Demand for online learning increased 'exponentially' as COVID-19 drove telework

Dive Brief:

Demand for online learning has "increased exponentially" during the last few weeks, according to the Cornerstone Institute for People Development. Recent survey results suggested that workers want to acquire skills to increase productivity while working remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 17 announcement. Among other things, workers said they have skill gaps relating to work-life balance, time management and active listening.
In March, learners spent 27.5 million hours on Cornerstone Learning, the report stated. Almost half (40%) of Cornerstone Learning clients saw an increase in logins in March, compared to February. The insights showed that nearly 60% of healthcare clients, and almost 50% of public administration, education and non-profit clients, reported an increase in logins.
In addition, the Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation, which provides technology grants to nonprofit organizations, experienced a 103% increase in logins and a 75% increase in course registrations across its client base in March. The data also revealed a 50% increase in companies moving in-person trainings to a virtual, online format.

Dive Insight:

There's an upskilling and reskilling revolution coming in the next three to five years, according to LinkedIn research.

LinkedIn Learning's 2020 Workplace Learning Report released March 3 found that 51% of learning and development professionals surveyed plan to launch upskilling programs in 2020; and in the next decade, automation and digital transformation are expected to have a greater impact on the global workforce. LinkedIn stated in the report that it hosted a week-long, company-wide learning challenge and found that executive championship effectively drove engagement. Talent developers will focus on ways to drive engagement, activate managers and measure the impact of learning on the business, but they will also need to know which skills to learn themselves in light of digital transformation, according to LinkedIn.

However, as businesses adjust to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, layoffs have become a reality, and workers fear they lack the skills to keep them on board. More than half (53%) of employees surveyed by Cornerstone OnDemand said they aren't skilled enough to avoid a layoff, according to a October 2019 report. Of the 1,000 Americans surveyed, 83% said they believed it is essential to improve professional skills; 60% of boomers felt insecure with their current skill sets; and 53% of millennials said their employers help them identify the skills they need, while only 37% of boomers agreed.

As employers increase in upskilling and training, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are gaining popularity. A Genesys report released in October 2019 found that employers will begin to increase training budgets to invest in AR and VR. Researchers found that more than half of employees surveyed in every job category showed interest in the technological tools for training.