Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2018 - 51

LEARNER MINDSET
MICHELLE EGGLESTON

THE ROLE OF

RELEVANCY IN L&D

A whopping 13 percent of employees
worldwide are engaged in their jobs.
There are a multitude of reasons why
employees are not engaged - from a
lack of challenging work to conflicts
with management to a lack of growth
and development opportunities.
Organizations are tasked with developing a plan of action to increase
engagement levels. Because engagement matters. A workplace with high
engagement levels retain employees
longer and are more focused and
productive to meet business goals.
Every employee is unique and has their
own set of expectations and goals
for their career. Internal teams are
made up of people will varying skill
sets, weaknesses and passions. A
diverse workforce requires diverse
training options.
Ensuring every employee receives
the training they need to succeed is
a complex undertaking for learning
and development (L&D). But despite
our best effort to develop and deploy
engaging
training
experiences,
knowledge retention and performance
improvement ultimately rests on
the learner.
The learner must sign up and attend the
training. The learner must come with
an open mind. The learner must apply
the new skills on the job. The learner
must want to learn. L&D can create
the greatest training program, but the
information is useless unless applied by
the learner.

How do we get learners more excited
about developing new skills? How do we
engage and motivate the uninspired?
Relevancy is the key - for the learner and
the training function.
TRAINING RELEVANCY
Before L&D can reach employees, the
training function must be viewed as
relevant to the success of the business.
Learning professionals must obtain
buy-in from senior business leaders
who believe in the value that training
brings the company. Buy-in from the
C-suite provides the training function
with budget and resources to develop
learning opportunities for employees.
When training is viewed as relevant
to the business and core to longterm success, a culture shift begins
to happen. A culture is formed that
champions learning and advocates
for employee development. Skills will
continue to evolve, and the training
function must be at the forefront of
those changes to prepare employees
for the future of their role.
LEARNING RELEVANCY

lot on their plate and adding another
to-do to that never-ending list can be
overwhelming. When learners can see
the big picture, they're more likely to be
invested in working toward that vision.
Today's employees want to grow and
develop and providing training that is
relevant to their job role will increase
engagement and improve productivity.
The more engaged learners are in the
training the higher the likelihood that
they will apply those skills back on
the job.

LEARNING
WITHOUT PURPOSE
WILL NOT STICK.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
Having a toolbox full of training methods
to deliver learning is a wonderful thing
but learning without purpose will not
stick. Training must be anchored to the
goals of the business and tailored to
improve the efficiency and performance
of the company's employees in meeting
those objectives.

If learning hinges on the learner, then
L&D must clearly articulate the value
of training to employees. Employees
want to know what's in it for them. They
want to know if the training will lead
to a potential promotion. They want to
know how the training will impact their
day-to-day work and how this training
connects to overall business objectives.

Focusing on relevancy can help L&D
professionals develop a more robust
learning culture by advocating for the
value of training and creating better
training programs that target the skills
learners need to excel in their role - now
and in the future.

Regardless if this may seem a little selfinvolved, it's true. Employees have a

Michelle Eggleston is the editorial director at
Training Industry, Inc. Email Michelle.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2018