When you think of training a workforce, what comes to mind? Maybe you have no idea where to start since learning interventions, such as upskilling and reskilling, can be overwhelming. You may envision lengthy training videos that tell you exactly how to do something, engaging courses with end-of-module quizzes or even courses in a traditional classroom like in a college or university.
While organizations have historically leveraged all of these options, the simple truth is that none offer a complete solution by themselves, and even when combined, they miss a crucial element of a successful learning experience: whether what is learned can actually be used in a real-world scenario, effectively and immediately.
How Applied Learning Can Help
To ensure learning is relevant and applicable to the workplace, a growing number of organizations are turning to applied learning — hands-on, practical training where employees learn by doing. Applied learning minimizes the gap between learning and execution so that the learner can refine poor performance by practicing new skills on the job.
In the 19th century, the psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus coined The Forgetting Curve, which explains if new information isn’t applied, we’ll forget about 75% of it after just six days. The translation to workforce training is clear: People don’t remember what they learn in the classroom. Applied learning gives employees the opportunity to act on new ideas right away and learn as they go — therefore remembering and performing better, and ultimately reducing costs.
Despite the billions of dollars spent on training globally, research from Gartner finds that employees only apply 54% of newly learned skills in their job. Given the pace of business and technology today — creating an urgency for new solutions and skill sets — passive training programs and relying on a base college education simply won’t cut it when it comes to organizations staying competitive.
The Challenge in Changing Corporate Training Processes
In a survey, six out of 10 young adults believe workforce experience and training is the most crucial element to prepare for a successful career. And 72% of young adults with degrees believe college didn’t fully equip them to start their career. With this in mind, why do many employers rely on a college education?
One initial challenge is that workplace learning requires a hands-on manager, which can be difficult when facing packed work schedules. However, the relationship between an employee and their manager is incredibly important at all phases of employment. Gallup found that 70% of an employee’s motivation is solely based on the manager. Managers are also one of the biggest determinants of whether or not their direct report is successful. If a junior employee’s manager in particular is not correctly trained or does not have the resources to properly train their own direct reports, then training is set up for failure from the start.
A second challenge with training a global workforce is teaching soft skills. There is a real need for employers and training organizations to be focused on these people skills, which encompass areas such as written communication, leading teams, conflict resolution, change management and public speaking. Data shows that today’s employers are not satisfied with the soft skills they see in college graduates, and despite the importance of this skill set, historically they haven’t been a priority for training programs.
However, it’s never too late to teach your workforce durable skills. While our society tends not to have a growth mindset around these skills, those who do, gain big rewards. Research that has spanned the test of time (over a century) from Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation and Stanford Research Center, found that 85% of career success comes from having well-developed soft skills and people skills.
The third challenge with implementing applied learning is scaling it so that it can be executed across a large organization. Creating the internal infrastructure takes time and resources, which can sometimes be a non-starter for companies. However, there are solutions that can help address this challenge and more.
The Value of Professional Apprenticeships
The workforce readiness system has historically appointed college as the training experience at the start of one’s career, and then you’re on your own (unless you take time away for graduate school or external courses). This doesn’t work for today’s rapidly changing work landscape and employees who, at every level, need to be provided with consistent growth opportunities.
Apprenticeships are a growing trend in applied learning models. According to 2020 data from the U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship programs have grown 73% between 2009 and 2020. They offer hands-on experiences and one-on-one training for the apprentice, thus alleviating the three challenges laid out above.
Apprenticeships bring applied learning to scale and provide apprentices with the opportunity to learn while they earn. Not only do apprentices have the opportunity to earn a living wage while working at their apprenticeship job, but they also have the opportunity to continue in that career path without a college degree and without the debt. Lastly, apprenticeships can support historically underrepresented talent in quickly moving into high demand roles, like software engineering. Apprenticeships also help mid-career professionals in adding to their skill sets in order to remain competitive and maximize their impact on the job, especially as the need for data skills continue to grow.
Apprenticeships are the way of the future for modern jobs in technology and in other sectors. As more and more companies begin to adopt and scale this method of hiring and training, it will become evident that learning on the job leads to better outcomes for employees and companies alike.
