Skip to main content

Learning & Development for SMEs - Part 5 - Resources


 Making sure it is learner-centric

The learner should be at the heart of all activities. Every individual should know what path their training is taking, where they are now and where they need to be to achieve their personal and corporate goals. The learning should not have a fixed path, it should be “Branched”; as learners progress at different paces there should be the option of accelerating past sections if the learner can display the required knowledge level.

What is content?

Content is basically anything that your employees can access to improve their performance.


This is not always formal learning, Google searches for a piece of information could be considered content, as could reading a relevant article.

The modern L&Der, not only manages formal learning but can curate much in the way of informal learning.

Content should engage the learner

Remember the aim is engaging the individual learner, as much as fulfilling the organisational needs. Choose learning modalities and environments that are appropriate for the subject and the audience.

The environment must be stimulating, for e-learning modules, for example, they should be designed to actively engaging the senses.

The content, regardless of delivery model, must be relevant and customised to the learner’s own work realities and challenges.


Understanding that technology is an enabler, not the driver

With so many technologies to choose from, practitioners must decide which of these are most effective to support their learning strategies.’

The uptake of learning technology in SME’s is likely to be influenced by a number of factors, including organisational context (support, cost restrictions), external market (market trends, evidence, remaining competitive, offering similar to peers), and learner acceptance.

In a review of practitioners’ expectations of technology in learning by the CIPD in 2016, reveals that the majority are looking to facilitate responsive, reflective learning opportunities, as well as supporting employees at the point of need in a flexible, scalable manner. Technology will be just one tool to deliver on these strategies, but given that organisations are spending up to a third of their L&D budget on technology, it is fair to say this will play a significant part in fulfilling these practical and strategic aims.

Finally, do not forget that technology must be user friendly and appropriate to the target audience in terms of its functionality, interactivity and ease-of-use.

Although technology can help in the delivery of personalised content and it can create as close to a live interactive, senses-focused environment as possible, do not use technology just because it is there! Make sure the learning is about the people rather than available technology.

Coming up; Part 6 - Business Impact

If you would like to read the eBook on which these blogs are based please go to  An SMEs Guide to L&D for your free copy.

Les Heath
Senior L&D Strategy Implementation Specialist
07847 540 536


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Learning & Development for SMEs - Part 1 of 6 - Make a Difference

  Small businesses may not have the resources or budget of their larger counterparts for learning and development activities, but that doesn’t mean they should simply ignore it. The most recent report (2017) from the Federation of Small Businesses indicates that while 91% of small businesses recognise the value of staff training and development, both in terms of increasing the value of an employee’s contribution to the business and in terms of employee retention, just 43% of British SMEs are currently investing in training and development. The cost of providing training was cited as the primary reason small businesses don’t offer their staff a training and development programme, with 43% identifying this as an issue. 34% of the businesses surveyed by the FSB indicated that they don’t provide training because they don’t have access to relevant training options in their area. So, you’re responsible for your small to medium sized company’s employee development...
Post a Comment
Read more

Learning & Development for SMEs - Part 3 - Leadership

  A business cannot become one in which learning is continuous and part of the business culture without direction and support from the top down Understand your company needs Ask yourself a question: Does L&D speak the same language as the business? Every department has its own language, buzz words, terminology and we within learning and development as guilty as everyone else. So instead of talking to them about 70/20/10 models, Kirkpatrick evaluations, working out loud or blended learning speak to them in language they will understand. Likewise, learning a little bit of their language and embedding it in your L&D dictionary will go a long way to building mutual trust. We have, as L&D practitioners, historically been focused on “Event” learning. In the world of the business executive the type and number of courses run is to some extent irrelevant. That is why we need to change the way we think; to look at L&D through “executive” eyes and start concentration on p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Some times Learning and Development doesn't fit.

Sometimes Learning and Development doesn't fit. It's time for a rant. I know that I am an L&D professional and this post may seem counter intuitive, but L&D needs to step up and claim its place in the business. Why do most businesses completely miss the opportunities Learning & Development bring in the modern age? It's probably because L&D in most small to medium sized businesses and some less enlightened large businesses and major corporations is still the little backwater to provide training when managers deem it the right solution. We all hear that learning professionals need to adapt to business, talk in business terms, curate content and so on. Isn't L&D supposed to help the business to resolve its issues? So why, oh why does business, and to a degree L&D itself always fall back to "What TRAINING do you need?" We are surely, or at least we should be, way past this by now. We all know tL&D professionals are supposed to ask lots ...
Post a Comment
Read more