It is not wrong to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought some unprecedented changes in our lives. Businesses have adopted new technologies and oscillated approaches to keep going. As most of us are now permanently working from home, planned event-based and in-person training is vacating the center stage giving virtual eLearning it’s time to rise and shine.

One thing worth noticing is that those who prepare themselves with contemporary skills for future tasks will be in the best position to benefit from the dynamism and unimaginable possibilities of the industry.

Keeping that in mind, how should you move ahead, retool and redesign your LMS training according to the new approaches so you aren’t stuck in the middle? 

L&D Trends To Look Out For

Listed below are the top ten learning and development trends in 2022 that will help your employees be prepared for whatever the future holds.

• Persisted Focus on Hybrid Working

If the past two years have taught us anything, it is that hybrid working is going to be the future of the workplace. The flexibility that the hybrid workspace provides to the employees, is becoming the most preferred choice. A Gartner survey of more than 5000 employees revealed that 48% of remote employees will most probably work at least part of the time remotely after COVID. 

This means that learning and development will have to focus on training programs for the hybrid employees that leverage the power of every mode, including multimedia, mobile, and so on to promote engagement.

• Push, Don’t Pull

Traditional training systems had always relied on “pulling” learners along the way of prescribed learning regardless of their needs and the method they can learn best. It’s time to remove that mentality with a strategy that enables learners to clear the way for their growth. By creating personalized experiences based on the needs of the learner, you let the learners choose their learning style and topic to achieve their growth goals.

• Microlearning

Microlearning is a way to provide short and focused content to the learner, whenever they need it. Microlearning tools easily fit around an employee’s schedule and make it easier for them to quickly reference knowledge and skills they need for fulfilling their tasks.

• AI to Personalize Learning

Most organizations have a multitude of online learning content. But with so much to learn, opting for the right material at the right time can be difficult. However, by using Artificial Intelligence (AI), L&D teams can personalize learning experiences. Data is used to provide adaptive learning methods, which are then plugged into employees’ work experiences as needed.

• Learning in the Flow of Work

The increased amount of remote work is blurring the lines between personal and professional lives, leading to a shift in the learning and development space. Learning in the workflow empowers employees to take ownership of their learning, be proactive to achieve their learning goals. This learning can take place within the work environment through microlearning making the process organic.

• Training the Trainer

Traditional trainers who are comfortable in delivering training in the classroom are not always prepared for virtual environments. While you are excited about indulging new apps, programs, and approaches for training your employees, don’t forget to train the trainers. Your training administrators need to understand the working of the new tools and become familiar with virtual interactions with learners.

• Robust LMS

There is a good chance that this Great Resignation will last into 2022, at least for a while. A company can address this issue by investing more in employee learning and development by looking at its L&D departments.

If you give employees a learning experience, it is important to gauge whether they are truly engaged. Is your learning management system robust enough to help your employees upskill/reskill in the flow of work? While the importance of Learning Management Systems has been increasing as businesses navigate continuous change, in 2022, learning platforms will become even more important.

• Mobile-first training

In the beginning, a minimum standard for eLearning platforms was to be mobile-friendly. But now there is a need to build content for desktop users as well while adapting the platform to mobile.

Most platforms are now designing their courses and programs for the mobile-first experience and then converting it into a desktop user experience. As more and more employees are still training and working from home, providing a quality mobile experience is crucial. This also makes delivering tools to employees easier. 

• Copying Netflix Model

The main reason behind Netflix’s success is the flexibility, choice and organic experience it offers to the user. While watching Netflix, its algorithm automatically serves the content you are more likely to prefer based on your previous preferences. In 2022, eLearning platforms should feel more like Netflix where the robust LMS will help in identifying and delivering learning content based on individual preferences. 

• Accessibility to All

Accessibility should not be seen as a fad, but as a basic element of every organization’s eLearning strategy.  In addition to developing content that works on e-readers and using high-contrast graphics and text, accessibility involves identifying and removing ableist vocabulary that could alienate some learners. 

Parting Thoughts

Whether you are a small to medium organization with less than 50 employees or a multinational company with hundreds of employees in different parts of the world, the training and development of your employees will always be the top priority. To train your employees, you will need a continuously trained workforce that can implement your corporate programs. And if you indulge all the above-mentioned trends into your LMS you will gain more employee retention and engagement than ever before. And if you want to develop a Learning management system for your employees, then you can hire developers with in-hand experience and knowledge of several years in the relevant field.