According to research company McCrindle ‘Australians are very positive about a shift towards online learning in the education sector and the workplace. In fact, nine in ten Aussies are positive about an increased use of online learning in vocational training (90%), university (89%), workplaces (90%) and in schools (86%)’
COVID-19 has thrust many businesses into adopting working and learning from home practices. As operations return to normal, for many organisations the experimentation in remote learning is likely to inform the way they work and learn in the future.
Understanding remote learning that works for your business, and for each individual employee, should drive your decisions moving forward. This means adopting approaches, such as personalised targeted learning, considering varied backgrounds, education and experience, to help acquire the knowledge and skills that will make an immediate impact in your business.
For example, successfully completing online learning with a personalised approach can impart the knowledge that an individual employee or group of employees need quickly. Building on this by incorporating face to face experiences for a ‘blended’ approach in the future; including action learning in groups, collaboration, role-playing and peer feedback; will foster and embed further learning.
One thing seems clear, giving informal online education a more privileged spot as part of the learning pathway, in conjunction with formal face to face training, will ensure better development of skills and knowledge which are critically important as and when we emerge from the current crisis.
Training is key to staff attraction as well as staff retention and will continue to be an important investment as we embrace the ‘new normal’ with employees working and learning from home. During these times of uncertainty, employees are looking for confidence, a sense of direction, and a sense of leadership, even while we learn and work from a distance.
The South Australian Business Chamber has a diverse online course library, which you can access here
