At Cegos Group, we are passionate about learning across the globe. Our recent surveys of learning and development (L&D) trends in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region have found that L&D has been pared back since 2010, as companies make the slow recovery from the global financial crisis.

According to our 2015 survey, however, that trend is being reversed. Companies are making learning a priority, as organizational leadership realizes that a skilled workforce equals better competitiveness and growth. A robust L&D function also helps attract and retain talented employees. 

In 2015, we polled more than 2,500 workers across six main APAC territories (Australia and New Zealand, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore). Of those surveyed, 440 represented learning professions, such as HR and L&D; the rest were all learners at the employee and management levels. 

Our survey results for the APAC region describe, among other areas: 

• Who is receiving training, and the reasons for training.

• Where training is being sourced and employee satisfaction with training.

• Learning methods and the role of technology in learning solutions.

• The role of HRD and L&D management, employees, and line managers concerning the sourcing of, participation in, and follow-up to training interventions. 

You can download the just-released report here, but following are some key findings to whet your appetite!

• It is clear there is a great learner buy-in to learning and personal development. Additionally, there is an eagerness to embrace all the learning methods available, from face-to-face learning to technology-enabled solutions.

  Bottom line: Learners are serious about their development. They own it.

• The gap between learning professionals and learners themselves started to widen between 2012 and 2014. However, in 2015 HR and L&D leaders have started engaging the learner population in more collaborative discussion and challenging the organizational leadership to release the learning budget.

  Bottom line: The HR and L&D teams are championing learning.

• Technology-enabled learning, such as e-learning, blended training solutions, and mobile (tablet-led) learning, is growing in popularity. In 2015, there will be more e-learners and blended learners in Asia than anywhere else in the world.

  Bottom line: The APAC region is leading the way in technology-enabled learning.