Eight key trends will dominate the learning and development (L&D) sector in 2022. These trends have been identified from market research undertaken by eCom Scotland, a leading provider of online training and assessment and which, over the last 25 years, has been building an enviable worldwide reputation for its solutions’ quality and reliability.

Putting these key trends into context, Wendy Edie, eCom’s Managing Director, explained, “The Covid19 pandemic-induced pace of change continues to accelerate as the world’s economy becomes increasingly digital. This is affecting workplaces, with the new normal for most organisations encompassing collaboration between remote workers and office workers.

“Customers also have new expectations as they’re moving away from in-person activities to contacting suppliers exclusively online. These and other changes to the way we live and work will have a significant impact on the demand for, and supply of, L&D materials in 2022.”

The top three trends to look out for in the coming year – identified through eCom’s market research activities, allied to the growing demand for eCom’s products and services – are:

1. The shift from physical to virtual space

“Our findings are in line with LinkedIn Learning’s recent statement that ‘79% of organisations will continue to shift budgets from instructor-led training to online’,” said Wendy. “The pandemic has prompted the growth in remote working practices and, so, organisations are digitising their L&D materials.”

This boom is showing signs of continuing, particularly via such things as learning videos as well as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) immersive learning. There are also signs that micro learning and gamification are becoming increasingly popular with demand for these ways of learning showing significant signs of growth.

2. The 70:20:10 model evolves

Having adopted the 70:20:10 model of learning – individuals tend to learn 70% of their knowledge from challenging experiences and assignments, 20% from development relationships and 10% from coursework and training – there are signs that these figures are moving towards a 55:25:20 model. This shows modern learning to be: 55% Experiential (scenario-based learning using watch-try-do simulations); 25% Social (via online discussions boards, forums, user generated content); and 20% Formal (via eLearning and virtual instructor-led training).

“Our research and experience largely support the recent Training Industry Inc report which, having collected data from some 1,500 working professionals, also supports this 55:25:20 model,” said Wendy. “The model is particularly good for a blended learning approach allowing you to create interactive, and engaging training that can fulfil different training needs through different learning resources.”

3. Immersive technology

eCom believes that, by 2030, some 23m jobs will use AR and VR to help minimise the gap between theory and practical application. As Wendy explained, “Since the immersive learning environment can be tailored to teach almost anything, the applications for AR and VR in terms of L&D are almost limitless – being dependent only on customers’ budgets.”

The other trends eCom has identified are:

4. Upskilling and reskilling

eCom’s research indicates that over 50% of its client organisations say that, in 2022, their employees will further develop problem solving skills to support demands from their market and within their industry.

5. From classroom-only to online

eCom’s research indicates a growing transformation, in 2022, from face-to-face delivered training programmes to online delivery. This will be particularly true in the fields of onboarding (induction), technical training and leadership training – prompting a growth in demand for AR and VR applications.

6. Design team and rapid outsourcing

Organisations with an in-house L&D design team are seeing the benefit of outsourcing – allowing their internal team to work on high priority projects. eCom believes that this trend will continue in 2022.

7. The modern L&D manager upskilling toolkit

Wendy said, “As an L&D professional, knowing what works for your business and your learners is a must and requires research. There may also be a need for you to upskill yourself, especially when moving to a more virtual way of doing things.”

8. Hybrid working

A recent Gartner survey, of some 5,000 workers worldwide, indicated a 40% performance increase when hybrid working flexibility was introduced. Acknowledging that this finding agrees with eCom’s research, Wendy said, “L&D professionals must ensure the same learning opportunities are available to everyone across the organisation, regardless of where or how they work. Digital learning is well suited for this, providing anytime, anywhere upskilling opportunities for learners to help them contribute effectively to the organisation’s goals.”

For further details of eCom’s predicted trends for L&D in 2022 visit: https://www.ecomscotland.com/news/learning-trends-for-2022/ and see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3q7xfZV4LA and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FDEwrVmx6Q 

eCom (https://www.ecomscotland.com/contact/) creates innovative learning solutions – aimed at increasing learning engagement and driving productivity – to help organisations achieve their goals. With offices in Dunfermline, Scotland, and Athens, Georgia, in the USA, but with customers from around the world, eCom focuses on the delivery, tracking and reporting of workforce learning and development through innovative technologies. Its products and services address a range of workforce management, development and training challenges, including eLearning, online assessment, blended learning, competency management and accreditation.