3 Stats Reveal How L&D Invests in Content and Technology in 2022

The past two years have undoubtedly been some of the most difficult in recent memory. Even if businesses were better prepared to manage the pandemic in 2021 than they were in 2020, new issues like the Great Resignation emerged, and businesses have had to continually adapt.

The silver lining, however, is that companies have an opportunity to reorient themselves in ways that can lead to more long-term success, especially by re-examining their learning and development (L&D) programs. Over seven years of surveying L&D leaders, respondents have shared their insights around the most current trends and uncovered whitespace for new strategic opportunities.

The results from this year’s survey, with takeaways in our 4 Statistics for Leading L&D in 2022 infographic—and showcased in our Enterprise Learning 2022 Annual Report—point toward greater investments in content development, employee feedback and new technologies to help build out and empower a new workforce and future-proof their organizations. Let’s examine two big areas where L&D teams are investing time, treasure and talent for their programs.
 

Content Is Crowned

As companies grapple with changes around employee and customer experience, combined with other external challenges, L&D professionals are stepping up their efforts for content and curation. To build resiliency and help employees adapt to change, 38 percent expect to roll out learning initiatives on a continuous basis over the next year, the most selected time frame.

For some companies, the pandemic created this greater opportunity for employees to engage with learning initiatives more frequently. One respondent noted that “people are taking advantage of training more” as a result of working from home. In some cases that involves redesigning training to fit remote environments, but it also creates new opportunities.

In the prior survey, 48 percent of the respondents said they were rolling out learning initiatives continuously. While this is a decrease year over year, it may reflect how companies are listening to employees more closely and have already implemented some of this work.

In our current research, respondents’ preference is to survey employees quarterly as to the types of training and tools they need, whereas in past years it was more common to conduct annual surveys.

The relatively high frequency of learning and employee feedback aligns with more than three-quarters of respondents confirming their organizations conduct cross-departmental meetings at least quarterly to focus on training, employee development and skills-building. In contrast, in our 2021 research, the most common response was that organizations conduct these meetings for special projects only.

According to a survey from PwC, only 26 percent of business and HR leaders globally strongly agree “they can identify the skills the [organization] will need in the future due to technological change.” So, this frequency in acquiring more feedback and having cross-departmental meetings is important, as it could help more companies figure out what is needed to close skills gaps.
 

Technology to Train and Retain

As the content of learning changes, so, too, do the ways in which training is delivered. In 2022, L&D leaders foresee using more new technologies to facilitate learning. For example, 75 percent expect to increase video usage, a number similar to the previous year, which indicates that there’s still work to be done to shift training to fit remote/hybrid environments.

One respondent notes they’ve experienced an “increased use of technology that has improved agility and scalability,” since the pandemic. Yet L&D teams also have to be mindful of what this training looks like, not just how it’s delivered. The same respondent notes that there’s been a “major focus on increasing engagement to fight digital fatigue and reduced attention span.”

Perhaps one way to increase engagement is to use more immersive technologies. The use of augmented reality/virtual reality/mixed reality (AR/VR/MR) has shot up the ranks, with nearly half of the respondents expecting to increase their usage. This is especially true among large organizations, of which 65 percent plan to increase use of AR, compared with only 34 percent the previous year.

And the use of AR/VR/MR isn’t some far-off fantasy. In fact, 46 percent of companies plan to adopt emerging tech into learning, training and collaboration platforms by the end of 2022. Another 14 percent have already done so.
 

Trends, Tips and Tactics

What does rethinking learning content, feedback and delivery look like in practicality? You can get more takeaways, insights and even tactics to proactively prepare your L&D function and organization for an unpredictable world. Consult our infographic on 4 Statistics for Leading L&D in 2022, and download the complete Enterprise Learning 2022 Annual Report.