Although the 70:20:10 principle has become more widely known in corporate learning over the past few years and has in fact already become standard, this recognition has yet to be fully translated into action: German-speaking companies still regard traditional classroom training as the most important approach to vocational training.
Indeed, nearly 55% of companies regard the classroom as essential. This also explains the fact that funds are still to a large extent being invested in the “10%” of the 70:20:10 formula. This formula, which is scientifically proven, states that 70% of learning is acquired in the workplace and another 20% through informal learning in day-to-day dealings with colleagues, while a mere 10% is acquired through formal training. Thus, although classroom training has the least effect, this conservative approach to learning is supported completely out of proportion to its degree of effectiveness. Force of habit, perhaps?
Between tradition and modernity: around half of the surveyed companies are nevertheless ready to embrace innovation and already rely on learning at the workplace, above all in their sales, IT administration, HR/personnel and production departments. The student is not obliged to leave his/her workplace but is rather actively supported in answering questions or addressing issues whether by colleagues, coaches or electronic aids such as a performance support system. Such organizations are clearly trendsetters, since among companies without workplace-based learning, roughly a third already plan to adopt this approach in the near future.
What is surprising is the rather low level of usage of e-learning at external workplaces via mobile devices such as smartphones, for example while on the way to the office or while on business trips. Moreover, the study reveals that there is a particularly low level of usage of e-learning among medium-sized German companies, which have some catching up to do.
The dominant reasons for the use of workplace-based learning are, according to the “Workplace Learning” study, increased performance and the competence building among employees in the course of the day-to-day work process.
Germany’s leading e-learning vendor tts is among those that have developed an appropriate solution for the digitalization of the knowledge acquisition processes. Rapid deployment of learning content that corresponds exactly to the work process is viewed as an especially important advantage of workplace learning, as employees get support precisely at their moment of need, without having to visit the seminar room or to flick through a heavy manual.
As the Premium Partner for the “Workplace Learning” study, which eLearning Journal compiled with data acquired from July 2015 to February 2016 as part of its eLearning Benchmarking Study “eLearning Scenarios in Operational Use”, tts has made the study report available (in the German language) for download free of charge from its media library at http://www.tt-s.com/workplace-learning/.