As the UK ramps up AI upskilling, businesses mustn’t overlook learner support, says Redmill Advance
The UK’s focus on building digital and AI skills continues to grow, with the government investing £187m through its TechFirst programme to expand digital skills and AI learning across the UK. Meanwhile, a Lloyds Bank survey found that 54% of UK businesses are investing in AI, while 31% say they lack sufficient AI expertise.
As organisations continue to invest in digital learning platforms, David Tait, Founder & Managing Director at Redmill Advance believes there is a risk of focusing too heavily on the technology itself while overlooking a critical factor in whether training succeeds: the support learners receive around it.
“When investing in digital training, much of the focus tends to be on the platform and the quality of the content whilst important, these are only part of the learner and client experience. If someone struggles to get started with their learning or has no support when they encounter a problem, even the best training may not be enough. This is where the human support element becomes imperative,” he said.
“With 58% of UK businesses planning to up-skill employees over the next year and digital platforms becoming their preferred go-to source for training, learner support will become a key factor in determining whether that investment delivers long term value,” Tait added.
Often treated as an administrative function, effective on boarding is the first step to ensuring that learners and businesses are primed to engage with full platform functionality and its learning content. For Tait, overlooking this stage can create unnecessary roadblocks before the learning has even begun. If you don’t know how to launch your learning you can’t engage with it effectively, he argues.
“Whilst many platforms are built to be user friendly, that doesn’t mean every learner will immediately feel confident using them. Client and user on-boarding must provide guidance on platform and content use to help learners acclimatise to the navigation menus, features and functions as well as understanding the resources available to them. This can be particularly important for learners who are less confident using digital platforms, especially when their company has mandated the use for all learning. You should never assume that everyone is digitally competent but instead, make it a part of your service that onboarding forms part of your overall support.”
Feedback is an equally important especially during early adoption. It’s important to seek feedback and build it into your roadmap of future product development.
Tait said: “Businesses should encourage learners to offer their feedback, this helps identify barriers in learning that might not have been obvious. Are there points where learners are disengaging? Do you need to introduce additional areas in your learning such as gamification, incentives or rewards such as badges or digital certificates or perhaps even leader boards, where organisations can promote fun competition between colleagues?
“Without this feedback, businesses risk making assumptions about what learners need rather than responding to actual need. Training needs analysis is an excellent way to identify gaps and build custom learning pathways to suit individuals. For businesses, management reporting becomes critical to identify development needs, understand course completions, and identify where users may be disengaging with content.”
Ideally, learners should also have access to a range of self-service resources that allow them to find answers quickly. FAQ pages and troubleshooting guides can resolve straightforward issues, while learner support is on hand to assist with more complex needs. It’s critical that learner support is available to anyone that needs it whether that’s via an email, digital chat function, or at the end of the phone.
“Not every learner will want to contact a support team in the same way. Some learners may prefer to talk to someone, others may prefer two-way communication via a chat function, and others may be happy to email their query. No matter the preferred route, having that learner experience team available is incredibly important.”
“If accessing help becomes difficult, it can result in a poor experience for the client or learner. Having different support routes caters to a diverse audience, combine this with self-service support resources and you are ensuring both client and learner are fully supported,” he said.
Tait concluded: “Ultimately, with digital training we should always be thinking about the client or learner experience. The best solutions will not be judged solely by the platform or technology driving it, but by the experience it creates. By ensuring excellent ongoing support is in place, effective on-boarding, and listening to client and learner feedback, the learning experience will be better positioned to fully support users throughout their development.”
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