Industry Research Summary: The State of Learning Engagement, Solutions, and Platforms 2021

Improve learner engagement and success in changing times

The Covid-19 crisis has turned out to be a double-edged sword for some corporate learning and development (L&D) departments. On the negative side, many L&D functions have been hit hard by the pandemic as the almost-instantaneous move of employees to home offices squelched in-person training initiatives. Further, in the U.S., workplace training budgets decreased from $93.6 billion in 2017 to $82.5 billion in 2020.¹ From the perspective of trying to upskill the workforce, the timing was especially bad. Corporate executives have been vociferously demanding strategies for employee upskilling.
 

But skills challenges and shrinking budgets do not tell the whole story. After all, the pandemic also opened up new opportunities, especially in digital learning. The rise in online training and remote learning resources may, in fact, make it easier for motivated employees to retrain or upskill even from remote locations. To learn more about corporate learning initiatives today, HR.com surveyed 337 L&D and HR professionals.

Key Findings

• Development is the most common driver of learning in today’s organizations, but a lack of time holds learning back.
• Most organizations struggle with gathering robust learning metrics.
• Nearly all organizations (89%) use some form of learning technology, but quality and success vary.

Two Key Factors Are Driving L&D

1. The Need for Upskilling
The emphasis on developing new skills reflects the speed of change and the diminishing half-life of many skills. Further, the Covid-19 pandemic forced many organizations to change processes, almost overnight, and employees needed to learn new skills to keep up with the changes.

2. The Growing Need for Career Development
The good news for many employers is that employees want to hone their skills as part of the career development process. In fact, another recent HR Research Institute study showed that three-quarters of HR professionals agree that employees are looking for more career development opportunities. The bad news is that only 39% of organizations provide strategies and methods for helping employees reach career development goals!²

In other words, there is a major disconnect between what employees want and what organizations are prioritizing and offering. No wonder so many respondents view career development as an important factor in 2021. 

Two Key Pain Points Impede Learning

The two learning-related pain points cited by more than a third of respondents are:
 

• no time to attend training
• shortage of budget

These two variables are, of course, related. If an organization does not provide the time needed for employees to learn, then they are ultimately also failing to pay employees to learn. Of course, a lack of budget affects other issues, such as a lack of L&D materials, technology or staff.

The Lack of Good Learning Metrics Is a Continuing Problem 

Only 29% of respondents strongly agree that learners in their organization have ways to measure their learning, though another 36% agree. Further, only a minority say their organization has “good metrics” in these areas:
 

• learner engagement (32%)
• learner experience (33%)
• learner skills (37%)
• learner success (37%)

For the purpose of our survey, we specified that learner success is “the degree to which a learner acquires and utilizes the knowledge or skills that the organization wishes each individual to have.” These learning metrics are especially important because organizations typically need to gauge existing skills to determine skill gaps and judge which learning initiatives are effective. We asked respondents how their organizations measure learner success.

The most common metrics include:
 

• determining the degree to which the learner’s on-the-job behavior changes (56%)
• asking learners questions to gauge how much they learned (53%)
• asking learners how they feel about their learning experience (53%)

Most Firms Use Learning Technologies, But Quality and Functionality Vary Widely

Most responding organizations (89%) use some form of learning technology. This is up a few percentage points from last year's study, which was fielded just before Covid-19 became a global crisis.

Despite an increase in the types of learning technologies, learning management systems (LMS) remain the most commonly used technology.

Personalized learning is on the rise with 46% citing it this year compared with just 39% in 2020. The use of mobile learning has stayed steady over the last year, with 40% citing it this year and in 2020.

The Future of Learning Will Be More Adaptive, Personalized, Mobile and Data-Driven

We asked respondents to look three years out and consider what their learning environments might look like in a—hopefully—post-pandemic work environment. There is no clear consensus on what the biggest changes will be in L&D strategies over the next three years. In fact, the top five responses are separated by just a few percentage points.
 

• learner engagement will grow more important (48%)
• there will be better ways of measuring learner success (47%)
• there will be better ways of measuring learner engagement (45%)
• learner experience will grow more important (45%)
• learning will become more personalized (44%)

 
To learn more about The State of Learning Engagement, Solutions, and Platforms 2021 study and to get strategic outcomes and 7 key takeaways from this exclusive HR.com Research Institute research, please read the complete report.

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