Talent – Just-in-time learning

The day of the multi-day residential learning experience has come to an end from a mainstream education perspective. The market increasingly has a role to play in this as does the worker.

The market is putting pressure on costs so anything that involves accommodation and travel will be unattractive. Also the opportunity cost of being away from the desk makes many managers reluctant to release their staff for extended periods of time.

Also the speed at which the market moves can often make classroom learning, particularly where it is knowledge-based, appear like an annual inoculation when what the learners really need is daily vitamins.

It would also appear that Generation-Ys much prefer their education bite-sized. The digital economy, with its real-time pace and volatile movement is forcing the rest of us to fall into line with this approach.

There are a couple of significant points that come to mind:

• The future of universities is in question.
• The school model is looking increasingly outmoded.

Isn’t it best to be taught how to learn at school? Should there ever be a business-critical need to know the outcome of Henry the Eighth’s six marriages the learner has the skills to find that out?

The convergence of social media, mobile and the Cloud looks set to shake up how we nurture our talent.