Bridging the L&D gap with external solutions
It is clear that organisations need time and support to adapt to the realities of the new world of work and learning. A significant proportion of respondents highlighted difficulties in delivering L&D opportunities, the lack of prioritisation, and the complexity of sourcing high-impact partners. When we asked HR DMs what was needed in an L&D partner to improve conditions, three key themes emerged, not dissimilar to their main struggles during the pandemic.
L&D partners need to have the ability to tailor content and consultancy to their organisation’s specific requirements. Rather than a blanket learning approach, bespoke and personalised learning opportunities need to be made available in order to enable greater engagement with and impact of learning.
Partners also need to support the provision of training across a number of relevant disciplines from technical digital skills to transferable interpersonal skills. While technology is a key focus for the future, a L&D partner needs to be able to offer a multitude of training interventions across a range of areas to ensure rounded development of employees.
And finally, L&D partners need to have the ability to help their clients cultivate the growth of a learning culture, in which learning – individually, in teams and across professional communities as well as curated by L&D professionals – becomes the standard response to business challenges and a lever of sustainable business growth. HR DMs recognise that creating this culture is at the heart of bridging the L&D gap. A true, high impact partner that can help to bridge the supply chain and bring relevant parties to the table on behalf of the organisation is truly one that offers strategic potential in helping to address the vagaries and opportunities that the future of learning presents.
What this study has shown is that L&D can become a strategic enabler for businesses. Effective learning underpins organisational capacity - and indeed UK PLCs’ capacity - to navigate and thrive within a world rapidly being transformed by the global pandemic and the fourth industrial revolution. But Learning and Development departments need to step up to the plate and be capable of meeting the evolving demands of both Boards and employees.
This will require a transformation within L&D itself – a transformation that our report indicates is starting to take shape in some quarters – from that of a creator and controller of formal learning to a co-creator and curator of learning cultures. These cultures will be defined by the way in which individuals, teams and communities, acquire, share and take ownership of the knowledge and skills to adapt to near and long-term challenges. And, by how L&D departments use digital and blended learning capabilities to create a learner experience and environment, which encourages such ownership.
While L&D departments have a deep wealth of learning specialism and organisational wisdom, they are also often time-poor and potentially blindsided by the magnitude of the task. In such situations, the right specialist partners who can deliver a more relevant and engaging experience and offer grounded advice and solutions to develop a strong learning culture, can play a much needed, enabling role.
