Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2019 - 5

PERSPECTIVES
KEN TAYLOR

LEARNING ANALYTICS:
TABLE STAKES FOR
BUSINESS SUCCESS

L&D HAS STRUGGLED
WITH THE COLLECTION
AND STRUCTURE OF
LEARNING ANALYTICS
SINCE THE BEGINNING
OF TIME.

Big data is here to stay. As a function,
learning and development (L&D) needs
to embrace it or fall behind the rest of
departments inside our organizations.
The struggle we are all facing is where
to find the skill set on our teams to
tackle the mounds of available data
- and put it to use to improve the
impact we make when training our
companies' employees.
L&D has struggled with the collection
and structure of learning analytics since
the beginning of time. For years, Training
Industry's research has identified it
as one of the top challenges learning
leaders face. It's about time that we
start to define the role of the learning
data scientist. To be successful, the
role will require a combination of skills
that go beyond data collection and an
understanding of the language of L&D.
But I think it goes beyond just defining
the role and brings us back to the
fundamentals that great training
organizations have embraced for years. The
best companies make clear connections
between training investments and their
intended impact. They ensure that their
training programs are specifically aligned
to the core objectives of the organization.
They think about measurement while
they're designing training programs,
not after they roll them out. They are
systematic in the implementation of
learning technologies to maximize their
technology stack for data trackability.
They are customer-focused and mindful

of the need to collect feedback from all
stakeholders in the roll-out of a training
program, not only the learners.
It might feel like a tall order for any
company's L&D team, but we must
drive in this direction to make sure that
we remain relevant and connected to
the businesses we support. Learning
analytics will help us make certain that
not a penny of the investment we make
in training is wasted. More importantly,
it will allow us to better monitor and
understand the value we bring to the
teams we support, which I believe is
table stakes in the environment of
scarce resources and escalating skillsrelated challenges that many companies
now face. As roles morph, corporations
are looking to reskill their employees.
The rate of change in skill requirements
continues to accelerate, and we need to
be ready.
The great news is that there are many
resources available to help with the
journey, and we are excited to add to
the resource pool with this edition of
Training Industry Magazine. As always,
we would love to hear your thoughts
about the perspectives shared in the
magazine. Please feel free to send
along any suggestion for future editions
of Training Industry Magazine for us
to consider.
Ken Taylor is president and editor in chief of
Training Industry, Inc. Email Ken

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MAGAZ INE -LEARNING ANALYTICS 20 19 I WWW. T RAININGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

https://www.trainingindustry.com/magazine

Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2019