Employee training trends to look out for in 2022

The Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard, once wrote that “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards”. And the same goes for business training. Now is the time to reflect on training performance over the past months, and to plan for new trends in learning and development in 2022.

As we’re almost in the middle of 2022, we have a few indications as to what is considered to be engaging and challenging by the employees. As more and more companies are looking for employee training trends, the focus is on more intelligent, learner-centric training solutions and cutting-edge technology that will make employees the drivers of their own development.

Employee training trends that you don’t want to miss out on

We’ve done our research, and now is the time to see what employee training trends will stick with us this year. So, to make your employee development planning a touch simpler, here are the top 5 corporate training trends to look out for in 2022. Let’s get started!

1. Experiential learning

Many companies are already adopting the ways of popular content platforms like Netflix and Spotify. Just like shows or music, employees can access the “channel” or “playlist” of content that interests them most. The eLearning platform might even promote the most relevant content for each learner through job-skills matching, historical learning data, or AI-based recommendations.

But in 2022, job-specific learning content won’t be enough. At least, that’s what learners are telling us. Earlier this year, both LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report and TalentLMS Research:
The State of L&D in 2022 revealed that the top challenge facing learning and development is a lack of available time for learning.

That’s right. Employees are under time pressure every day, and squeezing in training can be tricky. They want to learn at the point of need. No sooner, no later.

The solution? Learning just-in-time (JIT) and on-the-job: a combination commonly achieved through experiential learning activities. This approach takes a practical spin on training, as employees engage in a continuous cycle of do, learn, and reflect.

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2. Learner-centered online training

Every minute, Facebook users share 2.5 million pieces of content, YouTube users upload 72 hours of new video content and Instagram users post nearly 220,000 new photos. That’s every 60 seconds.

It’s no wonder that employees are looking for a more meaningful experience when it comes to learning. An experience that’s engaging, relevant, convenient, and even a little fun.

Well, L&D managers and instructional designers all over the world have heard their plea, which is why learner-centered training design has become a hot topic. Putting learners front and center means creating a personalized learning journey, and then handing over the reins so that learners can direct and control their own learning experience.

Adaptive learning techniques are often used to create a learner-centric design by using technology and eLearning. This involves targeting each person’s specific needs, providing content that’s engaging and relevant, adapting the pace of learning, and offering personalized feedback. It’s not difficult to see why adaptive learning is more effective than one-size-fits-all corporate training.

3. Widespread prioritization of training

In the past, training had one very specific goal: to develop the core competencies that employees need to do their jobs. Any additional learning opportunities were reserved for executive training. But today, every company must invest in learning for all staff if they want to attract top talent, retain it, and continuously harness the hard and soft skills that will keep them at the forefront of innovation.

Thanos Papangelis, CEO of Epignosis, said it best when he said that “A learning culture will no longer be the privilege of Fortune 500 companies. It’ll be an affordable and necessary core business process for companies of all sizes who want to compete in the 21st century.”

This means that training can no longer be reactive, or reserved for large corporates. In 2022, one of the biggest trends in training and development will be a wide-spread prioritization of employee development across all industries, companies, and job levels.

4. Security awareness in eLearning

Perhaps one of the most necessary employee training trends in 2022 will be around securing your eLearning platform. Now, you might be thinking, “It won’t happen to me”. But few are beyond the reach of hackers. Even the U.S. Government has had its systems breached!

Luckily, you won’t need to develop the most sophisticated learning security system the world has ever seen. Rather, your goal next year should be to make your security system so strong, that it’s not worth the time for the hackers anymore. How will companies do this? There are a few ways.

First, any and all employees with access to the backend of the learning management system (LMS) should understand the importance of keeping their login details secure. In fact, even non-admin users should be encouraged to use 2-factor authentication for their LMS password.

Second, be sure to have up-to-date backups of all learning content and course designs. In this case, if you are hacked, you’ll at least still have access to learning materials.

Lastly but crucially, it all comes down to your choice of an LMS. Make sure that you choose an LMS that prioritizes your security and has the right features for your company.

5. Training reinforcement

Why does training matter? Because it helps companies innovate better, sell more and provide improved customer service. But training is only effective in achieving business outcomes when new knowledge and skills transition from the learning platform to the workplace. This is why reinforcement training is one of the key employee training trends for 2022.

In the year that we are crossing, training managers will look to theories of spaced repetition, the forgetting curve, and design thinking to create courses that lead to better learning retention. They’ll also leverage the features of a powerful LMS, like gamification and chatbots, to engage learners in a deeper understanding and application of knowledge and skills.

Over to you

The future of staff training looks bright. And these 5 trends in training and development that we have seen so far, look like can make 2022 a better year for your company’s training program. Which trend will you be using in the year to come?