Learning Technologies is Europe's leading showcase of technology used to support learning at work, and learning professionals. Each year it draws more than 8.500 visitors, 150 free talks, and over 200 exhibitors.
The two-day event at London’s ExCel Centre promised to be bigger and better than ever this year, and it didn’t disappoint. The new venue provided more space, and the exhibitors and talks were informative and engaging.
If you missed Learning Technologies 2019 (or LearnTech as we like to call it) this year, not to worry- we’ve sat in on plenty of insightful talks, as well as checking out all of the fascinating exhibitor’s stands; getting a good feel for the hot training trends, as well as the biggest concerns in the learning industry this year. Read on to hear our thoughts on the exhibition and what you should know.
A quick glance around the exhibitors at Learning Technologies this year showed two clear (and, maybe contradictory) themes. These were using increasing technology use whilst also increasing the human element of learning.
There was a noticeable increase in virtual and augmented reality learning solutions. We saw plenty of VR headsets, and even a computer program that responded to your mood! AR specialists, Auggd will be joining us at our 2019 Everest Conference - if this is a topic that you want to know more about then make sure to join us!
Many of the talks and much of the content produced this year was based around the evolution of digital learning and the need to create more person-centric content and delivery. Encouraging learners to self-assess and drive their own development through technology was certainly a predominant theme this year.
We've written up the six most inspiring and interesting seminars (in our humble opinion😉) we attended at LearnTech this year.
Alan described an extended enterprise as a company that delivers something for another company (extending the enterprise) i.e. training companies and associations. This focused on how external training companies can deliver on the ever-increasing demand for digital training within organisations.
Alan talked about the need for learning management systems to become more engaging for learners, rather than merely record-taking or compliance-centred. He also spoke about the need to train employees faster than ever before. The millennial workforce is much more transient than generations before them; therefore, requiring up-skilling faster to be of more value to a company, and a good mentoring program to encourage company staff retention.
Key facts:
Key takeaways:
Agile learning – a highly customised, personalised; flexible, collaborative, and results driven form of learning is what is required of training companies today.
Digital inclusion – In order to deliver such a personalised and customised style of learning, training companies must embrace LMS as a means of training delivery.
We don't just like the pun in the talk title. Although, that did draw us to the theatre!
Noorie and Gabi began their talk by showing us a World Bank report form 2016, highlighting the risk of jobs being replaced by automation in the next five years. In the UK, this is predicted to be 35% of jobs by 2021. The worldwide average is 57%!
This gave context to the importance of soft-skills acquisition within the workforce, and the need for both employees and employers to diversify in terms of learning styles and approaches. In the space of 5 years, the demand of soft skills is set to greatly increase.
Key facts:
Key takeaways:
The key guidelines when up-skilling a futureproof workforce are the following:
GoodPractice have conducted a study into L&D learning strategies and how leaders are implementing them within their teams. They shared some of their findings with us, as well as providing us with a copy of their extremely insightful report.
Key facts:
Key takeaways:
Download a copy of the future of 70/20/10 from the GoodPractice website.
Jeremy began by talking to us about the challenges that face almost every HR department, and went on to give us some key insights on how to abate them in order to retain good people; by putting employees at the centre, when it comes to learning and development.
Key facts:
Key takeaways:
Matthew and James spoke to us about some of the key findings so far, from their report on the state of digital learning in 2019 (out in March). They’ve found that the majority of opinion, points to the fact that using digital has helped improve employee engagement; communication; performance, and productivity. They also looked at the adoption of digital into L&D, and what obstacles departments are facing to implementation.
Key takeaways:
Gerry Griffin talked us through some smart ideas for how L&D and HR departments can engage their learners better. These included:
Key takeaways:
The CIPD are the professional body for HR and people development, with over 150,000 partner members around the world. We picked up a copy of their survey of Learning and Development professionals, to uncover skills and knowledge gaps’ is an extremely insightful study for L&D professionals looking to improve their department or processes.
Key takeaways:
Read more of CIPD’s professionalising L&D report here.
- Why Training Professionals Should Attend Everest Conference 2019
- The Ultimate Guide for Attending an Exhibition or Conference
- What You Missed At Everest Conference 2018