In episode two of AHRI’s podcast, Let’s Take This Offline, we dive into new ways to think about learning and development in order to see a return on your investment and prepare your workforce for the future.

The need to upskill and reskill employees has never been more important. In a world of work that’s rapidly evolving due to the introduction of new technologies, and as generative AI reshapes the type of work that humans will do, HR and L&D leaders need to cultivate dynamic, agile workforces that understand how to utilise their uniquely human skills to complement the work that technology will do.

Organisations understand the importance of investing in these future-proofing programs. New research from LinkedIn into workplace learning has found that, within the next six months, nine out of 10 global executives plan to either increase or maintain their L&D investments. But how can HR demonstrate a return on that investment? And how can they get employees to see upskilling as more than just a tick-box exercise?

In this podcast episode, our host Shelley Johnson speaks with Rod Farmer, Expert Associate Partner at McKinsey and Company, about how to address common barriers to learning and he talks about how McKinsey worked with the Department of Regional NSW to embed more digital literacy skills into its workforce.

We hope you learn something valuable from this episode. Don’t forget to like and subscribe so you never miss a future episode.

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• 2:16 minutes: Rod shares some interesting insights into the percentage of employees who complete self-directed digital learning programs and encourages a shift towards a more contextualised approach.
• 6:18 minutes: Rod discusses the difference between a jobs-based economy to a skills-based economy.
• 7:40 minutes: Shelley notes that learning and development programs are often hard to gain investment for as they can be perceived as not driving value. Rod shares his advice for overcoming this mindset.
• 14:32 minutes: Advice on how to create a learning culture in your organisation.
• 18:05 minutes: Rod walks listeners through a case study: how the Department of Regional NSW embedded more digital literacy into its workforce.
• 33:31 minutes: How to avoid your L&D budget being put on the chopping block.
• 44:53 minutes: Rod responds to a made-up scenario about a CEO who has invested into an expensive learning and development platform and isn’t seeing any uptake from employees.

View the episode transcript here.

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