Learner-centred training: the key to enhancing training experiences

A learner-centred approach to training is one where the entire learning experience is focused on the learner's interests, comfort, needs, convenience and overall career development. The learner's needs are prioritised, which boosts engagement, productivity and empowerment. A learner-centred approach helps companies pave the road to career development success and has shown to be one of the best ways of keeping learners engaged and happy.

The opposite of this is a facilitator- or teacher-centred approach. The traditional idea of the trainer as the "facilitator" means that with a learner-centred approach, the focus of the facilitator shifts from the trainer to the trainee.

When looking at the actual process of the teaching and learning of the training content, the teacher-centred approach focuses on what the teacher knows and how the teacher passes on those skills or knowledge, whereas with a learner-centred approach, the focus is solely on how learners teach themselves the skills and knowledge presented to them, to use in their everyday working roles.

Learner-centred training enables employees to learn how to learn independently and responsibly, as well as drive autonomous problem-solving skills – a skill that is very much sought after in today's ever-changing working world.

To achieve this, as well as overall training success, it's important that businesses enhance the training experience for their employees, whether it's face-to-face or through an online training platform.

Because technology and augmented reality have become an integral part of today's training journeys, as well as the increased need for using technology in our everyday lives, the use of digital platforms that facilitate and embody this approach to training can be the perfect solution within the online and/or remote training industry. This is because it gives learning and development specialists the opportunity to reintroduce and present an authentic and stimulating side to the training experience.

So, how does a learner-centred training platform bring on enhanced training experiences?

Navigation has a major impact on the user-friendliness and complexity of the training experience. Those responsible for the training platform should ensure that they look for and implement a digital solution that is easy to navigate and does not overwhelm the learner, giving them the cognitive space to solely focus on the training at hand. This will be appealing to all generations of training employees, but especially to the Millennial and Gen-Z generations.

Learning and development specialists or training facilitators can also make sure that the training platform they are using offers training content that is of high quality, fun and relevant to each and every employee's own working challenges and learning needs. Additionally, learning and development professionals can focus on how the training material is presented and organised, which will also generate a significant and effective training outcome.

Accessibility is another key element to focus on when implementing a platform that supports a learner-centred training approach. Managing a diverse workforce drives trainers to look for a solution that caters to most, if not all, all employee circumstances. Employees should be able to easily access the content of their choice on any device and with or without an internet connection.

Another key feature of a learner-centred training platform that keeps learners at the centre and is guaranteed to optimise the training experience is microlearning. Microlearning's small 'chunks' of high-engaging information allows the learner to better process what is being presented to them by eliminating any unnecessary information, enabling increased knowledge retention and recall.

Other ways user-centred training can enhance the training experience for all employees include:

Improved participation

All employees do not have the same training needs. Some may simply like to understand the basics of a concept, while others like to understand a course in excellent detail. Additionally, some learners may already have some knowledge on a topic, whereas others will be entirely new to the concept. A learner-centred approach addresses all the essential needs of each and every specific employee with a high emphasis on relevance and engagement. By tailoring training content to an employee's specific needs, employees are more likely to be more interested in participating in employee training programmes. This ensures that learners get a personalised, convenient and fun training experience.

Work performance increase and problem-solving skills development

A typical learner-centred training approach will have an abundance of real-life scenarios, case studies and challenges included. This way, employees are more likely to apply their learning in their working roles, leading to improved on-the-job performance and develops problem-solving skills, which will come in handy when employees experience similar challenges at their place of work.

The learner-centred approach to employee training and how it has forced the learning and development sector to change its way of thinking about the possibilities of employee training has transformed businesses around the world in a multitude of ways. It has changed the way training partners consider content creation, platform navigation, training content accessibility, microlearning and more.

Contact Lesson Desk or visit our website to book a free demo to see how our learner-centred training platform can give your employees the enhanced training experience they deserve today!