Part II: The new way of learning
This blog post is part of a blog series addressing how learning has changed and what this means for the learning model of the future.
Last time, we talked about why closing the skills gap with a new model of learning is necessary for the future of work. Learning has experienced a 180-degree transformation over the last years: from relatively slow, expensive, inflexible, and exclusive to fast, affordable, flexible, and inclusive. Today, we want to take a closer look at this new way of learning and your benefits from it.
The need for continuous learning
Relevant skills are not only rapidly evolving, but also becoming obsolete much faster. Prior to the pandemic, the
World Economic Forum reported that 42 per cent of the core skills required for jobs will have changed by 2022. According to another estimate, 53 per cent of current skills will probably be irrelevant by 2030. It’s all about our ability, flexibility and discipline to evolve and renew our skills continuously.
Vendors need to offer learning content that is easy to discover, access and understand, at the right time and in right-sized modules. Why? Because learning is a prerequisite to understand and apply new technologies that improve business processes. Learners need to be able to quickly absorb and deploy knowledge and skills, in order to continuously fuel their personal and professional development, ultimately driving business innovation for their enterprises.
Learning as career booster
Alexander Rahm was an entrepreneur with a bright future when a serious car accident left him in a wheelchair. After multiple surgeries and four years of rehab, he needed to start fresh. The IT support firm he had founded in his late 20’s was gone. So, his rehab adviser suggested him to become a business IT specialist combining the business and technical skills Rahm had gained in the past. He entered
rehab training with the firm SRH in Heidelberg, Germany, where he developed a software module for SAP as part of his real-world skills program. That led to an internship with SAP, and five years later, Rahm still
works for SAP as a software developer.
His newly found confidence and success would still be in the far distance, if he hadn’t chosen to learn and reskill himself.
Learning drives motivation and satisfaction
As so often in life, learning is about impact, regardless of the metrics. As mentioned in
my first post of this series, satisfaction with SAP solutions is higher
when system administrators are well-trained and also deployment times tend to be shorter. At the personal level, the vast majority of newly certified people felt more respected by their colleagues. This drives motivation and satisfaction among employees, ultimately growing your company’s success.
How we pave the way
At SAP Learning, it is our mission to create opportunity through learning and development for all. Therefore, it’s crucial to address our learners individually, with:
- the right content and format
- in the moment of need
- wherever they are.
Also, every learner, no matter which skill level, should be able to find the right learning resources, easily accessible and affordable. Yet, finding the right resources for impactful learning is often quite a challenge, which we are currently tackling with
learning.sap.com
The new model of learning takes advantage of a mix of technologies, turning the traditional physical environment of the classroom into one option among many. This means that “hands on” becomes “hands online” as learners have virtual sandboxes to test ideas and apply their skills from wherever they are. This blended approach offers a more relevant, accessible, and ultimately richer learning experience than in the traditional learning model.
Today, learning empowers learners in ways that the traditional model for learning never could. Stories such as those of
Oletu and Rahm demonstrate the importance of flexibility and individualization in learning. No learning journey is alike. We work towards meeting the needs of different audiences and shape a digital-first, learner-obsessed world.
Find more relevant information about learning and skill development on our
SAP Community topic page for learning.
And feel free to ask any question in our
Q&A Forum.
