The changing nature of work presents challenges to any organisation, but particularly those offering learning and development.

It is estimated that by 2030 approximately 75 million to 375 million individuals around the world may need to switch occupational categories and learn new skills due to future labour demand and the net impact of automation.

So providing job retraining and enabling individuals to learn marketable new skills throughout their lifetime will be a critical global challenge and, for countries like Australia, the central challenge.

There can be no doubt that the workforce is changing but how quickly are those changes coming?

Preparing for the future

In Deloitte’s 2017 global HCM study 90 per cent of CEOs believed that their com­pany is facing disruptive change driven by digital technologies, and 70 per cent said that their organisa­tion does not have the skills to adapt. This reflects the fact that skills are becoming obsolete at an accelerating rate.

Software engineers must now redevelop skills every 12–18 months. Professionals in marketing, sales, manufacturing, law, accounting, and finance report similar demands.

Consider those numbers and compare them with Toward’s Maturity’s The Transformation Curve Learning Benchmark Report, which provides some interesting results drawn from surveys of modern workers: 74 per cent have a plan about what they want to learn and why, 68 per cent are motivated by using technology that allows them to network and learn with others, and 75 per cent are willing to experiment and take risks.

We only have to look around our own organisations today to see the need for new skills and ongoing training that delivers meaningful and measurable impact. In many instances, employees themselves are push­ing for continuous skill development and dynamic careers.

Research by Glassdoor reveals that among Millen­nials, the “ability to learn and progress” is now the principal driver of a company’s employment brand. Yet only one-third of Millennials believe their orga­nisations are using their skills well, and 42 per cent say they are likely to leave because they are not learning fast enough. The takeaway is clear: employees want to learn; employers need to teach.

The problem is that too much workplace training, including today’s eLearning, is focussed on what was previously required by both the business and the learner. Because those requirements have changed, it is no longer up to the task. The current status quo of training delivers no clear pathway to new work, relies too heavily on theory versus practice, and fails to show a measurable return on investment.

So what role does the corporate eLearning sector play?

The fastest-growing segment in HR technology spending is now the adoption of new employee learning systems. Organisations looking ahead realise they need to replace their employee learning infrastructure and are shopping for new tools at all levels of the learn­ing technology stack.

As a result of these forces, the structure, operations, and mission of the eLearning category are facing radical change. Most online training delivered by our industry has remained the same for many years. It’s filled with courses that mostly consist of densely-worded slides and click-through assessments that tick the “I’m compliant” box.

What was good enough then is no longer acceptable now. It is in fact a barrier to what may be one of the largest changes to the workforce in recent times.

The Transformation Curve identifies that 78 per cent of L&D experts believe that formal courses are not the only answer for building skills and performance. For organisations like ourselves, looking at the workforce of the future has been a wake-up call to adapt or risk falling behind the people and organisations we are meant to be supporting.

A world of opportunities, not challenges

So we are here today to say that while some view the coming changes as a challenge, Kineo sees opportunities.

An opportunity to reimagine workplace training. An opportunity to create platforms, processes, and tools that will continue to evolve and sustain their value over time. An opportunity to take the lead in what will likely be amongst the most signifi­cant changes to the workforce that the world has ever seen.

To learn more, visit our website.