“We can speak better to corporate needs and priorities if we focus on learning, rather than training,” writes Stefaan Van Hooydonk. “We can produce better impact if we focus on people, rather than learners. We can provide more opportunities to learn if we think of resources, than courses.”

Excerpts from Human Resource Director’s article:

“The stark reality is that many organisational training programmes continue to focus on a one-size-fits-all paradigm, resulting in one-size-not-fitting-anyone. Assembly-line learning courses and methods are passé. New forces have come into play and are fundamentally transforming the world of work. At the centre of a new reality being heralded by the 4th Industrial Revolution is the employee, and technology is the new disruptor. Employees are increasingly required to change their skills at an accelerating pace. What’s more, they are willing to learn new skills or completely retrain for that much-needed competitive edge.

Companies are now realising that their current and immediate needs are not going to be solved by a prescriptive training model. It is crucial that we move from a prescribed to an autonomous model, from training to learning. The learning opportunities should be identified and enhanced by curating experiences specific to employees’ skillsets.

Companies should hone in on their employees’ ‘what’ and offer them more autonomy to pursue skills that are specific to them. While this particular approach does not provide career-specific plans, it does offer a direction for an individual to follow in developing specific skills or capabilities in an area of their interest. It puts the employee in the driver’s seat.”

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