Think Strategically: How AI-Powered Systems Can Level Up Your Employee Learning Experience

The global training market is worth in excess of £350bn, and more organisations are making the transition from legacy software packages to more agile and often AI-powered learning management systems designed to create a holistic solution to manage all aspects of the employee experience. We’re looking more closely at the vital role strategy plays in making the most of AI-powered software for learning, giving your people the best possible opportunities to gain.

The role of strategy in using AI to improve employee learning

The use of AI in employees’ training and learning is now essential, not an optional extra. However, it’s not enough to simply invest in the software and see what happens. You need to approach how AI is used strategically to ensure the best possible outcomes.

The pace of learning has accelerated faster than we ever could have predicted. Fuelled by the necessity of the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations have embraced a more digital approach to many elements of business, including learning and development. AI is the next essential stage in the digital transformation of employee learning.

Accenture research asserts that businesses successfully applying AI could increase profitability by nearly 40% by 2035, and the learning and development segment is ripe for improvement with the use of AI. AI technology is increasingly embedded into learning management systems to improve learning outcomes and deliver personalised training. Harnessing this in the most effective way for your business helps to ensure you’re making the most of your AI-powered systems and delivering the best possible learning experiences for your people.

Using AI-powered systems to improve learning

AI should make the learning experience more effective and enjoyable and deliver better results for the business. Let’s explore how AI-powered software can be used to enhance and improve different aspects of employees’ learning.

1. Personalising learning pathways

No two people are the same, so it stands to reason their approach to learning will also differ, and a personalised learning programme is something employees have come to expect. AI allows training programmes to adapt to the needs of the individual employee and delivers a fully individualised range of training opportunities with the goals and requirements of the individual in mind. AI helps your organisation to save time as your people can reach their learning goals more quickly as they receive training and information based solely on their preferences and objectives.

Personalised learning can be extremely difficult to implement without the support of AI, as machine learning allows AI-powered software to automate the learning process, offering a learning platform where all data, programmes, materials, and schedules are individually tailored.

2. Integrating training into regular workflow

Many organisations seek to find effective ways to integrate learning into routine, regular workflow. The formal and class-based style of training simply doesn’t allow for this, and learners don’t gain as much as they could from this style of training. Learning systems powered by AI integrate the opportunity to learn into the working day. The system provides each employee with a unique programme with many opportunities for microlearning and accessing real-time learning opportunities within their regular work routine.

3. Remedying skills gaps

A well-designed AI-enabled LMS should be able to consider your people and accurately assess their behaviours, skills, job role, and even interactions to identify skills gaps. It can then automate learning enrolment and ensure your people have the full skillset needed for their role. At their most sophisticated level, the software can even produce reskilling pathways to help employees find a new and challenging role when their previous role may no longer be necessary.

4. Improving course completion rates

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) were heralded as a great way of enhancing your knowledge and learning, but research suggests that less than 20% of MOOCs are actually completed. Course completion is important in the workplace, especially for job-essential training. Well-implemented AI software can drive better course completion rates by creating and delivering learning materials employees want. AI can develop a learning programme tailored to the personal preferences of your people, incorporating short and easy-to-digest modules.

5. Promoting accessibility to learning

AI-driven systems can design training programmes which are significantly more accessible than traditional training programmes. Additional features such as closed captions and even tools that can create a textual version of an image help create a more accessible and equal learning landscape.

6. Reducing administrative burden

While a reduction in admin may not seem beneficial for the learner’s experience, allowing some degree of automation means managers and leadership teams can channel their resources more effectively for their team. AI chatbots can accurately handle many of the activities managers do in the learning environment. Digital coaches can monitor and manage progress, feedback on assessments and notify learners of deadlines or new learning opportunities.

7. Measuring learning’s effectiveness

AI-powered software allows you to easily automate the process of capturing and analysing performance data. You can use this data to measure the effectiveness of any training programme and gauge how your people are performing. This can help you recognise where you need to provide additional support or where your training programmes can be improved. Good AI-powered LMS will also make it easy to share your training data with company stakeholders so they can add their feedback and you can work on any improvements together.

Fuelling your employees learning with strategic AI

Utilising AI in employee learning helps give your people self-direction and the power to choose an effective programme that benefits their careers. It’s also built with your organisation’s goals and strategies in mind, ensuring learning is purposeful as well as designed to meet the personal preferences of your people. AI is an extremely powerful tool for supercharging your employee learning, provided you have the right strategic roadmap to success in place.