Top 5 workplace learning trends in 2020 (will robots be stealing your job?)

It's the start of a new year, and the future of workplace learning is looking more exciting than ever.

Investment in workplace Learning and Development increases year on year, and alongside this come new trends. Here are some of the top trends you can expect to see in 2020.

1. AI goes mainstream

In 2020, we're going to see artificial intelligence (AI) pervade all areas of business.

AI enables computers to learn from experience and accomplish certain tasks more efficiently than humans, by processing large amounts of data and recognising patterns.

The list of AI uses is endless, and its use will become more widespread than ever:

• HR will utilise AI to screen candidates;
• Finance workers will find their time freed up as AI improves the accuracy and speed of trading and operations;
• Driven by AI, chatbots will help customer service teams by answering customers' questions in a human-like way.
• AI will improve the accuracy of content recommendations on learning platforms.

No matter where you work, be prepared to see more of artificial intelligence.

2. Focus on work-life skills

With the rise of AI in the backdrop, there'll be an increased focus on developing 'human' skills - i.e. what the robots can't do for us.

When Udemy analysed the fastest-growing soft skills people are learning at work, there was a noticeable spike in topics such as:

• Growth mindset;
• Creativity;
• Innovation.

In 2020, there's no doubt that there'll be an increased focus on skills training, as well as creating an organisational culture to nurture talents such as critical thinking, communication, and emotional intelligence.

3. Re-skilling the workforce

In line with nurturing 'soft' skills is a growing tendency amongst businesses to retrain existing talent within their company instead of hiring anew.

In the past, organisations may simply have laid off workers with obsolete skills, and hired in new employees to keep the company moving forward.

Nowadays, with the increasingly competitive labour market and a new focus on skills development, companies look to re-skill existing employees for new roles.

This is good news not only for employees with an appetite for self-development, but also companies - it can cost as much as 6 times more to hire from the outside than to build from within.

Re-training employees is now easier than ever, thanks to Learning Experience Platforms (LXPs) where individuals can access a wide variety of content and training materials to guide them on their journey.

4. Daily data - a more data-driven culture

With AI and big data becoming more powerful, business culture is becoming more and more data-driven.

This is true for all areas of business now, even where data analysis wasn't so prominent before, for example:

• Digital marketers can now harness the data found in Google Analytics and Adwords to figure out how to drive demand and edge out the competition.
• 70% of Learning & Development teams are keen to use skills in data to evaluate and deliver better learning solutions.

Live data dashboards are becoming more commonplace on every website, so that you can get a daily digest of information at a quick glance. They're a great way to ingest data quickly and effectively.

5. Mobile learning

Technology is at its best when it's making people's lives easier, and that's exactly what mobile learning does.

Mobile learning becomes more important every year, as users' appetite for workplace and on-the-go learning grows. An increasing number of companies are investing in making their learning materials accessible online.

The benefits of mobile learning are high:

• Learning materials are more accessible at a time and place convenient to the learner.
• Learning can be done in bite-sized chunks, which aids memory.
• According to a study testing out mobile learning, 70% of respondents reported improved motivation to learn when they were able to use their mobile devices.
• The same study also revealed that 72% of the participants reported increased engagement with mobile learning.

People are using their mobiles more than ever to learn new skills, so why shouldn't they be able to consume work-related content on there too?

Final thoughts...

We hope we've provided you with a useful insight into the top L&D workplace trends, and we're sure that you'll be seeing some of these developments within your business soon.

An LXP can be a great way to facilitate some of these important trends, such as training and up-skilling your employees so that they can reach their potential, and gaining data-driven company insights. If you're interested in seeing how we provide an all-in-one learning, employee engagement and performance system, please don't hesitate to get in touch or request a demo with us.

We hope to hear from you soon!