Employees give an NPS of
-29
to their organizations’ online training
For the second year in a row, we’ve surveyed more than 1,000 HR and L&D; managers and consultants, as well as employees in different industries all over the world, to ask them about the corporate training they offer and receive, respectively.
While professionals in the sector give it an average score of 8, employees score it with only 6. This is a far from satisfactory result, taking into account the NPS, which considers them detractors.
Companies are increasing their budgets for online training, but is it engaging enough?
In the first edition of our Contradictions of Corporate Training report, 72% of HR managers admitted to accelerating the transition of their internal training from in-person to digital in 2020. In fact, 60% of companies increased their budget dedicated to online courses that year.
According to the survey carried out for our current report, in 2021 this trend not only continued, it actually intensified.
However, employees’ harsh assessment of their companies’ digital training shows that, despite the growth in spending, expectations still aren’t being met. There’s more investment, but it’s still necessary to get the right online formats and methodologies to attract employees’ attention and boost their drive for self-learning.
Companies’ planned investment in digital training in 2021 and 2022, compared to the previous year
What do the experts think?
Jennifer McClure
CEO of Unbridled Talent and DisruptHR
“We need for employees to own their own personal development, and we need to provide opportunities to do so. It’s really important for leaders to identify ways that people can learn and grow.”
Darrin Martin
Training and Development Manager
“I absolutely think that game-based learning is the future. It has an impact on retention and performance. The people who are more engaged are performing better and they’re staying longer with the company.”
Rob Alvarez
Professor at IE University and Product Manager
“When you do online courses, one of the biggest challenges is engagement. People don’t finish the course. And that’s exactly what game-based learning can bring: that engagement, that excitement.”
Natasa Basic
Group Talent
Development
“We want people to develop a wide range of skills in a personalized way. An approach where we have an offering for all employees to do what they need, when they need it, on the device available, in their own time.”
The corporate training ecosystem: stakeholders respond to digital demand
Teams creating online corporate training in companies
In 2021, companies increased in-house production of online courses compared to 2020. This seems to demonstrate their willingness to cover their digital needs in that area as much as possible throughout the second year of the global pandemic.
However, the presence of external consultants and instructional designers didn’t decrease. They continued to take full or partial authorship of a large part of the digital training that companies offered their employees during this time.
On the other hand, training consultants confirm that their interest in developing virtual training content has grown. In fact, the majority (61%) will increase their investment in digital training in 2022.
The prevalence of talent development within the virtual environment has created a unique opportunity for professionals to take their training strategies to the next level. Their work and challenges continue to grow.
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Online training providers are facing similar challenges
Employees are increasingly accustomed to training in a digital environment and are requesting more varied and attractive courses. This is probably what’s behind the main concern pointed out by both professionals from HR and L&D; departments, as well as external training consultants.
Both profiles aspire to have an ample catalog of online courses that meet the needs of all employees.
HR and L&D; Consultants
The next most voted challenges were improving virtual courses’ engagement and being able to rapidly develop high-quality and personalized training products. But what elements and formats do professionals use to meet these challenges?
The most award-winning serious game catalog
Developing the skills demanded by the changing professional environment is most effective when done through play. The Gamelearn Campus provides access to a menu of educational video games that is constantly growing and aligns with the needs of companies and employees.
Formal mismatch in the face of a clear need for innovation
Until recently, it was common to talk about the low acceptance rates of online courses and LMSs themselves. The Starr Conspiracy, an agency specialized in advising EdTech companies, indicated in 2017 that organizations gave this type of software an NPS of -57.
This perception has improved among organizations in recent years, but the formats used in their virtual training modules are still too traditional for their recipients’ expectations.
- HR and L&D;
- Consultants
- Employees
Most organizations continue to provide the majority of their digital training in text documents (59%), video (58%), and audio (38%). E-learning creators who work with and offer consulting services to companies, also choose these formats, at 64%, 58%, and 39%, respectively.
Meanwhile, employees who receive this online training indicate their liking for the audiovisual formats (video: 54%, audio: 42%), although their preference for more interactive and immersive options, such as virtual reality (47%), gamification techniques (41%), and video games (39%), as well as augmented reality (38%), is evident.
Playing to win and overcoming the inertia of the past
Game dynamics and simulations are innovative elements that reappear when we ask professionals from HR and L&D; departments, as well as external consultants and employees, what they would like to find in online training.
Most of them consider that real-life simulations are the most important element that digital courses should include.
On the other hand, the first two profiles (professionals in HR and L&D; teams and consultants in this field) make it clear that they are not yet able to adapt their strategies to integrate this element into their training programs, at least not as much as they would like to.
- HR and L&D;
- Consultants
- Employees
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Hard or soft skills, do we need to choose?
Not too long ago, on Gamelearn’s blog, we took a look at the results of IBM’s report which emphasized the importance of non-technical skills for companies and professionals to successfully adapt to the new corporate environment marked by digital transformation. That forecast came true perhaps earlier than expected when the global pandemic changed everything. A new report by IBM confirmed this: the gap in necessary skills was widening.
The trend seems to be continuing after having lived for some time with the context derived from COVID-19 restrictions. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Work Report has a ranking of the top 10 skills needed to work in 2025. Eight of these are markedly soft skills, related to creative thinking, conflict resolution, social relations, and self-management. Only two skills are technical, surrounding the use of technology and programming.
Topics employees prefer for their online corporate training
We asked employees in our survey about the non-technical skills they would like to focus on with online training. Those related to teamwork and productivity applicable to both their work and personal lives were among the most voted.
We also found out which courses are most frequently included in our clients' training plans and learning pathways and which are most valued by their employees, based on the skills they develop.
Interestingly, the most technical option, cybersecurity, is the least popular one. Likewise, they agree that developing soft skills such as leadership and team management, communication and influence, or coaching, is the better option.
What do the experts think?
Karl Kapp
Professor of Instructional Technology
“It’s critical in the field of Instructional Design to use tools to create game experiences. The Editor allows you to easily create serious games that are fun, and to connect that to the learning.”
Ian Davidson
Director of Learning and Development
“Gamelearn enabled us to teach our employees quickly, they were much more effective, and it encouraged them to do more on their own as they drove their own personal development.”
Brandon Lock
Director of
Training
“Serious games are really great because they specifically train soft skills and they allow you to practice them, and if you make mistakes, you’re not messing up in real-life.”
Dina Samora
Organizational Leadership Program Director
“Students loved the soft skills. They walked away knowing more about themselves as leaders, about their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, and that is priceless.”
3 keys to capitalize on the current corporate training ecosystem
Digital budgets grow, the contradictions remain
A year after the previous edition of this report, the gap between reality and expectations is still apparent. But members of organizations' training ecosystems are clearly making an effort to adapt to the accelerated transition to digital and the new normal. In other words, we’ve seen a growing trend in digital investment. However, the disconnect still exists between the desire to innovate and the status quo, related to traditional e-learning tools and formats.
The development of soft skills continues to be vital
Interest also remains high in the development of non-technical skills, which are most needed for professionals to perform successfully in the workplace. The training programs that best cover these interpersonal skills, along with the more technical ones, will better adapt to the demands of the ever-changing work environment.
An open catalog, which fosters a culture of self-development amongst employees, will be essential to making this a reality. Customized learning pathways in the digital space will also be key to match the level of personalized attention face-to-face training offers. Moreover, the corporate training platform which possesses these capabilities will also need a high NPS to ensure maximum levels of engagement online.
Game-based learning: the common ground between needs and expectations
In-line with last year’s report, finding a balance between training expectations and business needs will be key to alleviate tensions. Interactive methodologies are (once again) winners amongst employees, even if they are not the main choice of the professionals designing their training programs.
Training video games are an easy solution that respond to employees' demands for immersive learning experiences, as they combine high-quality content, compelling stories, real-life simulations with immediate feedback, and game mechanics. A learning product that is equally as engaging as it is educational—accessible simply with an internet connection!
Make your business objectives and employees’ development needs match with the leading game-based learning platform
Methodology
Survey launched between December 31 and January 6, 2022.
Population: 1,050 people, men and women, between the ages of 25 and 65.
Profiles: professionals from HR and L&D; departments, HR and L&D; consultants, and employees from companies in various sectors.
Countries: United States, Mexico, India, Spain, France, and the UK.