70% surge in digital learning in wake of COVID-19

Disruption to the world of work has also led the learning profession to be more forward-looking @CIPD 

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in digital learning with seven in ten organisations (70%) reporting an increase in use of digital or online solutions over the last year, according to the latest Learning and Skills at Work report from the CIPD and Accenture. 

More than a third of organisations (36%) have also increased their investment in learning technology in the last year. 

The report, which surveyed over 1,200 UK organisations, highlights how the learning profession has adapted as a result of COVID-19 and its disruption to the world of work. 

The switch to a more digital model has gone well, with 77% of organisations saying they’re successfully using learning technology and 69% saying they’re innovating in their use of learning technology. 

COVID-19 has not just had an impact on the way organisations deliver learning, though, with the report suggesting learning professionals have been prompted to reflect more widely about the future of work:

• Half (51%) have assessed the impact of automation on roles and how to redeploy talent (up from 40% in 2020)
•  Two thirds (64%) have assessed which roles are changing and how to reskill employees (up from 56% in 2020). 

Encouragingly, organisations seem well placed to respond to changes in the world of work, with 81% either agreeing or strongly agreeing they understand the skills in their own team and the skills they’ll need for tomorrow.

However, the report highlights a number of red flags for the learning profession, not least that nearly a third have seen their headcount (32%) and budget (31%) decrease in the last year. 

Gains in learning technology may be less clear-cut than it first appears as well. While the use of “basic” digital learning, like webinars, has increased, the use of “sophisticated” digital learning – which can be more accessible, engaging, and effective – has stalled. For example, the proportion of organisations using mobile apps in 2021 (13%) is level with 2020 (12%). This suggests that, for the most part, organisations are transferring their face-to-face content online and only a minority are making the most of learning technology and its benefits.

The report also finds that learning professionals are not widely using evidence to inform their learning offer. Currently, only 32% say they are proactive in identifying the performance issue before recommending a solution.

Peter Cheese, Chief Executive of the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, said: 

“Being able to reskill and redeploy workers during the last year has been essential for individuals and organisations to adapt to changing needs – and for the wider economy. It’s been great to see the learning profession stepping up and delivering, despite many having their budget and headcount reduced. Digital learning done well delivers benefits in building new skills, and the pandemic is catalysing shifts in learning capabilities that are much needed. It has also proven to be a prompt for learning professionals to take stock of other changes coming down the track that they need to be prepared for, particularly in relation to automation. We hope to see the innovation and adaptability they’ve demonstrated over the past year continue as they help individuals and organisations adjust – and excel – in the ever-changing world of work.”

Andy Young, Managing Director within the Talent & Organisation practice at Accenture, said: 

“This report shows that learning never stops. With all the upheaval of the last year, the need for learning is greater than ever before, with businesses needing both better technology skills and more human ingenuity. People want more growth and development at work, whether they are at home, in the office, or a bit of both. To cope with this, learning professionals have had to reset plans and they should be congratulated on their resilience. This report also provides clear messages for the CEO and other business leaders with clear differences between the ‘haves’, who have good sponsorship, funding and sophisticated learning technology and data – where outcomes have accelerated in the last year – versus the ‘have nots’, who are getting by with reduced funding, limited infrastructure or no professional learning support.”

Ian Rawlings, Regional VP EMEA at SumTotal: 

“As Covid-19 accelerates changes to the world of work, it’s great to see that organisations are utilising this momentum to drive their reskilling efforts to future proof their business and employees. It is important to remember, however, that skills development is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach, and adherence to a single learning style may restrict employee agility – negatively impacting on talent development. Not only will offering just one learning style limit creativity and flexibility, reducing employees’ capability of adapting to changing business needs, but it may lead to employees failing to realise their full potential.

“Everyone works and learns differently, and learners should be treated as individuals who are looking to carve out their own learning journey. Making the move towards personalised learning pathways, based on the challenges an employee faces in their role, their content usage, their career aspirations and their personal preferences, can be far more successful. Not only will it help propel learning growth, but it will also steer learning provisions and can enable better profiling of employee’s skillsets and career aspirations. This will help employees realise their full potential, while making them better adapt to future changes.” 

Recommendations

In light of the survey findings, and acknowledging the huge impact of the pandemic on organisations, we set out a number of calls to action for practitioners:

1. Reflect on what has worked well: What can be adapted to build back better, to ensure success in the changing world of work.
2. Embrace digital innovation: A digital learning strategy should be at the core of an overall learning strategy, with leaders tapping into more advanced learning methods beyond webinars and e-learning. Digital investment should be targeted and supported by a clear business case; it should be piloted on a small scale first before expansion
3. Co-create organisational value: To maintain a sense of connection in the digital era, build purposeful relationships and connections across the organisation, through continued cross-team working and cultivate collaboration between business and learning leaders. This includes establishing a clear role for line managers when it comes to learning provision and encouraging peer collaboration.
4. Harness the wider learning environment: Work with senior leaders to understand the future of the work and the skills that will be needed in the organisation, ensuring the workforce is digitally fluent with essential human skills. Make a plan together and reassess it as workforce needs change and new skills emerge, by agreeing the role of line managers in the L&D context, encouraging peer-to-peer connections and supporting individuals to apply their learning.
5. Plan for the future skills your people and organisation need: Encourage continual learning, create the clear learning pathways and career choices. Ensure the design and delivery of learning in the organisation is evidence-based by harnessing new skilling analytics. Agree the desired outcome first and work backwards, engaging with stakeholders and gathering qualitative and quantitative data along the way.
6. Be evidence-based: define your desired outcomes, engage key stakeholders, gather evidence and measure learning impact on performance.