Creating a Holistic Learning and Development Strategy

Today’s talent market is characterized by skills gaps and labor shortages threatening many industries, such as health care, finance, construction, and manufacturing. As digitization increases and automation flourishes, virtually no industry can forgo learning and development (L&D) initiatives aimed at closing worker skills gaps.

L&D is important to employers, but it’s also important to workers. According to data from SHRM and Talent LMS, 76% of employees agree that they are more likely to stay with a company that offers continuous training.

It’s not enough, however, to offer a static training experience and call it a day. The pandemic changed L&D from a formal, in-person event to an employee benefit that, when done well, is dynamic and personalized. Employers must now hone their learning approach to benefit as many workers as possible.

“If you assume everyone is the same, you aim at a certain type of learner, and you may miss people with other learning styles,” said Maureen Pomeroy, director of learning and development at Yoh, a Philadelphia-based talent and staffing company that’s part of Day & Zimmermann.

Here’s what HR leaders need to know about the most common learning styles, as well as how to build a learning program that is as effective as it is inclusive.

Inclusive learning goes beyond accessibility

When employers set out to build an inclusive learning program, they may consider how to make it accessible. This instinct is a good one: Employers must be ready to make reasonable accommodations, such as closed captioning, screen readers, and transcripts, to ensure that all employees can participate.

Employees with different learning-related abilities may require more complex accommodations. Those with dyslexia, for example, may find text-based learning more difficult, or those with ADHD may struggle to focus during long virtual training sessions.

However, everyone has strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and styles when it comes to learning. Employers must incorporate multiple learning modes to create truly inclusive opportunities. Accessibility may be the foundation of successful programs, but L&D must go further to be broadly engaging and effective. Employers should offer educational opportunities that include a variety of learning styles to reach all employees and get the largest possible return on their L&D investment.

Virtual learning

Virtual learning events invite learners to log on to a video conference platform and attend sessions online. This learning style offers an important advantage: “It opens up the door of who can attend,” said Paul Scott, vice president of training and development at Irving, Texas-based therapeutic wellness company Biote. Remote workers don’t need to travel to headquarters to attend training, and costs can be kept low.

The downside is that a virtual audience is difficult to engage, he said. Attendees who are off camera may be sitting attentively at their desks—or they may be multitasking on a work assignment, walking their dog, or picking up a kid from school.

“We can’t lose sight of the fact that just because a virtual call seems intimate, you aren’t more engaged because of that environment,” Scott said. To make a call more engaging, Scott relies on interactivity. He calls on individuals to contribute, a tactic he says encourages engagement among attendees, who want to be prepared to share. It’s worth noting, however, that this approach only works when the training is conducted live.

In-person instruction

In-person instruction is the most classic form of learning, and some learning must still be done this way. For example, workers in industrial manufacturing settings must be on the factory floor—or in a simulation setting—to learn the ins and outs of complex machinery.

In-person instruction is the opposite of virtual learning in several ways. Most obviously, it requires workers to come to a physical location to take part in the instruction. This approach excludes workers who cannot get to the instruction site. But this requirement is also the method’s greatest strength, Scott said, because it creates an engaging, energetic learning environment.

Hands-on learning

Hands-on or experiential learning gives learners an active role in their instruction. It can happen in a virtual or in-person environment, so long as the emphasis is on practicing a skill rather than passively learning about it. Medical professionals can role-play patient interactions over a Zoom call, while retail workers can act out emergencies to test their knowledge of practices and protocols.

Scott points out that hands-on learning is unique because it brings people into uncommon roles and environments and encourages them to tap into their own experiences and perspectives. A leadership training retreat, for instance, may feature an experiential learning session, where employees are grouped into teams to accomplish a difficult task such as constructing a rowboat out of cardboard, solving a puzzle, or finding their way out of an escape room. 

“It speaks to that natural competition we all like, but it puts us on a level playing field where each one of us is valuable,” he said. “It eliminates the rank and file.”

The challenge of these scenarios is that they often require planning and preparation (and budget) to execute. They also need a good debriefing session so employees are clear on what they learned and how to apply it back at work.

Audio instruction

Audio-based learning has grown more popular with the rise of podcasting, but it can also be interactive. For example, sales teams attending a virtual learning session may turn their video off and role-play customer calls to learn new strategies or practice a new playbook. Most of the time, however, audio learning is a solitary activity and one that’s particularly useful as prep work.

Employers should implement audio training with care, Pomeroy said. If learners have long commutes, they may enjoy a series of hourlong podcasts they can listen to on the way home. But other employee groups may prefer 10-minute snippets they can listen to during their lunch break.

Consider offering both formats, she suggests. Providing a transcript in addition to the audio not only makes the training accessible to everyone but also provides learners with more choices so they can customize their learning to their strengths and preferences.

Text-based learning

With text-based learning, learners receive material to read: a book, a guide, or a handout. Compared to audio, text-based learning is easier to return to and easier to review. However, reading may be less attractive to some workers, so training materials need to have user-friendly structures. “People definitely want to read less, so we have to make sure the text is structured in a way that people will read it,” Pomeroy said. Good text-based learning uses headings, lists, and images to break up text and engage readers. It also features storytelling that makes the learning personal and memorable.

How is AI changing L&D?

Artificial intelligence may be the focus of many L&D efforts as employers attempt to close the AI skills gap with training opportunities. But AI is changing L&D itself, too. Generative AI technologies are speeding up the production of courses and content. The same tools also hold the potential to make learning more personalized, a trend that could make L&D programs more effective—and even fun.

Identify your organization’s L&D needs

In the last decade, Scott notes, learning and skill-building opportunities have transformed from a nice-to-have perk to an outright expectation in workers’ eyes.

If learning is a must-have, how do employers go about building a program that motivates workers and imparts the right skills? According to Pomeroy, it all begins with an organization naming its needs.

This process is called a needs assessment, in which those building (or vetting) the learning content define the problem they want to solve. It’s worth asking whether training is the optimal way to solve a given problem. Sometimes, there’s a much simpler solution. Retail workers, for example, may not need a full training session to learn how to set up a holiday-themed storefront window. They may just need a diagram or a few parameters to direct their creativity.

Other times, training is absolutely necessary. When HR leaders and other stakeholders begin to determine the subjects that training should address, they need to consider the future of their organization and align their training with it. L&D initiatives should provide the skills the organization will need to grow. They should also satisfy the learning demands of those on the job and the people leading them.

“Learners know what they need to do their jobs today, and leaders know what they’ll need to do their jobs tomorrow,” Pomeroy said.

HR should poll a diverse sample of workers and managers to determine training needs. This should include workers in different locations, departments, and roles, depending on the program being developed. “It’s about identifying who you need to speak with, and getting that mix of perspectives and creating something that’s broadly appealing to a large group of people and broadly impactful,” Pomeroy said.

Once HR has identified the organization’s learning needs, it’s time to choose the blend of learning styles that will inform the approach. This task may feel complex, but basic information will give leaders plenty of direction.

Pomeroy begins by analyzing learners to determine what they have in common. She considers factors such as the number of trainees, the location of the participants, and the languages they speak, as well as the available budget. Both Pomeroy and Scott prefer in-person learning for certain types of training, but they noted that it’s often expensive to bring attendees to a central location for training.

Time is another important factor in choosing the right blend of learning styles. An employer may be able to accomplish a sexual harassment prevention training with a 90-minute Zoom call, but an organization may need more time when training staff on how to use ChatGPT effectively, ethically, and securely.

Pomeroy emphasized the importance of combining learning styles to make training more interesting and impactful. Prior to sexual harassment prevention training, for instance, HR may distribute text-based material, such as a one-pager or an article. During the training itself, HR may direct attendees into breakout sessions where smaller groups consider hypothetical scenarios and discuss what actions they might take.

Variety is key, Pomeroy explained. “Everything we do is about blended learning─combining different ways to get peoples’ attention and focus,” she said. “For each person who joins a training session, you don’t always know how they learn best.”

For best results, test and refine

To create a learning program, employers must spend a lot of time analyzing their needs. That task doesn’t end once the program begins.

Just as surveys are useful for establishing programs, they can be used to evaluate the results. After a mandatory safety training session, employers can use surveys to gauge how well trainees retained key information. Employers may also conduct a survey to determine employees’ interest in optional training opportunities. This could reveal why a group of software engineers decided to take a course to learn a new coding language, for instance. A survey may also show why others decided against the course.

Scott emphasized that these polls should include probing questions that move beyond how employees would rate their instructor. A good survey will ask learners to indicate how they will be able to apply what they learned on the job or share precisely how their role will benefit from their new knowledge. Simply stated, application is everything.

“Seeing how far the needle has moved based upon the program is always inspiring,” Scott said. “And if the needle isn’t moving, revisions to content, approach, and instructor can also prove beneficial.”

It takes analysis, strategy, and fine-tuning to create a learning program. The results justify the effort, according to Scott and Pomeroy. Learning opportunities that address multiple learner preferences create more impact, Pomeroy said, because “they reach people where they are.”

These new, more flexible learning options mean more people can take advantage of employee learning than ever before. This change brings good news for employers’ inclusion and diversity efforts, Pomeroy said. With fewer barriers to learning, more people—and more diverse groups—can seek opportunities for advancement.

“Doing e-learning, self-paced sessions, and virtual sessions allows you to include more people who aren’t at the main location,” Pomeroy said. “It’s expanding learning opportunities across the company, regardless of role and status.”

Create a workplace where learning is for everyone

When employers craft a holistic L&D program incorporating multiple learning styles, they create something that speaks to the modern employer-employee contract.

“Companies can’t rest on the laurels of their reputation. They have to be in that space of development and learning,” Scott said. “Five to seven years ago, it was a benefit, and now it’s an expectation.”

An inclusive L&D program may satisfy workers’ expectations but also serves employers. By reaching more people with learning opportunities, employers not only see their workers become more skilled, but they also create a workplace where learning isn’t for one exclusive group—it is for everyone.