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WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF LEARNING?

In 2012, consultants from Blue Phoenix and thetrainingstudio collaborated to host a number of research groups looking into the learning habits and aspirations of Generation Y. Between them, they work with some of the biggest organisations in the UK and Europe, providing training & consultancy advice on a range of business and people issues. Increasingly in the past few years, clients are talking more about the challenges that Generation Y bring to the work place. Intrigued by this, The Future of Learning research groups were designed to get new and honest information from the front line the Gen Y learners themselves. Delegates were gathered from a broad spectrum of industries and volunteered their time to get involved. Whilst the identities of the delegates remain confidential, the topics discussed, and their honest and frank responses, are recorded in this report.

David Liversage and Liz Jones discuss their objectives for the project below:

DAVID LIVERSAGE
Blue Phoenix

LIZ JONES

thetrainingstudio

As we increasingly find ourselves working with Gen Y, its easy to make lots of assumptions about how they like to learn. What we wanted to do with this project is create conversations with a representative sample from this group to help us gain more insight into their relationship with learning and their expectations of it in an organisational context. Soon, they will make up over half the working population so they are very much a part of the landscape for the future of learning. Its important we listen to them and plan accordingly. This report is the result of those conversations. Enjoy reading and please let us know what you think.

thetrainingstudio was founded in 2010 specifically to help businesses attract, develop & retain their Generation Y talent, so I jumped at the chance to be involved in this research. The majority of available research paints Gen Y in a negative light (lazy, unwilling to make long term commitments to employers, etc.) and I was keen to use this project to gather some new data, direct from the Gen Y-ers themselves. The result has been some thoroughly interesting insights that, if heeded, will make a real impact in the organisations that listen.

WHAT WE DID...
We gathered qualitative feedback from clients about the issues they were seeing emerging with Generation Y and their relationship with learning. We also studied recent reports from institutions like Ashridge Business School, the CIPD and the CMI, as well as reading the latest books from leaders in this field (see Bibliography at the end of the report). We then gathered a collection of Gen Y delegates to discuss and debate to try to get to the bottom of one simple question: what is the future of learning?

WHO ARE GEN Y?

Within the next six years, over half of the working population will be made up of Generation Y. Born between 1980 and the early 1990s, this generation are (in the most part) children of the Baby Boomers. Their size dwarfs that of Generation X (born 1965 80) and the significance of their coming of age cannot be ignored by businesses. Often labelled as lazy, unwilling to make commitments to employers and wanting the top job on day one, this generation is already making an impact on organisations both big and small. They are the first truly global generation, who will most likely never retire and are instantly connected to millions of people through the rapid rise in social media and online networking. Whilst the implications of this generations work ethic, global mobility and approach to work is far reaching, this project was designed to look specifically at the impact they are having (or want to have) on the L&D function within the organisations in which they work/want to work in the future. So what sort of an impact does this generation have? And what do they want to get from the organisations in which they work?

OUTCOME CATEGORIES
We have split the outcomes into five chapters to help navigate the research:

2 H E

1 W

all about accountability for learning

all about ways to learn

broad themes about content

OW

H W O 4 H ER

H AT

5
ideal time frames & flexible learning

the importance of the learning environment

This symbol indicates a question that was posed to the group for stimulus

H EN
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1. WHO
What if all learning was done individually and the responsibility for it was with each individual? What do you think about tailored vs off-the-shelf L&D Programmes? How often (if ever) are you asked for your opinion on training that you get? Do other people hinder/help your development (e.g. other delegates in sessions)?

The delegates discussed the programmes offered to them by the L&D function of their organisations. All agreed that programmes should be regularly reviewed (taking into consideration feedback received) to ensure that training on offer was relevant, of value and up to date (in terms of learning objectives). None of the delegates involved in the study had ever been asked about what, or how, they wanted to learn within their current organisation. There was some frustration around the use of feedback mainly around the lack of change seen after feedback is collected.

Camaraderie is important. Delegates liked going to training sessions where they worked with different members of the organisation and got a chance to network (internally) as well as learn.

FOR EXAMPLE I put that I dont like PPT learning on a feedback form that was six months ago and I am still asked to go to sessions using PPT.

There was agreement that being in sessions with managers/senior figures hindered the learning experience and that they felt they were being judged rather than encouraged to explore/develop. The delegates were asked if they would be prepared to write a business case for their learning the majority said that they would be willing to put together a case for new learning options, if (a big if) they knew that the company would take the process seriously. 4

Speakers (internal or external) need to be personable, energetic & know their stuff.

How important is the facilitator to the success of the session, and why? It was unanimous that the use of external speakers/experts was exciting and these sessions were always well attended. They also like to hear from internal people who have had success within the organisation (i.e. business role models), but that it was important to them that these schemes are taken seriously by the organisation (e.g. delegates given enough time to go, and the speaker given enough time to prepare something interesting).

It was agreed that it was good when facilitators know a bit about the delegates, the culture and the business before a session to help them make it feel bespoke. Credit was given to L&D teams who strive to achieve this.

KEY LEARNINGS
Gen Y want to be treated as individuals (which contrasts to their often noted pack mentality in the workplace). In terms of learning, L&D professionals should always keep the user journey/experience in mind (understandably a challenge when budgets are stretched). It is tough for L&D teams trying to juggle a varied training programme with the increasing flow of young talent in and out of their organisations. As the migration of talent continues, it will be the teams who are able to be flexible, put outcomes over expense and see all learning as important, that will win the favour of the Gen Y population in their organisations.

In many organisations there is a disconnect between what learners want and what the company needs them to learn. In a time-poor society, every session counts and both businesses & the individual learners must be satisfied. Trust on both sides is important trust that Gen Y talent are worth listening to and do know whats useful for them to learn, and trust that the L&D programme is being designed with them in mind. In more cases than not, it is clear communication around training that is key to programme success.

2. HOW

Just because we are Gen Y doesnt mean everything has to be done on a computer.

What if all learning was done via technology? A strong and unanimous view was that if all learning was computer based theyd hate it. It would be too impersonal and wouldnt allow you to actually absorb and engage in a deeper understanding. One participant told us a story about a recent e-learning experience: I went through the questions but didnt learn anything he said. He was more concerned about passing the quiz at the end than actually learning and so found ways to cheat the system - learning to pass rather than learning to develop. Technology is important but it needs to be used effectively. For example, YouTube clips as stimulus, websites as a visual aid or using iPads for interactive voting were seen as good ideas. An online library of resources was seen as a good use of technology or using a post-session app (e.g. 10 things to remember when you are doing a PDR). A blended approach was by far the most desired, such as using actors in role plays, group discussion, coaching, interesting and relevant tasks and on the job learning, all supported and enhanced by online forums & technology. They werent keen on the idea of taking work/learning home. We asked them if they would consider using social media, such as Facebook, as a pre/post session platform for discussions, and there was a unanimous No when it came to using Facebook.

They were, however, happy to use professional sites, such as LinkedIn, for discussions and forums on work-related topics. Only one delegate had been to a session that involved Twitter and everyone agreed that they would be interested in using this medium more (both during and leading up to/after sessions).

Facebook is for me outside of work I dont want to mix the two.

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The use of hypothetical learning scenarios was an area for debate. A couple of people liked the opportunity to practice before being let go on real projects, whereas the majority felt that university was their chance to practice and they were frustrated by not being allowed to work on real projects now that they were in work. They strongly felt that they wanted training that is grown up, engaging and useful - not patronising or too gimmicky.

Flexibility is key to Gen Y. If something is compulsory they needed to understand why the WIIFM (whats in it for me) factor. They would like to have choice in selecting modules according to their specific needs. An important theme that arose throughout the discussion was around the communication of learning; a real need/desire to be informed about whats on offer and what the sessions are about.

KEY LEARNINGS
A clear message to anyone planning training programmes for young talent dont automatically think that digital is the answer. The most well received programmes are those that blend in the new technologies with the more traditional training techniques used in face-to-face sessions.
NEW TECH
AL ITION TRAD TECH

Just because this generation are very tech savvy, it doesnt mean that they want to lose the human interaction that they value so highly. Gen Y want to be treated like grown-ups. Where possible, allow them to get stuck into real world projects and learn from colleagues, rather than incubating them on hypothetical projects that makes them feel like were still at Uni.

We know the value people put on face-time with colleagues; giving them the opportunity to share views and knowledge. Using technology to help with this as a means to an end rather than the end itself is key. Avoiding falling into the trap of doing everything online with the latest gadgetry is important; think about the role of support materials and talk to people about what they might want to use. How about a top ten tips app for an iPhone or access to an e-library for learning? It will vary by culture and project so think about the relevance and how they might use what you are offering them.

I am regularly asked by clients to add a Social element in to my workshops to engage the young people. I steer them away from Facebook as so many of my Gen Y contacts tell me they want to keep things separate. Im a big fan of Twitter and think organisations should be using it much more to promote training and to get people talking about good sessions/ interesting content/further reading etc. Clients with their own internal intranet also need to really think about how best to use this platform, both for efficiency & engagement. These are both highly under-utilised forums for communication.

3. WHAT

One size fits all doesnt work with Gen Y - we can tell if the L&D programme is the same year in, year out.

What will an annual training programme look like for Gen Y in the future? What is your favourite type of learning? What would you do if you could control your own L&D budget?

Gen Y do share some views but the delegates were keen to point out that they dont all think the same and want to be thought of as individuals (like any other defined groups). With time and pace being such a challenge, they really need to understand the benefit of what they will learn and how it can help them in their jobs. With this in mind, we didnt attempt to analyse desired content at a micro level but instead we probed into broader areas to seek any common or interesting themes. 100% agreed that the most attractive types of training were those that gave them skills they could see as useful in their long-term careers, as opposed to skills that just made them better at their current job.

I dont just want to get better skills for my current job - I want to gain skills for my future career whether thats with my current employer or not.
One thing that seemed to be absent is clarity around career vision and direction. It was felt having open forums with senior managers would help with this (giving insights into their career, etc). Mentoring and coaching from direct line managers is important too.

Would you like to receive rewards/qualifications in return for your training? When talking about qualifications, they agreed that they wanted to receive recognition for the training they attended, but internal qualifications were thought of as gimmicky theyd rather have an industry recognised or external qualification. 8

If you were given 5,000 to spend on your own development, what would you spend it on?

15%

Something I wouldnt normally do, even if it means no promotion

10%

If global company, would go abroad & learn from counterparts there

30%
Something that would help in the future not just with todays job, e.g. further studies

5%

Job Secondment

20%
Multi-skill courses, e.g. data systems & presentations skills

20%

Things you dont get taught and get thrown into, e.g. how to be a manager

All delegates said in the first instance they would spend the money on something that would be useful throughout life (e.g. a Masters degree). They all liked the idea of having more control over how training budgets were spent on their behalf. Responses included, using the money to travel to other offices within the company to see how they do things, completing an MA, and having more off-site sessions in cool locations. There was a discussion around the challenges faced by L&D teams regarding people signing up for sessions and then not attending. Two comments were noted: One theme they all agreed on was that there had been a significant decline recently in the time/effort spent on team building and maintaining effective working teams. Theyd like to see more emphasis placed on team building, more reward/recognition for high performing teams and on-going training programmes designed to keep teams working well together. Collaborative learning experiences were seen as essential working with people from different parts of the business on real projects where there is a clear benefit. All delegates were interested in the idea of internal job-swapping/apprenticeships with senior managers and secondments. 9

1. Managers should be told in advance

which courses their team are attending so that they can plan their time accordingly

2. If someone cancels, they should have to

find someone to take their place and it should be noted in a record somewhere

KEY LEARNINGS
When deciding what does and doesnt get included in annual training programmes, L&D professionals face a huge challenge to please everyone involved. The Gen Y delegates were really keen to be more involved in the planning of training programmes, giving them an opportunity to ensure that what they are learning is relevant and useful to their role (and beyond). The most interesting trend was a desire for life learning (transferable skills) rather than just job learning. Engagement levels on programmes giving a skill for life were much higher than on those that are only beneficial in the short-term. The cost of training gave rise to some very interesting discussions with very few delegates having any idea at all the financial commitment that their organisations are making to their development through training.

Training Needs Analysis can be limiting. People tend to ask for what they think is on offer (usual suspects like presentation skills) and often have a blind spot to what could be made available to them, e.g. career coaching, professional qualifications, etc. We recommend a bottom-up and top-down approach in defining real learning needs. Managers need to talk more with individuals, find out where the skills gaps are and what support they need to develop behaviour, skills and attitudes to enable them to be more motivated and become high performers. As Gen Y make up a large group with specific needs to address, how about setting up your own Gen Y consultative panel?

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4. WHERE

LOCAT I

ON

LOCAT I

ON

TION LOCA

Often when a training notification comes around, I check where it is. If it is in a certain room, I instantly say no, without even looking at what the session is about. The room is just horrible.
What if learning was taken out of the traditional environment? When it came to the where training was run, everyone agreed that training offsite was more inspiring, engaging and motivating than onsite. One delegate stated, When Im training offsite, Im instantly in the zone. Offsite venues dont need to be expensive or glamorous just a light space somewhere different brings a different energy to the session; even just going to the park for a session seemed to get their interest. Onsite sessions are invariably prone to distractions e.g. checking emails at break times, often dont start on time, and are easy for managers to drag me away from. It helps if the learning environment reflects what the session is about (e.g. how about presentation training in a TV studio?). If sessions are run onsite, it was felt that more effort could be put into using stimuli to create the right learning environment. As someone put it, weve spent too much time in uni lecture theatres so we need the work learning environment to be different.

KEY LEARNINGS
The learning environment is very often overlooked by organisations sweating the small things like refreshments, lighting, temperature etc., can make a real impact on the success of a session. The high speed/high pressure nature of todays office environment make it a real challenge for learners to switch off and zone in if sessions are held onsite. Inspirational, relevant training spaces dont have to cost a lot why not challenge the learners themselves to think of some low-cost cool venues?

Environment is such an important ingredient in making workshops successful. The brain needs stimulation and inspiration you dont need to spend a fortune but try and be creative when you plan sessions. Ideally, to get participants attention and focus offsite locations are much more effective than onsite. If there is no budget for this, consider internal options and think about what you can do to create a better learning environment.

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5. WHEN

I want my manager to know when I am due to be away from my desk for training that way they can manage my workload and plan for me not being around.

How do you rate the volume of training within your organisation? Whats your view on the duration of training sessions and when they take place?

The general consensus was that one-day, or two half-days, per quarter felt about right and that most of this should be self-nominated. Half-day blocks were very popular, as they dont mean too much time out of the office. Time is key so any short cuts or bite-sized learning is essential, though they realise that some topics need longer time dedicated to them. In terms of prep work, the majority seemed happy to do some short prep work before a session (e.g. listening to a podcast on the way in to work) providing it was engaging and brief. If the learning was to make the job easier or quicker, they would welcome it.

Time of day is important to get right 100% agreed that they prefer morning sessions, as thats when they are most awake (!). An important element for Gen Y is to know that the company takes training seriously and one way to do that is not to move training (e.g. if something more important turns up). The delegates wanted their learning to be viewed as importantly as their client work/day job and having dedicated learning times could be the answer.

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Id leave an organisation if the training was rubbish. I want to be working for a company that takes training and development seriously.
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus, every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out [of Reed after the first six months] and didnt have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science cant capture, and I found it fascinating. None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Mac computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

A theme that ran throughout the discussions was that of the relevance of training. Delegates knew there were core skills that they needed, but also wanted L&D teams to be able to provide a flexible programme that allowed them to pick up other skills throughout the year (I was put on a new team with a new remit, looked at the training schedule and saw that Id have to wait over six months for the session I needed). Allowing talent to enhance skills that arent seen as currently business critical sparked interesting discussions. Interestingly, our pre-group research had uncovered the following story from Steve Jobs:

The Gen Y talent in organisations are looking to the programme designers/L&D team to be able to look at the bigger picture and develop them in multiple areas (not just the obvious) to help unleash their potential.

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KEY LEARNINGS
The timeliness of training needs to be taken seriously by an organisation (from the top down). Managers need to know what training their Gen Y talent are meant to attend, when they should be attending it and what objectives there are for the session. Not only will this mean that young talent are encouraged to attend sessions, but that their managers should be able to challenge them to use their new skills back in everyday life. L&D teams should be encouraged to look at new and innovative ways to deliver training, for example, set a target that at least 25% of the next annual spend on training will be on developing/exploring non-traditional skill sets.

Short, bite-sized sessions are a great way to keep Gen Y engaged. I do a number of boomerang courses, which are two two-hour sessions with three or four weeks in between sessions, allowing delegates to learn something, test it in reality, and then reflect with their learning group at the second session. Any time dedicated to training is great just make sure that the whole organisation is aligned on the importance of training, so that its not just seen to be a nice to have, but an essential business, and people, development tool.

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BARRIERS TO LEARNING
We asked the participants two questions:

1.

What would stop you going to a training session?

2.

What are the main things that attract you to learning?

MAIN BARRIERS AND ATTRACTIONS

Locality/Environment People attending (i.e. dont like training with my manager) Overly long & intense Overly formal structure No relevant learning outcomes Lack of authority on topic (inexperienced trainers who were unfamiliar with their working environment) Compulsory vs personal choice Course content Not contributing to their work Gimmicky titles Uninspiring Lack of understanding regarding WIIFM Good communication of whats on offer Having training for me recognising individuality Having ownership Job relevant training Training for career training for life not just current role Having influence in a proper lifecycle to influence direction training takes (pre/train/feedback/ train/feedback) Training being valued by the organisation and having permission to go Learning as a shared experience Branded learning (e.g. if a programme has a logo/folder it shows more care than just old handouts stapled together) Practical learning that can be applied Inspiration speakers/trainers Bite-sized 15

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Gen Y share some common traits, demands and preferences but they are all individuals. Like any other demographic, the important thing is on-going dialogue and getting an understanding of their specific needs. Whilst we dont suggest that every desire can be catered for, there are some things you can do to ensure that the Gen Y talent in your organisations feel that they have a voice and that, most importantly, training is valued in your organisation.

Create learner profiles when people join what is their natural learning profile and whats important to individuals? Add this as part of the induction process.

Bridge the gap between different groups of learners e.g. what can your Gen Y learn from your Gen X talent and visa versa?

What can your leadership team do to create a culture of learning that allows people to flourish & demonstrates the value that your organisation places on it?

Create a coaching & mentoring culture to help with career direction. At a minimum, ensure line managers meet with those they manage solely to talk about training needs.

Provide opportunities for people to work together on projects from different areas of the organisation. Theyll learn from each other & itll break down barriers, leading to more effective working teams.

Create learning programmes that empower the individual to create their own development plan (in consultation with line managers).

Keep end user journey in mind when planning programmes of course finances, business objectives etc. are important, but always return to the same question what will the learners get out of this training?

Look at everything with a Gen Y eye are you being gimmicky? Are you using technology for the sake of it? If possible, set up an internal Gen Y panel to sense check everything (from course name to branding and content).

Talk to us! Both of our organisations are passionate about learning, and about young talent so do get in touch if youd like to explore any of these findings further.

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CONTACT US

DAVID LIVERSAGE
Founder Blue Phoenix

LIZ JONES

Founder thetrainingstudio

E: david@bluephoenixpeople.com M: 07968 720303 www.bluephoenixpeople.com

David is the Founder of Blue Phoenix People, a company offering cutting edge people development solutions. Our goal is to Breathe Life into Work which is reflected in our engaging, practical and down-to-earth approach. We are collaborative and flexible and work with you as a learning partner to develop solutions that are right for your business. We draw on our network of over 20 expert associates to deliver according to your needs, whether it be How To Deliver The Winning Pitch, developing a culture of learning within your organisation, or a programme of management essentials. Whatever the project, we focus on leaving a lasting impact that represents value to the organisation and helps your people and business to thrive.

E: lizj@thetrainingstudio.net M: 07769 770269 www.thetrainingstudio.net

Liz is the founder and lead consultant at thetrainingstudio, a training and consultancy company specialising in the engagement and development of Generation Y in the work place. thetrainingstudio works in many different industries helping organisations attract, develop and retain their young talent. From training graduates how to be professional, to consulting HR teams on their recruitment strategies, thetrainingstudio works with companies to engage talent at all levels and produce effective cross-generational teams.

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FURTHER READING
If you are interested in reading more about Gen Y, here are some of the resources that we used as stimulus for The Future of Learning research groups:

Generation Y: Inside Out (an Ashridge Business School white paper)

Great Expectations (an Ashridge Business School & the Institute of Leadership & Management report)

Not Everyone Gets a Trophy (Bruce Tulgan)

Socialnomics (Eric Qualman

The World According to Y (Rebecca Huntley)

Born Digital (John Palfrey & Urs Gasser)

The New Rules of Engagement (Michael McQueen)

The Shift: The Future of work is already here (Lynda Gratton)

The content of this report remains the property of Blue Phoenix & thetrainingstudio and should not be reproduced in any format without prior consent by a representative from either company. 18