Why should businesses embrace technology for learning?

Steven Ross, Head of Career Development, Penna

Technology is such a significant and important feature of every aspect of life in the 21^st century that it makes complete sense for it to also be used for learning by businesses, and as statistics show, it is increasingly being used for this very purpose by business, universities and schools. Many of the benefits are well known: the ability to reach an entire workforce (scalability), more options on how and when employees learn (flexibility), reduction of costs often associated with training or learning interventions  (cost effectiveness) as well as playing to a company’s “green” agenda. Add to this the ability to gain more accurate information, and by consequence measure the impact of learning, and it is understandable why the use of technology in learning looks set to continue increasing.

That said, before embracing and implementing a technology based solution, businesses really need to understand their future talent needs and identify what specifically they want to achieve through the introduction of online learning. It cannot be a standalone solution, but must be integrated with an organisation’s overall learning and development strategy if it is to be most effective.  The 70:20: 10 approach to learning must also be remembered. While technology certainly offers innovative ways of presenting information and encouraging people to interact with it, flashy technology alone will not deliver results. The most impactful online learning needs to be adapted and linked back to real life scenarios. Building on this point, organisations must invest in getting the technology right as the user experience of your employees will be the determining factor in whether it is a success or not.

Dave Buglass, Head of Organisation Capability and Development, Tesco Bank