Reasons To Switch To Online Training
The ‘80s and the ‘90s gave birth to a new generation – a generation that changed the history of the learning culture within organizations and one that altered the way people thought, related to each other and delivered; a generation known as the Internet Generation, iGen or Net Generation; a generation whose individual members are called Gen-Yers, digital natives, echo boomers or millennials. If you have not made the switch to online training yet, this article will make you rethink your training strategy. Here are your 3 reasons to switch to online training.
- A Majority of Today’s Organizations Comprise of Gen-Yers
Today, a majority of workforces across the globe comprise of Gen-Yers. The baby-boomers are fast disappearing from the scene and are being replaced at an increasingly rapid pace by the Gen-Yers. While it has taken a good many years for the baby-boomers to train, learn the ropes of the business and finally to gain the right to a certain level within an organization’s hierarchy, Gen-Yers are doing it all at a much earlier age, much to the chagrin of their older colleagues. The business world is a ruthless one and does not take into consideration that the baby-boomers have had decades more of hands-on experience and expect Gen-Yers to display the same (if not more) business sense, tenacity and expertise as their baby-boomer counterparts. To help your young workforce meet the growing demands and expectations set on them, you must provide them with a type of training that will get them there. The training should be fast, easy, seamless, streamlined, focused, and independent of other factors that may delay them to reach their goal in the specified time. The only training that fits this bill is technology-enabled or online training. - The Gen-Yers' Training Needs are Different
The Gen-Yers' training needs have evolved from the previous generations. Some of these needs include:- Training that is meaningful
- Instant gratification
- Knowledge that will reach at the speed of need
- Quick feedback on performance
- Increased responsibilities
- Improved skills to increase productivity
- Demands to be treated on a merit basis
- Non-interference (or minimal interference) while learning
The Gen-Yers are unwilling to hang around if they do not get what they want. Fast-growing and emerging economies with young populations have realized this and are going out of their way to make sure these training needs are met; they do this by shifting their organizational learning and development training programs to online training platforms that are designed to cater to all these needs.
- Gen-Yers are Digital Natives
The Gen-Yers have grown up surrounded by electronic gizmos, gadgets and technology, so much so that technology has been a part and parcel of their everyday life. With access to technology all of their life, Gen-Yers know where to find information and how to obtain it. Technology has also made them social beings on the internet where they interact with thousands of fellow Gen-Yers to share their knowledge and ideas and collaborate with like-minded individuals. Gen-Yers are far ahead of their older counterparts of previous generations in the way they think, respond and function, and as a result classroom training at the workplace translates to mindless drivel to them. But give a Gen-Yer technology-enabled learning and he/she will turn into a powerhouse of force and vitality; a digital native with the whole world in his/her hands; a social-media animal who will propel your organization into the future.
Conclusion
The Gen-Yers are the future of workplace; Gen-Yers are already learning and accessing information and reaching out to people with whom they can share ideas, to help them move forward. In other words, Gen-Yers are not dependent on the classroom training they receive – rather they are carving out a future and a niche for themselves. Provide a Gen-Yer with training that makes use of technology that he/she is familiar with and you will have a willing worker, a hard worker, a worker who will rise up to the ever-increasing expectations he/she sets for himself/herself, and beyond.
