Over the past year, manufacturing and distribution industries have noted just how drastically the nature of work has evolved, from the shift to remote and more flexible environments to the growing importance of skills over credentials, which have all impacted L&D.
Corporate training has been through a number evolutions, each driven by technological and economic change. From instructer-led classroom training in the 1980s to the introduction of e-learning late 1990s, where corporations rushed to put training programs online. In the early 2000s companies were finding that e-learning did not offer the total package, therefore workplace L&D shifted to blended learning – the use of e-learning intertwined with traditional methods. In the last decade with the rise of digital we saw micro-learning as the new modern learning experience that could integrate, manage, curate, and organize videos, articles, podcasts and any other form of digital content into bite-sized short courses.
A new learning paradigm
Perceptions of workplace learning have changed. No longer is it confined to formal training in the work environment. In fact, ‘learning in the flow of work’ is the new workplace learning paradigm. Learning in the flow of work is about making learning more relevant, embedded, and effective in an individual’s day-to-day job. This form of learning does not take the employee away from the job but happens while they are performing a work task or taking a short break. Whether the task is reskilling or upskilling, continuous learning is needed to fill the gaps and challenges organizations are facing.
ERP training in the flow of work
ERP is a significant investment, so you need to make sure that your employees are equipped and trained on how to use this valuable resource. Skills development is one of the most important aspect to safeguarding your ERP because employees need to be in touch with technological evolution and new developments.
For manufacturing and distribution industries, learning in the flow of work potentially means having access to integrated learning platforms that factor in the ERP needs of teams in a variety of modules and courses. This needs to cater for obstacles such as busy schedules, remote workplaces, and providing every team member with the right support at the right time.
As we advance in the digital age, the need to solve issues faster and more efficiently will continue to increase. For example, if an employee is processing an invoice and gets an error message, the information pop up within the system needs to be able to assist with a solution and educate the user on how to proceed – this is learning in the flow of work. Imagine if the employee had to leave their desk to go for a 3-hour training course, this would delay the process unnecessarily.
Learning in the flow of work helps employees keep up-to-date with organization’s digital transformation as well as remaining capable and well-equipped to drive business results.
This form of corporate learning addresses the training demands of modern workplaces and the workforce – convenience, flexibility, relevance, efficiency, and engagement.
Every workday brings with it new business challenges and growth opportunities, so having a workforce that learns and adapts in real time can help build competitive advantage.
