Reinventing training with incremental innovation: attracting and retaining talent

Since the pandemic,adaptive learning, which brings together a range of tools – big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning – and which is based on research and work in neuroscience and cognitive psychology, is much more present in companies.

At a time when training is evolving – from individualization a few years ago to hyper-personalization today – this approach allows for relevant and useful data collection and analysis for Training Managers and HR Directors. The predictive analysis of this data allows training to become more efficient thanks to statistical deductions, by being able to propose the most adapted courses according to a given level.

There are 2 “types” of adaptive learning:

Micro Adaptive Learning:

This variant is today the one embedded in many Learning Management Systems (LMS) (RiseUp, Syfadis, Dokeos, Litmos) and is very much proposed by these same agencies or via solutions like 1Minute, Beedeez.

It will push the granularity and focus on what is found in each brick or training module: these tools promote “memory anchoring”, also fighting against the forgetting ^curve4.

It is important to note that adaptive learning is not THE solution, but a tool that will be able to combine support and response to a need for personalizationto aim for pedagogical success and therefore a good increase in the skills of users who have been enrolled in a course of this type of this type.

The gamification of training

To maintain the attention and desire of talents and attract new competent employees, companies can also rely on the gamification of their training.

With gamification of training, we use the power of games in a context other than entertainment. Used in marketing and communication, gamification in training corresponds to a set of playful mechanisms intended to “gamify” learning content.

The objectives are multiple, with the aim of personalizing the relationship with the training and optimizing retention rates. Thus, “gamifying” training allows :

• Improving learner engagement by capturing their interest;
• Enriching the memorization process for better adherence by employees;
• and ultimately the improvement of learning⁵.

In sum, gamification of training can be an effective way to make learning more engaging and improve knowledge retention. And in recent years, the medium that has been particularly popular as a vehicle for this gamification is, of course, the cell phone.

Using mobile learning to train

Mobile learning (also called“M-Learning“) is revealed with the exponential rise of smartphone use in everyday life, during a recent phase of development of accessibility to training for user-learners.

One of its starting points (and one that was not just about training) was the is the invention and registration by Xavier DALLOZ in 2009 of the neologism “mobiquity” (fusion of the words mobility and ubiquity) and flanked by its long acronym, ATAWAD: AnyTime, AnyWhere, AnyDevice, or the ability of a user “in a situation of mobility to connect to a network without constraint of time, location, or terminal”.^6. Since a few years, the letters A and C (for Any Content) have been added – thus giving ATAWADAC – to signify the possibility to access any content.

Mobile learning includes tools and solutions (native applications, web-applications, platforms) that support learning via mobile devices (computers, tablets or smartphones). The advantage is its ease of use: you can be trained whenever you want in the place of your choice. Solutions using mobile learning are known for their use of gamification (Beedeez, Teach on mars, Sparted, etc.). They are also developing through the emergence of collaborative games that are now part of social learning.

Training and interacting with social learning

Social learning has been given pride of place with, for example, the advent of the Learning Experience Platform (LXP). The COVID-19 pandemic has indeed forced organizations whose main activity is training, or even start-ups in the ICT sector, to recreate social links where there were almost none.

For example, the RATP allows knowledge to be shared in video format via tutorials. This sharing is done with the application
Beedeez ,another player in the banking sector offered its employees an interactive course in the form of a game as part of the presentation and adoption of a new business tool. Another bank relied on the combination of “ludification-mobile-memory anchoring” as part of the launch of its CFA, to offer its students a new way of learning in a post-Covid-19 era.

Finally, it is worth noting that the social learning is a practical and digitalized extension of the formative interaction which we link to peer-to-peer learning, in which “Interactions based on positive interdependence are proving to be a valuable tool, including “cooperative learning devices”.“⁷.

Immersive learning

This active teaching method concretely engages the employee by plunging him or her into the heart of the action in a virtual universe, but close to his or her professional environment. You will have understood that being immersed in a virtual space can enrich learning by bringing a cognitive aspect, but also by integrating a sensory aspect is essential in many situations in the working world.

The advantages of virtual reality have been demonstrated in HSE (health, safety and environment) training, for example. Work in pedagogical innovation and its artifacts have shown the interests of gamification, which is more easily integrated with VR, or how its use – which has sometimes become a prerequisite in the design phase – in training courses is highly relevant (changing levels, accessing a new mission, entering a new episode) and thus contributes to the success of the learner and his or her increase in skills.

By using immersive learning, companies can provide a more engaging and relevant learning experience for their employees. By immersing them in virtual environments close to their work environment, learners can acquire practical and sensory skills that are essential for their professional development. Immersive learning can help companies retain, attract and develop talent by offering more effective and engaging training.

The learning employee

This point has a close link with the “learning enterprise“: at SQORUS, thelearning enterprise is :

With products and services becoming more and more ephemeral, the organization must innovate or risk being overtaken by its competitors. One of the levers is therefore to involve all the teams in this reflection. The learning organization is intended to be a flexible, efficient and fast way to achieve this in order to anticipate new opportunities.

The objective here is to provide the employee with a set of relevant elements allowing him/her to train regularly at his/her own pace over the period of his/her choice. Different tools can thus enable the employee to increase his or her skills:

• A large catalog of e-learning courses (face-to-face, distance, hybrid) like a library on various topics
• Feedback on different projects during collaborative team sharing
• Implementation of a mentoring system to transfer knowledge
• Allow the employee to step out of the box, to make mistakes from which they will learn

Curiosity is an essential element to stimulate the desire to learn. ” Curious employees perform better when solving problems because they are more likely to think of alternative solutions and to question their ways of operating and thinking. ” – 2020⁸.

These few examples require companies to free up time for employees to develop new skills. Moreover, it is important to value these achievements and listen to the proposals.

By adopting an employee-learning approach, the company can ensure that its teams’ skills are continuously upgraded, while stimulating their motivation and commitment. By allowing them to learn regularly and at their own pace, the company creates an environment conducive to innovative learning while encouraging curiosity and initiative. This allows the company to attract and retain the best talent, while anticipating future opportunities.

Conclusion on training with incremental innovation to attract talent

In conclusion, training is certainly a strong lever of attractiveness, but not only. It will allow you to retain your employees through a career plan defined with them. Indeed, your potential employees will value a position that will allow them to evolve over time and further develop their skills.

In a changing world, it is more than necessary to continue to innovate in this recurrently questioned disciplinary field of training. Thus, without necessarily being disruptive, one can choose to innovate incrementally, both in order to offer an efficient learning experience and to successfully support change.

If you also want to reinvent training, SQORUS, a consulting firm specialized in digital transformation, is used to assisting companies of all sizes and in all sectors, thanks to its LAB, which constantly monitors innovations. Contact us to discuss this directly with our experts.