1. opinion
In a new series of articles exploring attitudes towards L&D across Europe,
Francis Marshall
Francis Marshall asks: “Are we listening to today’s learner?”
A
s I write this column, the news is still across Europe remain optimistic about their
full of doom and gloom, threatening training budgets, with the UK the most
further economic meltdown lightly committed on paper to sustaining training
sprinkled with ‘green shoots’ of recovery. during the economic crisis.
From where I am sat, I cannot think of In the UK, a third of companies (33 per
a better time to be talking to my fellow cent) expect their training spend to increase
learning and development professionals. during the next 12 months; 54 per cent expect
I see a lot of what is going on as training budgets to remain the same, while
psychological warfare and, if a Cegos survey only 13 per cent have plans to cut budgets.
undertaken in March across Europe is I tested these results out on a number of
anything to go by, it looks like we may be senior L&D and HR managers at the recent
losing the battle. The survey highlighted HRD conference and was pleased that I
two key issues central to these mind games – continued to get the same answer – that
budgets and the need to spend them based on training budgets are not being reduced but
learner needs. maintained and even increased.
Let me explain more... People did, however, tell me that they
There’s no doubt to me that the current are deferring spend while their companies
economic climate and the relentless focus monitor the economic situation. In essence,
on the bottom line has pervaded our psyche they are keeping their financial powder
more than any previous challenge the training dry. And I can’t help but think that a lot of
sector has faced. current budgets are being stockpiled by L&D
The winners will be the organisations that departments.
keep things in perspective, seek opportunities The danger is that, come September, when
and prepare themselves for when the recovery we are in a ‘use it or lose it’ situation, there
inevitably comes. And the losers will be may be an outpouring of rash, non-strategic
those that are unable to react to the changing spending on training driven by the need to
environment, are dominated by caution and spend rather than the needs of the user.
don’t have the flexibility to accommodate new I am not going to regale you with the stats
training paradigms. from the CBI’s Fit for Tomorrow survey, as
I am reminded of the words of a long- the rationale for training is well known and
departed chairman of Daimler, who claimed established. I am simply encouraging us all
that the motor car would never take off to be more pragmatic, and wasting budget is
because there weren’t enough chauffeurs. something we need to avoid at all costs.
So where are we now? We all remember the awful waste of money
It’s clear to me that the training sector has seen in the early 2000s that contributed to
a lot be proud of and continues to innovate training being given a bad name. The focus on
and change with the times. The high quality learning management systems, which turned
finalists from each year’s Training Journal out to be just empty shells, and the launch of
awards are testament to this. e-learning, which almost exclusively focused
Things are also a lot less gloomy on the technology, being two such examples.
than many people perceive on the In regard to e-learning, too often the
budgetary side. learner needs were forgotten, leading to a
Earlier this year, Cegos collection of diverse online modules cobbled
commissioned a survey of 2,355 together and lacking a framework for where
employees and 485 HR directors the learner was and where he wanted to go.
in the UK, France, Germany and So how can we avoid a wasteful scenario in
Spain. Despite the recession, the the future based on short-term goals? Part of
survey found that most organisations the answer is that we need to listen more to
what users are telling us.
Francis Marshall is MD of Cegos UK, This was the second key finding of our
part of European L&D company survey, which revealed a clear discrepancy
Cegos Group. He can be between the training methods learners want
contacted on +44 (0)845 521
and what the HR and training function wish
1560 or via www.cegos.co.uk
to focus on.
14 TJ July 2009 www.trainingjournal.com

2. opinion
More than half of employees across Europe
want more e-learning and blended learning
during the next three years, yet only about 40 per
cent of HR professionals plan to develop more
programmes using these techniques.
Learners are also keener to embrace
collaborative tools like blogs, forums and wikis.
Forty four per cent of employees we spoke to
want to see these techniques developed, compared
to less than a third of HR professionals.
Conversely, face-to-face learning is more popular
among HR, with 42 per cent of respondents
wanting to see more classroom learning compared
to 38 per cent of employees.
These figures tell us that there is a gap
developing between what the training function is
planning and what users say they actually want
from their learning experience.
This indicates that the influx of Generation
Y employees into the workforce also needs to be
taken into account in training programmes.
With 41 per cent of employees polled in our
survey aged younger than 35, this is a generation
whose work habits have been defined by the
Internet and it’s no surprise that blended learning Similarly, when asked about the criteria for
and e-learning are their preferred ways of evaluating the quality of e-learning for personal
learning. Our survey found that the adoption of development, users were primarily concerned
e-learning continues to increase, with the UK about the realism of the workplace situations
and Spain leading the way with 47 per cent of portrayed (53 per cent of responses), and the
UK employees taking part in e-learning training credibility and experiences of professionals or
against the European average of 40 per cent. expert reports (50 per cent).
Today’s training is all about learner engagement The importance learners place on training
and embracing modern technologies. The new techniques being rooted in real-life workplace
generation of learners are technology-savvy scenarios also raises the question of whether HR
and they want to see training delivered through and central training departments are best placed
innovative and customised delivery channels to initiate and design such training processes as
rather than solely through the more staid, opposed to employees’ line managers, for example.
classroom environment. Perhaps such people are likely to be more in sync
This does not mean just e-learning but other with user needs.
interactive learning tools as well, such as Web The bottom line, however, is that you,
2.0, blogs, wikis, social networking sites and of course, must do what is right for your
other online communities. A recent survey of organisation. Every organisation is different, with
members of the eLearning Guild found that 70 competing demands and skills gaps to fill. What
per cent of respondents plan to apply more Web does remain the same, however, is the need to
2.0 technologies – what is described as Learning listen to your users.
2.0 – during 2009. Just as organisations’ sales and marketing
In addition to the advances in technology, strategies are based upon a thorough
today’s learner also wants a training experience understanding of their customer needs, your
rooted in his day-to-day work activities plus a training strategy has to be firmly rooted in the
training experience where he has control and a current and future needs of your business. Take
full understanding of where he is now and where these findings and use them as a structure to test
he needs to be at the end of his training. your organisation’s needs.
The figures again back this up. When asked If your training spend is not affected by caution
how e-learning can be made to be more effective, and short-term fluctuating market conditions,
our survey found the vast majority of employees and as long as the needs of the user are rooted
(88 per cent) rated work-based scenarios as a top in everything you do, you have every chance of
tool for improving effectiveness. In second place, being a winning rather than a losing organisation,
82 per cent rated self-assessment techniques. once the economic recovery takes hold. 
www.trainingjournal.com July 2009 TJ 15