According to Deloitte, businesses that provide continuous learning opportunities are 92% more likely to innovate and 37% more productive. And it’s easy to see why. When team members are learning new skills, they’re always challenged. Their work carries a renewed sense of meaning and they feel more engaged. Creative problem solving becomes the norm. Who doesn’t want that?
Touting the benefits of continuous learning is one thing, but building it within an organization is quite another feat – especially if you’re pretty much starting from scratch. Where do you even begin? Here are a few tips to get started:
1. Define your continuous education vision
Continuous learning looks different for each organization. Define your vision by asking the following questions, so you can create a detailed plan:
- What are our team’s current skill gaps? How would education help fill those gaps?
- What are our organization’s goals and how can education further those goals?
- What types of learning are we planning to offer? An in-person training program? Online learning?
- Who are the instructors?
- How will learners engage with the training and what incentives can we offer?
- How will we achieve the right balance of formal vs. informal employee education?
- What is our plan for gathering feedback? How will we act on that feedback?
2. Create diverse learning opportunities
You need to offer team members a breadth and depth of content to keep them engaged. Consider designing learning opportunities that:
- Challenge team members to think beyond their current role
- Offer accessibility to all experience levels and backgrounds
- Incorporate a mix of media
- Build transferable skills (leadership, project management, communication skills, etc.)
- Offer next steps (ie, future lessons, supplemental podcasts etc.)
3. Foster an environment where everyone can learn
The more flexible your learning opportunities are, the easier it becomes for team members to access the content and learn new things. Consider the learners you’re trying to reach and personalize training to fit their unique needs. For example, if certain team members are always crunched for time, you could offer quick lessons they can take in five minutes or less. If others have more time, consider offering longer courses and certifications.
Unfortunately, too many organizations fail to adopt continuous learning and development opportunities because they don’t see a long-term benefit beyond onboarding. A learning culture has to be ongoing and not something that’s “one and done”. Information is always changing, new trends are constantly emerging and skills gaps are widening. Leah M Joppy and Associates can help build a culture of continuous learning within your organization and work with you to develop opportunities that are beneficial for everyone! Call us at 301-670-0051 or email us at leah@lmja.com to learn more.