 3: Assessment of application of training
Level 4: Evaluation of impact of training
Level 5: Evaluation of ROI
Conclusion - What does the future hold for L&D?
Technology-led learning particularly e-learning and blended learning - have clearly come a
long way during recent years, and the significant business benefits are there for all to see.
Given the current economic climate, key focus points for the development and delivery of
both techniques will be cost, ROI and making learning more effective. One of the keys to
achieving this will be listening to learner needs and ensuring that the individual is at the
center of all learning activities. The best way to achieve this is through a three way
partnership between the organization, the individual and the training provider (either internal
or external).
Technology is undoubtedly changing the way people work on a global scale. Working
remotely coupled with an increasingly mobile workforce and the increase in wireless mobile
broadband, means that training delivery methods need to continue to adapt to todays fast Cegos
July 2009
11
paced work environment. This is being seen in the rise of the development of mobile
learning platforms and how organizations are providing bite-sized learning that can be
accessed from almost anywhere. 14% of US organizations currently deliver learning on
mobile platforms and the use of podcasting for training purposes has grown to 15%
according to Bersin & Associates. It is likely that organizations will continue experimenting
with podcasting and vodcasting (video podcasting) to ensure efforts are directed at the right
audiences.
Two key challenges facing learning and development professionals are the integration of
informal learning with more traditional learning and measuring the effectiveness and
business value of these different components. It is essential that ROI become central to
learning strategy decisions.
For multinational organizations, the globalization of training content is one of the remaining
challenges in meeting the goal to achieve economies of scale and International bestpractice. Success will
depend on being able to adapt content to a multicultural audience
while ensuring localized delivery. As a world-leader, Cegos is at the forefront of responding
to this need.
ABOUT CEGOS
Cegos Group, established in 1926 is today the European leader in professional education
and one of the major global players. Its consultants have expertise across all subject areas
in management and developing competencies: human resources, management and
leadership, performance and organizational skills, individual and team performance,
marketing and commercial, project management, deployment of large training systems
internationally.
In 2008, the Cegos Group achieved sales of 195.5 M and trained more than 200,000 staff
in Europe and internationally. Cegos employs 1,200 consultants and works in 30 countries
across the globe.
Trends in Training -- Reg Polson at the AITD 2001 Conference

"Unless we learn from the past, we are condemned to repeat it"
- Albert Einstein.

As a Human Resource and Training Broker, I am in the
privileged position of being in touch with a wide range of Human
Resource practices in various organisations.

A wise person is capable of reflecting on what is currently
happening and thus likely to happen in the near future. Seeing
things coming puts us in a position in which we can work out
how we can best be useful and satisfied in that future. Strategic,
innovative and talented people will be the ones who will best
leverage off trends.

Trends always have the seeds of counter trends within. We want
effective detergents, but we also enjoy homemade soaps from
craft shops. Thus while being aware of any trend, we do not
slavishly have to follow it. Once we know what is happening, we
still need to think through what is best for us.


The Backdrop

What happens in training is influenced by what is happening
in business, government and education.

Business is becoming global. An outcome is that individual
enterprises have to be internationally competitive. Mergers,
acquisitions, and closures abound. Governments are having
difficulty reconciling the short-term needs of voters and long-
term needs of countries as well as the world.

With the world becoming more complex and performance
driven, the value of the competent individual is going to
become even more important. We in the talent development
business have great opportunities, as well as heightened
responsibility.


Four Trends in Training:

1. Globalisation
2. Business Focus
3. eLearning
4. War for Talent


Trend 1: Globalisation -- Regionalisation, mergers and
acquisitions

Globalisation is irreversible and will influence training in the
following ways.

1.1 Regionalisation
Training departments tend to mirror the centralisation of their
internal clients. Most larger companies divide the world into 3
regions: The Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. We see an
organisation such as Esso with its regional training
departments being in Kuala Lumpur.

The internal implication is that staff is encouraged to relocate
to the regional centre, with small business unit liaison staff
remaining as the bridge between internal clients and the
central office.
External providers will have to work out how to service their
clients regionally, if not globally.

1.2 Mergers and Acquisitions
Training departments will have to restructure to
accommodate merged organisations. One of the drivers for
joining one organisation with another is that efficiencies are
generated. Thus one does not need two 2 training
departments in the new organisation. The process leads to a
reappraisal of client needs as well as how to meet these.
Some services are terminated and some providers become
redundant.

There is a strong trend for training suppliers to respond to
changing client needs by themselves merging and re-
engineering. Manpower has for example purchased some 6
Australian and New Zealand consulting companies over 12
months. Achieve Global was born out of Learning
International and Zenger Miller. Smaller and one-person
training companies are also merging in order to compete on
a national and region al basis. Informal alliances are a
flexible option.

Managing with Globalisation
There is severe tension between having an international
standard on the one hand, and a local way of doing things on
the other. Training professionals need to be mindful of the
both the needs of the global and local if they are to get the
balance right.

Individual consultants need to decide if their interests are
best served in finding a service niche in which they can
prosper as an individual service provider. Alternatively they
could join up with other training organisations as an
employee, or merger, or even if they should leave the
consulting field and take on an internal role in an
organisation.


Trend 2: Business Focus -- Efficiency in Training Delivery

Globalisation leads to organisations making comparisons
about the cost competitiveness of various regions, counties,
centres, organisations, departments and individuals. Quite
simply, they want better training outcomes with fewer
resources. This puts a lot of pressure on the training
profession to be business minded as well as up to date with
the latest developments within their profession.

2.1 Developing talent, a critical investment
There is a wide disparity in the priority different countries and
companies place on people development. Some barely
provide a secondary education, while others, such as
Singapore make skill development the governments #1
priority. Given its lack of natural resources and high labour
cost, Singapores best asset is its people talent. In order to
develop an innovative workforce that also make life-long
learning a reality, around 90% of the people in the public
sector is undergoing training in these two fields.

Australias reputation as a leader in tertiary education has
slipped over the past few years. Our rate of post secondary
qualified people has decreased from 15
th
. to 18
th
. over 3
years. We are now ranked one above Turkey.

A skilled workforce is critical for the success of a company
and country. Research done over 3 years by the American
Society for Training & Development showed that companies
that spend more than average on training had an 86% higher
share holder return than companies that spend the lowest on
training. (See the ASTD website for details on the study.)

Globalisation leads to organisations making comparisons
about the cost competitiveness and effectiveness various
individuals, departments, organisations, countries and
regions. Quite simply, they want better learning outcomes
with fewer resources. One training firm has the slogan, "Five
times the results at a third of the costs." This is the language
and approach that appeals to financially focused senior
executives.

2.2 Fixed Costs to Variable Costs, Back to Fixed Costs
Many organisations want to convert their fixed costs into
variable costs. They want the training outcomes, but are
flexible as to how these are delivered. They only want to pay
for what they currently use, not for what they may need.
They do not normally care whether the training is resourced
internally or externally. The lack of business sense in some
training managers has left them unprepared to be cost
competitive. The result is that over the past decade most
organisations reduced the size of their training departments
by around 80%.

Smart training managers have remained business and
people focused and come up with practical solutions in
delivering learning solutions. These include: using training
brokers to find external consultants, in-sourcing entire
training departments, devolving training delivery to trained
internal line managers, using academic institutions,
introducing self paced learning packages.

Other drivers for internal downsizing has been the bringing in
of external specialist expertise, cost effectiveness, more
responsive service delivery, and simply reduce headcount.

An emerging trend is to rebuild integrated capacity. This can
be either through building a bigger internal training group, or
outsourcing almost the whole training function to a large
training group that provides delivery, project management
and administration services. This is normally involves a fixed
cost. It differs from the large training departments of the 80s
in that performance outcomes are negotiated when the fee is
negotiated.

2.3 Reduction in Training Budget
An emerging trend is a reduction on the budget allocated to
training.

A Cranfield-PriceWaterhouseCoopers study in 22 countries
found:
- 21% of Australian companies reduced training
expenditure over the past 3 years.
- Managers getting more than 3 days of training per year
has decreased from 67% to 49%.
- Some see self-development as the individual's
responsibility. Some support is given for part-time
tertiary study, self-directed learning on the Internet and
networking opportunities.

2.4 Quality and Effectiveness
Organisations want training to make a difference. They want
more quality and consistency. Asian organisations in
particular like accredited training, preferably by academic
institutions.

Trainers cannot get away with shallow content, mediocre
design, or lack-lustre presentations.

2.4 Plateaux in Use of External Consultants
Consultants and contractors deliver most training in large
organisations. But this is no longer on the rise in Australia.
There are even some indications than more in-house trainers
are being appointed. (In Asia the need for expert high level
training is high.)

Factors that have led to the levelling off in the use of external
consultants include eLearning and consolidation of training to
fewer and larger consulting groups. Moreover, most of the
restructuring and downsizing of the 90's is now complete.

Academic organisations have become more business
focused and are providing increased training services. Their
competitive advantage is that they can accredit training. This
is particularly attractive in the lower levels of organisations
where people generally do not have tertiary qualifications.

2.5 The Changing Nature of In-house Training
A significant number of organisations deliver a lot of the
training in-house. This is particularly so when the training
volume is high and the subject matter common to a large
number of people.
eg. Induction, call centre training, supervision, time
management, communication etc.

The more sophisticated training departments have
broadened their expertise to include process consulting.
Thus they facilitate change, planning, decision making etc.
Functions they realise need not necessarily be performed by
external consultants.


Managing Training Efficiency
Senior HR development professionals need to become
strategic and business focused to succeed. They will be
more adept at understanding their clients' business needs.
They will also need to be proficient at establishing efficient
and effective processes and systems. Training departments
need to be run like businesses.

New names such as "Learning Services", or "Capability
Development Group" are likely to signal their change in
focus.

Trainers need to work out whether they are better suited to
work in companies, academia, one- person consultancies, or
within larger consulting groups. We all need to consider
whether we should be in the emerging learning or training
fields at all.


Trend 3: eLearning

What if you could source the best training in the world from
anywhere in the world - at a low price? Is there an equivalent
of Microsoft going to emerge in the eLearning world?

3.1 The Extent of the eLearning Trend
In Australia it is estimated that the 40% of training will be
electronically based by 2005.

On-line expenditure is expected to go up from Aus.$1 billion
dollars to Aus.$15 billion in 2002. Only 14% of jobs will not
require technological fluency by 2004.

As workplaces become more electronically enabled, the
demand for PC based learning will explode.

Training departments that do not take this into consideration
will be ravaged by it.

3.2 Internationally Sourced
On-line programs are internationally sourced. It does not
matter to the learner where the source is. The quality and
cost of the program will determine its eventual success - not
it's location.

The world's highest software production is in Ireland and
India.

This is good news for the small producer of programs I
recently came across in Adelaide because their isolation is
no longer a barrier. It is bad news for most producers
because their programs will wilt under the scrutiny of
comparison.

3.3 Some Benefits of eLearning
It is accessible to a geographically dispersed audience. It is
available at any time. The learner can control the pace. It can
be very effective, especially for knowledge based subjects.

It can be most cost effective because of the large number of
learners who can access it.

3.4 Some Limitations
Design is more often than not poor. Trainers who are
presenters avoid it. Learners can be threatened by the
technology. It is impersonal. People like human interaction.
The establishment costs can be high, especially if there low
numbers of people actually use it.

There is so much available that it is hard to know where to
start. It takes a long time to assess the value of any
particular program.

3.5 The Nintendo Generation
People under 21 learn significantly differently to people over
21. They are comfortable in front of a terminal. Hours of
games has led to the expectation that the experience needs
to be engaging, fast, colourful, player driven, challenging and
fun. They are more layback. They do not want to learn from
an authority figure in front of them. They want to explore.
They want to skip from one thing to another, and have a
number of windows open at the same time. They want to see
how they are going. They want to do this at a time that suits
them, and for how long it suits them. This is a tough
audience to capture.

3.6 Motivating the eLearner
The doctorate research by Dr Stephanie Burns on why most
people do not achieve their learning goals in self-directed
learning serves as a caution in believing that technology will
solve learning problems. Just because the information is
there, it does not mean that it will be used. A number of
organisations that set up self paced learning centres find that
their employees do not use the facilities. Many eLearning
programs are simply electronic page turning
processes. Boring. eLearning has to be either like a
Nintendo game, or it has to have processes to guide your
learning in an interesting and effective way.

3.7 It is Not Either Or
Trainers are either evangelistic converts to eLearning, or
strongly opposed to it because it does not have human
interaction.

Obviously neither extreme is true. eLearning is a tool. It
needs to be used appropriately. Its effectiveness is likely to
be enhanced when used in combination with other
processes.

For example, Telstra uses eLearning to ensure that
participants for a leadership program arrive at the interactive
workshop with the appropriate knowledge. This is gained,
and tested on-line. The skill development takes when
practicing with other learners under the guidance of a
facilitator. It is significant that the Telstra program is quite
simple and low tech. It is designed to encourage the learner
to seek answers in the workplace themselves.

"The learning does not take place in front of the screen."

Managing eLearning
Do not dismiss it simply because you are not used to it and
do not like it.

Never believe that technology can solve all learning
challenges.

If you do use it, consider combining it with other processes.

Ensure the basic instructional design is sound.

Good instructional design skills are in short supply, learn
these skills find someone who has them - not an easy task.

It is not necessary to have the technological expertise when
there are people who can be hired for their competence.

Plan the introduction of any new technology carefully. Just
because it is good it does not mean that people will
automatically use it.


Trend 4: War for Talent

It is paradoxical that while we have high unemployment we
also have an increasing skill shortage. We do for example
not have sufficient teachers, nurses and tradespeople. In the
human resource development field we have a shortage of
instructional designers, cutting edge presenters, eLearning
specialists, and consultants who can train, sell and count. As
specialist HR recruiters we are finding it difficult to find HR
managers who are really good business partners with both
internal clients and external partners. There is an increasing
demand for innovative as well as conceptual thinking
excellence. These shortage have led to a "war for talent" in
which leading practitioners are continuously being
approached and sometimes poached. To make matters
worse for recruiters, and better for the talented, HR
Australians are well regarded internationally and will to an
increasing degree be offered international positions
especially those paid in American dollars.

Managing the war for talent
"The first rule is to keep your head on" - Machiavellis advice
to his princes.

To be in the race we as individuals and teams first need to
perform. Moreover, we too need to be life long learners. We
need to be smart, innovative, exceptional thinkers and great
people managers.

We need to find, develop and retain talent for our teams and
organisations. Talented and growing people are attracted to
jobs which are stimulating and meaningful, and which also
offer opportunities for professional development.


Counter Trends

Trends have the seeds for the counter trend that follows. For
example, a stock market crash causes a rise because
investors come in to buy rock bottom shares.
As training brokers we have observed the following counter
trends in 2001.

Coaching
Coaching and mentoring are enjoying a huge rise in demand.
It is significant that this accompanies eLearning. Could it be
that in the midst of the technology people want interpersonal
contact as well? Some readers may be old enough to
remember the phrase "High tech., soft touch" from Alan
Toffler's "Future Shock".

Accelerated Learning:
Well-developed influential presentation skills are highly
sought. Our training brokerage is having difficulty in meeting
demand we have in Asia. In Australia there are less than 10
masters at the standard set by trainers such as Glenn
Capelli, Philippa Bond and Alan Parker.

Self Managed Learning:
Many people under 25 are taking responsibility for their own
development. They seek out organisations that give them
opportunities to experiment and learn on the job. Legal and
consulting firms are in a "war for talent" and have had to
introduce progressive retention strategies to keep their
talented and ambitious young employees.

Creativity and Innovation
While organisations want to retain rational/systematic
thinking, there is an upswing in demand for creativity and
innovation training. We need new ideas and we need to test
them for soundness.
Managing Counter Trends
Be aware of the current trend.
Anticipate its consequences.
Identify counter trends.
Stay flexible, adapt and seek opportunities where others see
problems.


What You Can Do

Here are some things HR practitioners can do when
managing the trends in training.

Value Difference:
"If this is what everyone else is doing, should I be doing it
too?" One of the things that make individuals successful is
difference. By doing something different one stands out and
assuming one is competent, this is a good thing.

For example, most organisations have message taking
facilities because they are efficient.

We do not. We have a human answering during office hours
because we want to be different, and because we hate
talking to machines when we phone other people.

Seek Treasure in Niches
There are many niches to be successful in. Just because
everyone is going one way, it does not mean that
everyone isgoing the same way. As training brokers we see
many consultants with very nice businesses quietly earning
over $AU100,000 per year in niches such as evaluation,
diagnostics, mergers, actors for role-plays etc.

Play to Your Strengths
If you have computers there is no point in you trying to get
into the field because the best you will ever be is mediocre -
the Nintendo Generation will always outperform you.

We should all stick to what we are good at and what we love
because people are swayed by passion. Moreover, you need
to satisfy yourself as well as others.

Form Alliances
Learn to work with people who are on trend and who can
work in partnership with you.

Conclusion
While the trends predicted above might not pan out as
predicted, we do know that there will be an acceleration of
change in the way training and learning takes place in the
next 10 years. Training professionals need to be aware of
these changes if they are to capitalise on them, or avoid
become irrelevant because of them. There will always be
niches in the market for people who excel in doing things that
are not necessarily mainstream.

Continued success is not guaranteed. Failure is not
irreversible.

As the world moves faster and competition becomes more
intense due to globalisation, human talent will determine
which organisations will be successful in the future. We are
fortunate to be in a field that is becoming more important
because we are in the talent development business. We help
people create the future.

With stewardship for people development, we have an
obligation to know what is going on around us and further
develop our own skills so that we can support others in their
development.
Talented HRD professionals are in the box seat.

I encourage you to immerse yourself in this very special
conference which will help you achieve your potential in
helping others to achieve theirs.