5 Trends Changing Training in the Middle East

The ATD 2017 Middle East Conference & Exposition (organized in partnership with KNect 365, an Informa  business) explored how forward-thinking Middle Eastern companies are investing heavily in the latest training trends, implementing international best practices and technology. Let’s take a brief look at the five top trends.

#1: BYOD

BYOD (bring-your-own-device) offers tangible advantages over traditional training methods, including reduced hardware spending and lower help desk costs. Lowered training overhead costs can enable the learning and development function to invest more in resources and content, allowing for greater training immersion. What’s more, a recent survey from Training Magazine suggests that 85 percent of companies experienced increased user satisfaction as a result of implementing BYOD programs, while 74 percent reported enhanced productivity.

#2: Upskilling HR

Traditionally, HR departments have lacked the analytical skills and resources required to process company data and turn it into strategic insights that can benefit the business as a whole. Upskilling fills this gap and leverages a number of previously missed opportunities. In addition to the tradition HR role, upskilled staff members are able to highlight current and future training needs from business data, track ROI, and provide senior management with clear, useful insights.

#3: Simulation Training

Simulation-based training has applications in any industry in which the nature of the work precludes traditional training methods. In areas such as heavy industry, engineering, and medicine, which are experiencing major increases in staff and skill demands, simulation training presents a practical answer to the perennial difficulties of providing training in hostile or delicate environments, as well as training skills shortages.

#4: Blended Learning

Combining the most effective parts of traditional classroom learning and e-learning, blended learning offers face time with highly qualified instructors alongside an adaptable and individualized e-learning scheme that can be made to fit around an employee’s time table. In addition to its positive effect on trainees, blended learning has tangible benefits, such as significantly lower costs compared to traditional supervised training.

#5: Leadership Training

Many companies in the Middle East and internationally are looking for ways to implement cohesive training courses that improve the skills of existing management, while also providing key skills training to those aspiring to management positions. The benefits of these programs are clear. According to the Talent Development Magazine article, “Let 2017 Be the Year of Developing Leaders Through Excellence,” well-established leadership training programs are 94 percent more likely to have a positive financial impact on the organization, and are nearly 70 percent more likely to have a positive impact on “competitive performance” compared with ad-hoc, inconsistently applied managerial training initiatives. 

For a closer look at these trends, take a look at the whitepaper, Top 5 Training Trends in the Middle East.