Top 10 : 2019 training trends

The advent of augmented reality and virtual reality

Virtual reality and augmented reality, which have already become popular in gaming and healthcare, are now being incorporated into training. The goal is to provide an immersive learning experience for employees to learn faster and more comprehensively. Neoma Business School, for example, is a pioneer in this type of content. This school creates management scenarios through immersions in different types of shops. Through these videos, trainees can visit a shop behind the scenes, find and manage documents and quickly gain an understanding of the management process at a point of sale.

Augmented reality, for its part, reinforces the in-person training experience. The idea is to get more information in real time on how a machine, a technology or a place works. Although the applications of these two types of realities are still very specific, the popularisation of dedicated glasses and headsets will help expand training uses in 2019.

The micro-learning breakthrough

Micro-learning is a form of distance learning, often online, which is characterised by microcontent (podcasts, blog articles, e-learning modules, videos, etc.). By better targeting training needs, these micro-learning devices result in greater levels of engagement and an optimal ROI in training plans. The use of this kind of digital learning is expanding in companies, since learning by this method is very similar to content consumption in the private sphere.

Content curation: an increasingly important training tool

Content curation, a marketing process essentially used in managing professional communities, is an approach that consists of sourcing, selecting, recommending, sharing and even rewriting relevant content for the members of its community. In 2019, content curation is used to provide an alternative source of learning content, especially for refresher courses on new regulations or new processes. Start-ups are now developing interfaces to organise and share information in the form of interactive libraries, making it possible to develop curation as training content in itself.

2019, the year of the interactive tutorial

“How to” or tutorial videos are the most widely viewed video format in the world. No wonder training managers are drawing inspiration from this massive success to produce corporate training videos. This type of video can now be quickly created and easily enhanced by interactivity. Interactive video as a training medium can go a long way, especially if video libraries are regularly enhanced and updated.

The dawn of social learning

Social learning has been notably absent from training. The trend has been announced every year for the past 10 years, but only meagre progress has been made with this tool so far. 2019 could be a pivotal year in the expansion of these training practices. The principle is simple. There are leaders and experts in every business. The idea is to connect them with a community of learners through digital tools. While collaborative solutions have existed for years, the position of social learning manager has only recently emerged in corporations for building, managing and retaining a community of experts and learners. Is this the advent of Mentorship 3.0?

The rise of video learning

Video is one of the most popular training methods today. It makes training content more visible, attractive and engaging. It has numerous uses for learning, including display videos to illustrate an argument or expand on an idea, informative videos, presentation videos and webinars. The focus in 2019 will be on reducing the time it takes to create and share them, with special attention paid to format size.

Awareness of the need for mobile learning in businesses

Employees want to access content any time, anywhere, through a mobile device. Although this trend isn’t new, companies are only making slow progress when it comes to “responsive” training content. However, 99% of distance learners believe that the mobile format has allowed them to improve their learning. Based on this figure, businesses still have a long way to go. Access to mobile learning isn’t one of the top three challenges identified by training professionals. For 2019, 23% are considering buying mobile learning solutions and this trend is expected to accelerate (source: Challenges and advantages of mobile learning in training, November 2018).

Consolidating gains in gamification

Gamification continues to be a strong trend for 2019 when it comes to training topics related to legal regulations, compliance and new procedures. The process results in higher levels of engagement with better results. As paradoxical as it may seem, gaming increases learners’ seriousness and involvement by ensuring their full engagement.

The popularisation of Netflix learning

Adaptive learning is gaining recognition with the emergence of new tools. The goal is to provide customised content. Adaptive learning is, in fact, correlated with an artificial intelligence capable of customising courses. How does it work? Employees wanting to receive training complete several tests that are used to make a training diagnosis. And, like on Netflix, training platforms offer structured training catalogues. So the content will be based on the first diagnosis of the user’s needs according to their history and scores, providing an optimal experience for the learner.

Holistic soft skills training

Soft skills like learning to learn, flexibility, working as a team and leadership skills will soon be the first criteria for recruiting and training employees. While it’s true that there have long been training programmes aimed at developing interpersonal skills, soft skills will need to be considered more comprehensively in 2019. The goal is to gain a holistic understanding of these skills. MIT has encouraged some of its teams to take part in this new type of training.

The goal is to collaborate for several days with complete strangers to create awareness among teams of their full potential and to remove the barriers that hinder collaboration so that they can perform better in the future.