Training Industry Magazine - May/June 2019 - 61

LEARNER MINDSET
MICHELLE EGGLESTON SCHWARTZ

CREATING A CONTINUOUS

LEARNING CULTURE

Personal and professional development
is an important focus area for employees.
Today's workforce wants the flexibility to
learn in the context of their daily workflow
and access to relevant training at their
fingertips. This need for growth and
development is driving changes in the way
many companies structure performance
evaluations, professional development and
feedback. Employees are pushing for more
consistent updates on their performance
and continuous learning opportunities.
Training is quickly becoming a key
differentiator
between
companies
competing for talent. Organizations should
position training as an employee incentive
and add it to existing benefits packages
alongside retirement, health and wellness
options. Having professional development
opportunities listed on job descriptions is
very attractive to today's applicant pool.
Employees want to work for companies
that value lifelong learning and focus on
helping their employees succeed both
inside and outside of the office.
Learning and development (L&D) can play
an integral role in making training accessible
to employees to attract and retain talent.
Here are some tips on how L&D can create a
continuous learning culture that reflects the
values of today's workforce.
CREATE AWARENESS FOR TRAINING
RESOURCES
Marketing creates transparency. While
organizations
may
offer
training
opportunities, employees may be
completely unaware of these offerings.
L&D cannot rest on the "if you build it, they
will come" mentality. L&D must ensure

employees know that training resources
are available across the company through
marketing initiatives such as emails,
newsletters or posters in common areas.
There must be visibility of training offerings
to ensure employee participation.
SECURE MANAGER INVOLVEMENT
Having managers involved in L&D is crucial
to employee success. In fact, two-thirds of
employees say that they would be motivated
to learn if their direct manager was involved,
according to a LinkedIn Learning report. L&D
should provide managers with adequate
training on how to support employees
throughout their development. Managers
should meet regularly with employees to
create a development plan, recommend
training opportunities and discuss how to
apply new skills on the job.

EMPLOYEES WANT TO
WORK FOR COMPANIES
THAT VALUE LIFELONG
LEARNING.
CONSIDER A LEARNING LIBRARY
Whether your training organization is
large or small, resources should be easily
accessible to learners. A collection of
content could be as simple as a company
intranet or as complex as a learning library
backed by a learning management system.
A learning library is a relatively inexpensive
way to provide employees with access
to approved content on external sites.
By ensuring resources are organized,
accessible and easily searchable, learners
can find the information they need when
they need it most.

CONNECT PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
TO COMPANY GOALS
Employees want to see how training will
help them improve their current skills
and lead to new career opportunities.
Showing employees how their role ties
to the organization's strategic goals
can broaden an employee's perspective
and create more engagement in their
job. This transparency will motivate
employees to take training seriously
when they can connect the training to
current and future benefits.
MAKE ACCESS TO TRAINING A CORE
COMPANY BENEFIT
Employees want to learn but squeezing
another item on their already full to-do
list is overwhelming. Even if they manage
to set aside one hour between two
time-sensitive meetings, the likelihood
they will be able to concentrate and
absorb the content is slim. The speed
of work is increasing and technology is
accelerating the amount of work that
can be squeezed into a standard 40-hour
work week. Managers must advocate for
their employees by helping them make
time for learning.
Prioritizing learning can help retain and
attract new talent in today's competitive
business environment. L&D can play an
integral role in championing employee
development and ensuring the continuous
flow of learning to meet the needs of
employees across the business.
Michelle Eggleston Schwartz, CPTM, is the
editorial director at Training Industry, Inc.
Email Michelle.

T RAIN IN G I N DU STR Y M AGAZ INE - UNDERSTANDING YOUR LEARNERS 20 1 9 I WWW. T RAI NINGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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Training Industry Magazine - May/June 2019

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