Learning On-the-Go: The Benefits of Mobile Training

Posted on 07/21/20 By Lorman Team

The workplace is constantly changing as it adjusts to economics, new technology, and evolving social norms. These days professionals change jobs more frequently, too. This increased demand for learning new skills and processes has driven changes in training and development.

Mobile learning is more accessible and timely than traditional methods of learning and is taking off as the preferred way to provide the training and knowledge a workforce needs to be successful. According to a World Economic Forum report, more than half of all employees will require significant reskilling or upskilling in the next three years.

A Deloitte survey found that 86% of companies identified learning and development as a critical initiative. Yet only 10% reported that they feel ready to address it. Businesses that conquer the challenge of workplace learning will gain a competitive advantage.

And employees want it, too. People rate the opportunity to learn as their top reason for taking a job. Companies that empower employees to continue learning and developing at their own pace will attract the best talent, increase job satisfaction, and decrease turnover. Everybody wins.

What is Mobile Learning?

The traditional training methods of sending employees to learn in an offsite classroom or in a group training room are difficult for companies to schedule, inconvenient for students to attend, and expensive. These methods are often ineffective because they don't take into account whether the student is ready to learn.

Mobile learning, on the other hand, is training or education delivered to a mobile device, such as a tablet or phone. It gives users access to information at their fingertips, anywhere and anytime they are ready to engage.

Mobile learning differs from eLearning in that eLearning is typically intended to be accessed on a computer or laptop, which ties the user to a desk. Mobile learning is delivered in shorter learning units, allowing it to be completed throughout the day in small segments.

Many companies use online or mobile learning to onboard new employees more efficiently. Mobile learning allows training to be assigned to a new employee's queue before they start. This empowers the employee to learn at their own pace and revisit segments as needed. It takes the burden off supervisors and coworkers, ensures consistency of training, and shortens the timeline to a new employee's proficiency.

The Benefits of Mobile Learning

Businesses are competing for talent in a tight labor market. This makes it important for companies to engage their employees by allowing them to evolve with the company. In a labor market where positions can go unfilled for months, smart companies understand that training, rather than hiring, is the way to develop the talent they need.

The younger segment of today's workforce is tech-savvy and data-driven, and they are accustomed to using their mobile device to instantly access information.

As stated in a Forbes Council post, it "is abundantly clear that learning and development (L&D) will continue to top corporate agendas in 2020 as businesses adapt to the ways that their employees prefer to learn."

This means focusing on capabilities instead of skills. Providing a database of short, structured training on standard business procedures allows employees to search for the content they need, learn it in real time while on the job, and practice it immediately.

Employees feel empowered when they can take action on their own learning. Companies that provide a library of resources for ongoing training and certification create a culture of learning that benefits both the company and its employees.

Deloitte Insights concluded, "The call to action is clear: Organizations must work to instill an end-to-end cultural focus on learning from the top of the organization to its bottom, if they want to meet the talent challenges that lie ahead."

To make this focus on learning a reality, companies need to provide the resources for and access to ongoing training. With an on-the-go format, employees can pursue that learning when and how it fits into their work and their life.