accessplanit's annual State of the Training Industry Benchmark report aims to find out the thoughts, feelings and insights of training professionals from a range of sectors in the industry. From training delivery and digital innovation to opportunities and threats, our research covers many topics to help you get ahead of training trends and understand the outlook for the future.
This is our 8th year taking the pulse of the training industry, sharing key developments in training delivery, technology, sales and marketing.
It is also our 3rd year surveying learners. This helps us to understand how the demands of the market are being addressed by training businesses.
In this article, we are going to run down 5 of the most interesting training industry trends from the report this year. Download your copy of the full 2024 training industry report here!
2024 training industry trends
1. In-person is preferred for live training
2. There are digital on-demand opportunities for training providers
3. Alternative training services are rising
4. Lack of resources is the biggest challenge this year
5. More training providers are using training management software
1. In-person is preferred for live training
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an increase in online training solutions, as the training industry reacts to the demand for flexible and accessible training. Having said that, in-person training has often retained the top spot, showing that it's not going anywhere, and this year in particular we have seen the industry nudge even further in the direction of preferring in-person training.
In-house training was the most popular type of course offered by training providers in 2024, up 7% from 2023 and exceeding last year's predictions by an impressive 21%. Similarly, the most popular training delivery method was in-person classroom training, offered by 86% of respondents, while live virtual training has dropped by 21%.
Most interesting to us, however, is the exceptionally large shift in learner preferences in 2024, taken from our learner survey. Our data shows that learners prefer in-person classroom training, with 80% choosing it - a massive 44% increase from last year. This is a major difference from last year when live virtual training was the most popular method, which has fallen by 24%.
This follows a pattern outlined in the trainer survey and suggests that there is an expectation for training to be in person where possible in 2024. 3 years on from lockdown, learners seem to be craving face-to-face interaction. The benefits of live in-person training have outweighed the necessity for live online training.
"The need for balance with in-person delivery needs to be recognised and emphasised; fully digital learning isn't good enough."
Learner response
2. There are digital on-demand opportunities for training providers
Despite this, digital, on-demand training delivery methods such as video, quizzes, and content downloads have continued to grow over the past three years and this year was no different. However, podcasts are again the least popular delivery method and have experienced a drop of 13%, down to just 5% of training providers using this method in 2024.
This is converse to what learners are looking for. Podcasts (alongside on-demand webinars) are one of the only areas in which learner demand is not being met, and this was the case last year, too. Also, eLearning, quizzes and content downloads have all jumped in popularity with learners.
This suggests that while in-person training is preferred by delegates for live training, there is an expectation for on-demand digital material to aid learning. The potential is there for training providers to more effectively use these channels to diversify their offerings and meet this demand.
We also asked learners their thoughts on the impact that advancements in digital technology are having on the training industry, and the majority (39%) said they think the impact is positive, while a further 20% said it's very positive.
3. Alternative training services are rising
According to this year's data, there is an increase in the use of digital solutions for training services. Online self-service learning, augmented/virtual reality and virtual instructor-led have all risen in popularity with training providers this year.
The most interesting thing to note here is the rise of augmented/virtual reality. No one we surveyed was offering it last year, but 10% said they were this year and a further 17% identified it as a focus for the future. The use of VR and AR, alongside the use of AI, were mentioned frequently by providers when we asked them about their outlook for the training industry.
Online self-service learning has gone up by 14% and more than half of respondents identified it as a focus for the future, indicating that demand for flexible digital solutions is recognised.
As technology continues to improve, the use of these alternative methods is rising to improve learner engagement.
4. Lack of resources is the biggest challenge this year
In 2024, the biggest challenge for training providers was lack of resources, with 45% highlighting it, up from second place last year. This could be related to the others in the top 3, increasing costs and the cost of living crisis.
This is the first time the cost of living crisis was included as an option in our survey and it jumped straight up to third place, with 31% of training providers naming it as a challenge. Evidently, not only are prices rising, but purse strings are tighter, reducing people's willingness to part with cash for training courses, reducing training provider budgets and increasing the price and scarcity of resources.
With fewer resources perhaps also comes a lack of time to complete tasks, at number four on the list.
5. More training providers are using training management software
Many administrative pains have fallen in frequency this year, including processing course bookings, course promotion and course and event scheduling. Could this be due to the increase in the use of training management software (+16%) this year, which can automate and streamline much of this admin work?
This is alongside a decrease in the use of spreadsheets by 18%. It is evident that more and more training providers have realised that manually processing data is not a good use of anyone's time or money, and the ROI of training management software is becoming more apparent.
Also, almost a quarter of respondents said they use a learning management system, a 14% increase from last year, perhaps reflecting the increase of on-demand learning solutions we mentioned above.
Download your copy of the State of the Training Industry Benchmark Report 2024!
For a deeper dive into the thoughts and trends of training providers and learners, you can download your copy of the State of the Training Industry Benchmark Report here:
