If you’ve spent enough time working in L&D, you’ll know the frustration of encountering roadblocks that get in the way of your goals. 

Whether it’s sceptical executives, budgetary constraints, technological challenges, or just a lack of time, L&D roadblocks are something that we could all do without. Just imagine what you could achieve with the right resources and nothing halting your progress! 

So, to help address these issues, we’ve decided to answer two vital questions: what are the most common L&D roadblocks, and how can we overcome them? 

What are the most common L&D roadblocks? 

What are the most common L&D roadblocks? If you ask anyone who works in the industry this question, they could probably rattle off a list a mile long. 

For starters, Udemy’s 2021 Workplace Learning Trends Report identifies the four most common obstacles to L&D success. 61% of respondents said ‘lack of time’ was their biggest obstacle, making this the most common response. Next was ‘budget constraints’, with 42% of respondents citing this as an obstacle, followed by ‘proving ROI’ (38%) and ‘choosing the right L&D program’ (31%). 

Similarly, LinkedIn’s 2020 Workplace Learning Report uncovered the ten most common challenges that L&D teams face. 49% of respondents said ‘getting managers to make learning a priority for their teams’ is their biggest challenge, followed by 42% who said ‘creating a culture of learning’ is their biggest challenge, and 36% who said ‘increasing employee engagement in learning’ is their biggest challenge. Other notable responses include ‘making sure learners know where to find learning resources’ (22%) and ‘demonstrating the value of learning’ (21%). 

Finally, the CIPD’s 2021 Learning and Skills at Work survey found that 81% of teams experience barriers to learning. According to their findings, the most common roadblocks are the pressure of other business priorities (39%), lack of learner or management time (38%), funding (25%), the quality of L&D data collected (20%), and the quality of learning systems (19%). 

Overcoming L&D’s most common roadblocks 

Among these findings, many common themes emerge. For starters, not having enough time to learn is a feeling that many of us can relate to. This should come as no surprise, as employees only spend 24 minutes — or 1% of their time — learning in a typical week, while 49% say they don’t have time to learn at work at all, according to LinkedIn.

There are many ways L&D teams can overcome this roadblock. Firstly, it can be as simple as prioritising time for learning. When teams actively invest in their learners, the improvements can be dramatic. According to LinkedIn, 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development. 

During their annual ‘Learning Challenge Week’, LinkedIn put this theory to the test and doubled their employees’ daily learning goal from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. This increase led to 44% more engaged learners and 50% more course views. As such, dedicating an extra 15 minutes per day to learning had a massive impact. 

Another way to overcome this roadblock is by streamlining your learning content. From a learner’s perspective, streamlining learning content into one central platform can have many benefits, making it easier to find relevant content quickly and efficiently.  By doing so, you can also address the challenge of making sure learners know where to find learning resources, which 22% of teams said was a concern. For further insights on this, be sure to read our recent article on how having multiple learning platforms impacts the learning experience.

Another common L&D roadblock is budgetary constraints. This is a challenge that most of us are all too familiar with, as 42% of L&D teams cite “lack of budget” as their biggest roadblock. However, as we discussed in a recent article, now is the perfect time to flip this question on its head and ask ‘what is the cost of not investing in digital learning?’ 

Next time you’re faced with a budgetary cutback, remind your teammates that 42% of companies experience an increase in profits after investing in eLearning, while companies that invest in L&D have a 24% higher profit margin than those that spend less on training, and every dollar invested in online training results in $30 worth of productivity. Numbers like that are hard to ignore, making it costly to not invest in L&D. 

Finally, proving ROI and demonstrating the value of learning are common trends. While you probably have a strong sense of the value your team creates, expressing this value to decision-makers and business leaders in measurable, meaningful ways is an ongoing struggle for L&D teams. Emerald Works’ 2020 Back to the Future Report found that while 98% of L&D teams think ‘program evaluation’ is a priority, only 38% currently have this capability, down from 45% the year before. 

To overcome this roadblock, the CIPD offers several recommendations, explaining, “a key shift is embracing the fact that learning impact measurement can’t just be a post-intervention activity. Effective learning requires evidence-gathering and needs definition to underpin decisions in design and delivery. Impactful learning journeys are underpinned by evidence from start to finish.” For a more comprehensive analysis, be sure to read our article on improving ROI metrics to showcase L&D’s value. 

For more insights, be sure to subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

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If you’ve spent enough time working in L&D, you’ll know the frustration of encountering roadblocks. So, we’ve decided to answer two vital questions: what are the most common L&D roadblocks, and how can we overcome them? 

Overcoming L&D's most common roadblocks

If you’ve spent enough time working in L&D, you’ll know the frustration of encountering roadblocks. So, we’ve decided to answer two vital questions: what are the most common L&D roadblocks, and how can we overcome them?

In 2021, 42% of L&D teams cite “lack of budget” as their biggest challenge. Similarly, 29% of L&D teams say they are “overwhelmed and underequipped.” Anyone who has had to work with limited resources, or try in vain to justify an L&D budget increase, will know exactly how frustrating this can be. 

Often, money is tight, so we hear a lot about the cost of investing in digital learning. However, we believe it’s time to flip this scenario on its head and ask, what is the cost of not investing in digital learning? 

With that in mind, here are three reasons you can’t afford to not invest in digital learning. 

1. The more you put in, the more you get out

While many teams still cite a lack of budget as a roadblock, the overall outlook for L&D budgets is positive. Currently, the global L&D market is worth $367 billion, with estimates saying this will surpass $400 billion by 2025. According to Training Magazine, this equates to $1,111 per employee per year on learning and development. Further, 57% of L&D teams are planning to increase their online budgets in 2021. 

The reason for this spending is simple: the more you invest in L&D, the more you will be rewarded. Companies that provide comprehensive training programs have a 218% higher income per employee, according to the Association for Talent Development. What’s more, companies that invest in L&D have a 24% higher profit margin than those that spend less on training. 

Additionally, 42% of companies experience an increase in profits after investing in eLearning. A study by IBM puts this into perspective, finding that every dollar invested in online training results in $30 worth of productivity. IBM also found that well-trained teams can increase productivity by 10%. 

Given these numbers, it should come as no surprise that 72% of organisations believe that their business gains a competitive advantage by investing in digital learning. With figures like these, not investing in digital learning can be costly, leaving your team under-resourced in important areas. 

For further insights on the cost of not investing in digital learning, be sure to read our articles on maximising your L&D budget in 2021 and showcasing L&D’s value.

2. The cost of onboarding, engagement, and retention 

When analysing the costs of digital learning, it’s important to remember that it costs significantly more to onboard a new employee than to upskill a current employee. 

According to SHRM, the average cost-per-hire for companies in 2021 is $4,129. In other words, replacing an employee can be expensive, costing companies 50-60% of that employee’s salary on average. As Toggl Hire explains, “an average company loses anywhere between 1% and 2.5% of their total revenue on the time it takes to bring a new hire up to speed.” 

Given the average turnover rate for all companies is 19% per year, these costs add up quickly. On the other hand, companies with lower turnover rates bring in four times higher profits on average.

In general, most of this turnover is preventable, particularly if teams are willing to invest in digital learning. Work Institute's 2018 Retention Report found that nearly one-third of all turnover was due to either unsupportive management or a lack of development opportunities.

Given this, companies that invest in digital learning can reduce onboarding costs by increasing employee engagement and retention. According to LinkedIn, a massive 94% of employees say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development. For most employees, this was a more decisive factor than receiving a raise. 56% of employees say that career growth and opportunity is more important than salary, according to Forbes. This statistic alone shows how vital a robust and well-funded L&D program can be in retaining employees. 

Similarly, 64% of Millennials say that they chose their current jobs because of personal and professional development opportunities, while 68% of employees say training and development is a company’s most important policy. 

What’s more, employees who are not engaged in learning are twice as likely to leave a company before they have worked there for three years. 40% of employees who receive poor training opportunities will leave a company within the first year. Given what we know about the costs of turnover, this is an alarming statistic. 

In terms of engagement, Gallup finds that only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged. In other words, 87% of employees are disengaged at work and are most likely dreaming about a more engaging opportunity elsewhere. Learning and development opportunities are crucial to re-engage these employees and keep them on board.

Adding to this, 74% of employees feel they aren’t fulfilling their full potential due to a lack of learning and development opportunities. Accordingly, Rapt Media finds that more than $500 billion is lost every year due to employee disengagement.

On the flip side, 42% of workplaces where employees are engaged with L&D also say their employees are also highly engaged overall. Companies with more engaged employees outperform those with disengaged employees by up to 202%. 

As such, the answer is simple: a robust L&D program leads to better engagement, higher retention, and lower turnover costs.

Finally, it is important to analyse how much time employees allocate to digital learning. Currently, two-thirds of employees say that they barely have enough time to do their jobs, let alone engage in professional development. Moreover, 49% of people say they don’t have time to learn at work, according to LinkedIn. This should come as little surprise, given one study finds that the average company provides just 55.4 hours of training per employee per year.

Given what we know about the cost of disengaged employees, this can have significant ramifications. For example, Emerald Works’ 2020 Back to the Future report found that 45% of managers were reluctant to make time for learning within their teams. However, among high-impact learning cultures (the top 10% of surveyed organisations), this more than halved to just 21%. Therefore, giving your employees more time to learn can have business-wide benefits. 

A study by LinkedIn corroborates these findings, explaining that compared to employees who spend less than one hour per week on digital learning, “employees who spend over five hours per week learning are more likely to know where they want to go in their careers, find greater purpose, and feel less stressed.” 

In 2019, during their annual ‘Learning Challenge Week’, LinkedIn also doubled their employees’ daily learning goal from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. This increase in learning time led to 44% more engaged learners and 50% more course views. If these numbers can be achieved from 30 minutes of digital learning every day for a week, imagine what organisations could achieve with a long-term commitment to make time for digital learning.

4 reasons not investing in digital learning can cost you

With that in mind, here is a wrap up of 4 reasons not investing in digital learning can cost you, so that next time someone asks you 'how much will it cost?', you can hit back with 'what is the cost of not investing in digital learning?' 

We believe it’s time to ask, what is the cost of not investing in digital learning? With that in mind, here are three reasons you can’t afford to not invest in digital learning. 

What is the cost of not investing in digital learning?

We believe it’s time to ask, what is the cost of not investing in digital learning? With that in mind, here are three reasons you can’t afford to not invest in digital learning.

Which content partner should you check out?

UL Puresafety is one of the most globally recognized content providers for health and safety training. UL Puresafety provides the content you need to transform your workplace into a culture of safety and help your organization achieve increased productivity, a better informed and prepared workforce, and fewer accidents and injuries.  

With over 1,300 courses in 17 different languages in our library, UL Puresafety covers everything from basic first aid to machine guarding. 

Check out their courses to help expand your safety training curriculum and help your employees stay injury-free.

What’s new from our current content partners?

BiteSize – Additional courses on Microsoft 365, including collaborative working, SharePoint, and using Office Online Apps

Intellezy - Updated Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Tableau Content

Simon Sez IT - Microsoft Teams 2021 Update

Skillshub - Over 40 new sales courses from call preparation to consultative selling

Stone River eLearning – Additional courses on HTML5, Wix Web Development, PHP (and more)

What’s Shannon’s favorite course right now?

Curating content allows me to look at a lot of our content and see how different courses connect to our customers' values. During a recent curation, I came across The Art of Saying No by ej4. This quick 6-minute video, accompanied by a participant guide, was a great reminder of how saying "yes" to things too quickly can lead to unnecessary stress and guilt. This was 6 minutes well spent.  

We have lots of exciting content news coming over the next few months, so keep an eye out for more updates.

The Go1 Content Insider is your first stop for all things new in the Go1 Content Hub. In this July update, find out the latest and greatest in the world of content!

The Go1 Content Insider — July 2021 edition

Shaping the future of L&D has been a hot topic of discussion at Go1. In light of this, we took the opportunity to dive deeper into the topic over on our Learning with Go1 podcast.

In Episode 12, Head of Learning & Development at Vitality, Seb Tindall joined Go1 co-hosts Craig Hamill and Nick Ramsay to discuss the skills L&D teams need to deliver high performing L&D programmes in 2021 and beyond.

🎧 Make sure you listen to hear Seb's thoughts on: 

Growing and retaining L&D professionals 

Here are some of our favourite highlights from the episode below.  

How is technology shaping the modern workforce? 

The increased adoption of digital ecosystems has forever changed the learning environment for L&D teams, as well as learners. This opens a new world of opportunities for L&D, especially when it comes to growing and retaining L&D teams. 

According to Seb, one of the key benefits of technology in the modern workforce is its power to provide a seamless integration from start to finish. This traceability is extremely valuable in helping L&D identify areas for improvement and enhance the delivery of L&D within their organisations.   

How is technology shaping the modern workforce?

Are your team’s L&D skills still relevant? 

With the evolution of technology, organisations are starting to diverge in the way they operate. The skills that were once needed may not be as relevant anymore, and we’re seeing a shift of focus onto developing future ready skills so that L&D teams can stay up-to-date. 

For those L&D teams who have a long way to go towards maturity, who are just starting out – what skills should they focus on to add the greatest value?  

Are your team's L&D skills still relevant?

Adding value by getting closer to stakeholders 

Every organisation is different, and every L&D team is different. What may work for one team may be a disaster for another.  

Seb believes the best thing L&D can do is to take a step back and reflect: “Look at your team, look at your organisation, look at your culture, and think about what is the best fit in terms of obviously moving forward.” 

Add value by getting closer to stakeholders

Research suggests that the L&D profession has become one in which you need to be able to add value outside of your own expertise as well.  

With this knowledge, Seb provides insight into the approach Vitality has taken in building their own successful L&D team in 2021. 

Building an L&D team in 2021

With the evolution of disruptive technologies, many organisations are now reimagining how they want to operate in the future. As Seb says, “If you're going to take a risk, now is probably the time to do it. A lot of businesses are going to double down and invest heavily in their people.”  

So when it comes to thinking about shaping the future of learning and development, we need to be ensuring that we're building effective L&D teams so that we've got the right skills, the right knowledge, and the right capabilities in order to support the broader organisation. Seb shares some advice on this below:

Tips for shaping the future of L&D

Seb and his team are certainly in the midst of an exciting journey and we loved hearing his thoughts and insights around reshaping the future of learning. If you haven't already, check out the full episode here.

We look forward to continuing the rest of the series with L&D professionals already scheduled to join us from Italy, Cyprus, Eqypt, Oman, Finland, The Netherlands, Australia, USA and many more. Stay tuned!

Want to hear more? Browse the full Learning with Go1 podcast library on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify to help expand your knowledge of all things L&D. And hear how other organisations are navigating through this ever-evolving landscape. 

In Episode 12 of the Learning with Go1 podcast, we were joined by Vitality's Seb Tindall to discuss the skills L&D teams need to deliver high performing learning and development programmes in 2021 and beyond. Catch up on some of the highlights from the podcast here. 

What skills do L&D teams need to succeed?

In a crowded learning technology landscape, it’s easy for organisations to try to offer the best of all worlds. However, more learning platforms doesn’t inherently equal more engaged learners. Sometimes, it can have the opposite effect. While using multiple learning platforms sounds appealing on paper, this strategy can have drawbacks for the learner, leading to a fragmented learning environment and a lack of alignment. 

We’ve decided to dig deeper into the benefits and detriments of having multiple learning platforms, examining three ways that this impacts the learner experience.

1. Most learners prefer a single learning platform

When weighing up the pros and cons of using multiple learning platforms, it is important to remember that most learners prefer to use a single platform. And it’s never a bad time to give your learners what they want. 

According to a recent study by Harvard Business, 58% of learners prefer to use a single learning platform compared to 42% of learners who prefer to use multiple learning platforms. 

Respondents who preferred a single learning platform cited several benefits, including consistent user interface, a single-vendor relationship, and simplified admin, reporting, and data integration.

One L&D director summarised the benefits of using a single learning platform for his team, saying, “having one platform simplifies the work required on our L&D and HR tech teams and minimises the number of learning platforms for the end user.”

A recent survey from eLearning Industry corroborates these findings, revealing that 78% of respondents feel that L&D must incorporate content aggregation as a new skill (i.e. a single, centralised learning hub).

For further insights on this topic, be sure to read our articles on why content aggregation is changing L&D and how to centralise your learning to avoid information overload. 

2. Learners are overwhelmed and lack time for learning 

Another vital factor to consider is that having multiple learning platforms can overwhelm users. When many learners already lack time to learn, this is a significant disadvantage. 

Currently, employees only spend 24 minutes — or 1% of their time — learning in a typical week, while 49% say they don’t have time to learn at work at all, according to LinkedIn. 

Further, a recent study finds that 61.3% of organisations provide less than 20 hours of training per employee per year. Only 28.6% of organisations provide more than 40 hours of training per employee per year. Emerald Works also finds that 45% of managers are reluctant to make time for learning. In other words, most people have hardly any time to learn at work. 

When time is set aside for learning, it’s rarely spent in the most streamlined way. According to the IDC, the average “knowledge worker” spends 9.5 hours per week searching for information. 

A 2018 study by Josh Bersin adds to this, finding that learners do not suffer from too little content, but rather, “the issue is that there is too much available content, making it a task itself to sift through the bad to get to the valuable.” 

Emerald Works supports this theory, finding that 39% of L&D professionals feel overwhelmed and underequipped, while 29% are struggling to keep up with the pace of technological change. 

As such, more content may not lead to more engaged learners. Rather, having so many different options can leave learners feeling overwhelmed. When learners spend more time searching for learning content than engaging with content, something has gone wrong. 

This is sometimes known as analysis paralysis, which means there are so many options to choose between, that people are unable to make a decision about which one is best for them. For many learners, analysis paralysis makes finding relevant learning content like finding a needle in a haystack. Eventually, these learners will disengage as they tire of swapping from platform to platform. 

When you only have 24 minutes per week to dedicate to learning, trying to remember your login details for various platforms, which platforms you have access to, and which platforms house the content you’re looking for can be a significant roadblock. It’s easy to see how analysis paralysis could set in. 

The bottom line is that learners are less likely to be proactive if they are confused about where learning content is located. From a learner’s perspective, streamlining learning content into one central platform can have many benefits, making it easier to find relevant content quickly and efficiently. 

3. Multiple learning platforms can lead to a fragmented experience 

Finally, managing multiple learning platforms can be an administrative nightmare, as you attempt to juggle reporting over several platforms, maintain relationships with different vendors, and manage the costs of multiple platforms. These issues can lead to a fragmented learning experience and a lack of alignment across teams. 

For example, using multiple platforms can be expensive, especially as the cost per head increases quickly. Moreover, it can be tricky to manage contracts with more than one content provider, because it involves juggling lots of relationships as well as any hidden costs associated with support and renewal.

Most importantly, using several vendors makes it difficult to manage learning projects effectively. This often results in multiple accounts for learners and a high degree of difficulty when trying to track and report on learner engagement.

These trends should be concerning for L&D teams, as Emerald Works finds that learning management and administration capabilities are trending in the wrong direction without adding an extra degree of difficulty, down from 73% in 2018 to 66% in 2020. 

Emerald Works also finds that 26% of L&D teams lack the analytical skills to use learning data effectively. As mentioned, reporting on learner engagement becomes more complex with multiple learning platforms. 

Finally, Emerald Works finds that 61% of L&D teams believe they are fully aligned with the strategic goals of their organisation, compared to 94% of high-impact learning cultures. While this is increasing year by year, misalignment is still a common L&D roadblock that a fragmented learning landscape can easily exacerbate. 

As one L&D director who spoke to Harvard Business puts it, “single integrated platforms are much better for the end user experience (only going to one place) and for management to track and report progress, develop IDPs, and report on ROI.”

While using multiple learning platforms sounds appealing, this strategy can lead to a fragmented learning environment. We’ve decided to dig deeper, examining three ways having multiple learning platforms impacts the learner experience.

How does using multiple platforms impact e-learning? - Go1

How does having multiple learning platforms impact the learner experience?

Content aggregation is fundamentally changing L&D for the better. At the moment, employees only spend 24 minutes — or 1% of their time — on learning in a typical week. Two-thirds say that they don’t even have enough time to do their jobs, let alone engage in professional development, while 49% of people say they don’t have time to learn at work, according to LinkedIn. Other estimates find that the average company provides just 55.4 hours of training per employee per year.

Even when people can set aside time for learning, it’s rarely spent in the most productive or streamlined way. According to research by the IDC, the average “knowledge worker” spends 25% of their time either searching for information or analysing information: 9.5 hours searching for information and 9.8 hours analysing information. When learners already lack time, this is concerning. 

Additionally, a 2018 study by Josh Bersin and Deloitte found that learners do not suffer from a lack of content, but rather, “the issue is that there is too much available content, making it a task itself to sift through the bad to get to the valuable.”

Put together, these statistics reveal two worrying L&D trends. Firstly, most employees don’t have enough time for learning and professional development. Secondly, when time is set aside for learning, learners spend more time looking for relevant content than actually learning. Analysis paralysis has set in. 

Enter, content aggregation. One of the hottest L&D trends of 2021, content aggregation can flip this dynamic on its head by offering a centralised hub so that learners can spend less time looking for relevant content and more time learning. 

As such, we’ve decided to analyse why content aggregation is changing L&D. We’ll start by asking what content aggregation is, before explaining how it is changing the L&D landscape. 

Content aggregation is the process of collecting, or ‘aggregating’, a variety of digital learning providers and making them available in one convenient, central location, such as the Go1 Content Hub. As a result, content aggregation is one of the best ways to upskill a workforce with diverse training needs. 

To demonstrate how this plays out in action, the Go1 Content Hub offers learning content from global, regional, and specialised providers. As the world’s largest curated digital library, the Go1 Content Hub provides over 100,000 resources from more than 150 world-class content partners, meaning you can access a vast range of topics that cover both general and industry-specific learning. 

Content aggregation addresses the common pain point of trying to deliver relevant learning content to different teams and learning styles within a business, all on tight time constraints and an even tighter budget. 

Usually, something has to give and one team misses out. However, a content aggregator addresses these issues by providing diverse, high-quality, and convenient content to appeal to any learning style. 

Content aggregation contrasts with popular single-provider platforms like LinkedIn Learning. Unlike Go1, LinkedIn Learning only has courses from a single provider, Lynda. Both approaches have their benefits and drawbacks, so we recommend researching which model suits your organisation before committing to a digital learning platform.

Ultimately, a content aggregation model means all of your learning needs are catered for in a single subscription, so you don’t have to compromise on the quality or quantity of your learning content. By collecting everything in one central, convenient location, learners can spend less time searching for content and more time learning. 

For further insights into the advantages of content aggregation, read our articles on how content aggregation can benefit your L&D team and how to centralise your learning to avoid information overload. 

How is content aggregation changing L&D? 

Now that we know what content aggregation is, it’s time to address the big question: how is content aggregation changing L&D? The simple answer is that it’s changing L&D for the better. 

In an article looking at Go1’s recent series D funding announcement, Josh Bersin explains why content aggregation has become such a hot topic in L&D. In Go1’s case, he attributes the success of an aggregation model to “a vast library of 150,000+ titles, access to the world’s best content (including our Josh Bersin Academy), and an easy-to-buy, easy-to-use business model.” 

A recent survey from eLearning Industry backs up these feelings, revealing that a massive 78% of respondents feel that L&D must incorporate content aggregation as a new skill, with 42% saying the main benefit of content aggregation is continuous learning and 38% saying the main benefit of content aggregation is the ability to provide high-quality content in a timely manner. 

Similarly, Personnel Today believes that content aggregation is a “fair proxy to the learning process itself. We gather new experiences, we integrate them with our existing thoughts and we articulate new opinions, based on the conclusions we make. We should be encouraging our learners to do the work for us, to become the curators of their own self-directed learning experiences.” 

When learners are starved for time and overwhelmed by choice, offering a range of high-quality learning experiences in one central hub can be a game-changer. By facilitating timely, relevant learning that can appeal to diverse learning styles, content aggregation is changing L&D for the better.

Content aggregation is fundamentally changing L&D for the better. We’ve decided to ask why. We’ll start by asking what content aggregation is, before explaining how it is changing the L&D landscape. 

Why content aggregation is changing L&D

Since the widespread move to remote working in 2020, hybrid learning has been one of the hottest topics in L&D. While at first, this change might have come as a shock to the system for many of us in L&D, several silver linings have since emerged. 

By meeting learners on their terms and offering a more targeted, experiential approach to learning, we’ve identified hybrid learning as one of the top L&D trends for 2021, and predict that it will go from strength to strength in the coming years. 

As such, now is the perfect time to take a closer look at the benefits of hybrid learning. We’ll start by asking what hybrid learning is, before comparing hybrid and blended learning and finishing with 4 reasons your L&D team needs to focus on hybrid learning. 

Before we can get into the benefits of hybrid learning, it is important to have a foundational understanding of what the term means. 

eThink defines hybrid learning as “a way of combining traditional classroom experiences, experiential learning objectives, and digital course delivery that emphasises using the best option for each learning objective.” Given this, a hybrid learning model can vary drastically from situation to situation, depending on the subject matter and the specific needs of each learner. 

Similarly, ViewSonic explains that hybrid training “focuses more on bridging the physical classroom and virtual learning spaces closer together into a more complete education. Put another way, hybrid learning is a form of synchronous learning that happens both physically and remotely.”

In a recent edition of the Learning with Go1 Podcast, Erica Farmer, one of the founders of Quantum Rise, emphasised that this style of learning is all about accessibility. 

“Hybrid is about accessibility. It's about inclusivity. It's about giving people opportunities to access live events, live learning and building, and having the mindset of a session where you've got your learner right at the center of your design methodology,” she said. 

Additionally, Ms Farmer pointed out that, as a learning designer, it’s important to put your preferences for in-person or virtual training to one side. Instead, she recommends creating a synchronous learning experience that caters to the needs of all participants, whether they are attending in person, via Zoom, or any other way. 

This synchronicity contrasts with previous methods, where someone may attend an event virtually, but they are not engaged in the same way as someone who attends in person or vice versa. 

In many L&D circles, the terms hybrid learning and blended learning are used interchangeably, leading to plenty of confusion. While they convey similar ideas, several nuances differentiate hybrid and blended learning, meaning the terms should not be confused. 

According to ViewSonic, “Blended learning encompasses all education that integrates digital technologies, especially web-based learning tools. Hybrid learning refers specifically to synchronous lessons that are taught live and remotely at the same time.”

CloudShare puts this a different way, explaining that while blended learning “focuses on a set ratio and combination of offline and online instruction”, hybrid learning “seeks to find a flexible balance of online and offline that promotes the best experience, even down to individual learners.”

Further, OwlLabs emphasises that the main difference between hybrid and blended learning is that blended learning is asynchronous while hybrid learning is synchronous. In simple terms, this means that with blended learning, learners can work on online exercises in their own time. In contrast, in a hybrid environment, synchronous learning happens concurrently, meaning instructors teach in-person and online learners at the same time. 

Erica Farmer notes that both styles can coexist in the same learning program, while also highlighting differences between the two terms. 

“Typically you ask somebody, okay, what's blended learning? And they might come up with something such as, ‘it's a mix of online and offline with some additional resources’.”

“[For blended learning] you might have some stuff that wraps around a live event, something like that.

“[Hybrid learning] is something very different in regards to the actual accessing of the live event itself. So I guess you could be hybrid and blended in the same program, really, if you think about it,” she said.

However, she added that design methodology is one of the key differentiating factors for hybrid classrooms.

“Your design methodology has to be inclusive. It has to be at the heart of everything you're doing,” she said. 

The sudden move to remote working last year accelerated the rise of hybrid learning. However, now that organisations have grasped the power of hybrid training, it’s here to stay.  Here why:

4 reasons your L&D team needs to focus on hybrid learning 

One of the main upsides of hybrid learning is that it’s what learners want. According to LinkedIn, demand for hybrid training is on the rise, with 57% of L&D professionals saying they spend more time with online learning than they did three years ago, and 37% saying they spend less time with in-person training. They also find that 58% of respondents want to learn at their own pace. 

What’s more, research by the Fosway Group finds that 71% of respondents have experienced an increased demand for digital learning from end-users along with a 5x increase in using virtual classrooms for high-value programs. 

Finally, a recent survey found that 41.2% of respondents prefer a “blended or hybrid” approach to learning, making this the most popular response. 

Put simply, learners are calling out for a more flexible, hybrid approach to learning. It’s never a bad time to give your learners what they want. 

Another key benefit of hybrid learning is its inclusivity, flexibility, and accessibility. 

Erica Farmer explains that hybrid training can foster accessibility and inclusiveness, noting that it’s important for instructors to challenge unconscious biases when designing sessions. 

“If you are on that little laptop being carried around the room, how is that going to feel for you and for your learners? If you are the only person in the room or the only person attending virtually, how's that going to feel? If everybody, including the facilitator, is in one location and you've got one learner in another location, how's that going to feel?,” she said. 

Ms Farmer explains that by asking these questions, learning designers can ensure that they are “truly being inclusive and you've truly thought about what is going to be the impact on that person.”

“So I think that, really challenge your own preferences, your own biases, and put yourself in the learners’ shoes,” she adds. 

Essentially, by facilitating immersive, synchronous learning from any location — rather than treating virtual attendees as an afterthought — you can open the door for all learners to participate equally, no matter their circumstances. 

You can read more about hybrid learning’s impact on L&D in our latest blog, featuring videos from our recent interview with Quantum Reach founders Hayley Bird and Erica Farmer. 

Learning in a hybrid environment can also help reduce digital fatigue. According to a recent study in the UK, 41% of people are now suffering from “digital fatigue” as a result of remote working. The study posits that is because people are unable to chat with colleagues, collaborate on tasks, and participate in everyday activities. Without these “dynamic environments”, we are exposed to fewer opportunities to create “learning connections in the brain”. 

Hybrid learning can help reverse this trend. As Kineo states, “we must make digital learning more human, creating better learning experiences that are built on a deep empathy with the people that we’re designing them for.” 

By making learning more inclusive and empathetic, Kineo adds that “you can then align learner journeys to the digital environment your people have become used to in the last year and enhance that with valuable experiences and human touchpoints.”

This kind of collaborative learning can reduce the impacts of digital fatigue, leading to happier and more engaged learners. As such, hybrid training has a central role to play in combating digital fatigue, by offering more inclusive, empathetic, and human learning opportunities. 

Finally, hybrid learning can be an important tool to improve communication and alignment across teams within your business. 

A recent study by Microsoft finds that since the increase in remote working, employees at home are more likely to contact current team members but less likely to get in touch with new ones. 

While this is a worrying trend, Erica Farmer explains that embracing a hybrid approach to learning can lead to more aligned and synchronised teams, particularly if some team members work remotely and others work in the office.

“Why don't you send out a little two minute video to say, hey, some of you guys are going to be online. Some of you guys are going to be in the room. This is gonna be a really interesting experience. And actually, we can get some different dynamics and different stuff going.”

“It might be about preparing to buddy up with somebody who, if you're in person, who's on a platform and vice versa. 

“So you'll meet new people in a different way. So actually, we're going to challenge your thinking in regards to, how do you communicate within the learning setting to make that outcome happen? 

“There's an element of making people accountable for their own learning here as well,” she said. 

Hybrid learning can provide more personalized instruction while also saving time and money. Read on to discover the many advantages of this method!

The benefits of hybrid learning

Hybrid learning is one of the hottest topics in L&D. We'll analyse why, including 4 reasons your L&D team needs to focus on hybrid learning. 

At Go1, we understand the importance technology plays in helping to maintain the quality of L&D work - keeping the learning experience consistent, no matter where the employee. 

In Episode 11 of the Learning with Go1 podcast, meet our new host Craig Hamill - Senior Customer Success Manager at Go1. Each week, Craig will be joined by L&D/HR professionals around the globe, undertaking various roles, across a variety of industries.  

In this episode of the series, Craig is joined by the founders of Quantum Rise Talent Group, Erica Farmer and Hayley Bird, to talk about a very hot topic currently floating around in the L&D space - hybrid learning.  

Leaving no stone unturned, Craig, Erica and Hayley discussed the following: 

How is it different to blended learning?  

How to identify if hybrid learning is an impactful approach for your own projects.  

Ways to successfully implement hybrid learning, including some useful tips and hacks. 