L&D Articles and Blog Posts Perhaps You’ve Missed

Hey everyone, Yes, we’re at Thursday, and yes, there is (depending where you are located), still about a day and a half or so still left until the weekend.  Yet I thought I’d give you some suggestions for article and blog post highlights that perhaps you have either not seen or haven’t gotten around to reading yet this week. So with that in mind, here you go.  Just click on the links, and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below. 1. Weird Sales Training Experience (ASTD Sales Enablement Blog) – Dan Seidman writes about a funny anecdote in which a woman was offended by (the way she interpreted an onscreen image).  It’s a funny story worth reading.  The key message is to accept the diversity of personalities among your employees, and to adjust in your training strategies and execution if needed. 2. Eye Movement Sensors for E-Learning – A Step too Far? (Training Zone) – Following last’s week news about  MindFlash’s Focus Assist technology, which uses a camera on any iPad to monitor the learners eye movements, in order to – according to the company – see when and where a learner loses attention to learning content, many people have responded both in articles on social media about the potential misuse such a technology, by managers looking for a way to “control” employees and keep track of them.  The Zostera blog chimes in here. 3. Earn While You Learn, Training Provider Urges (Training Journal)  – School leavers should consider paid training rather than further education if they want to get ahead in life. That’s according to training provider PM Training. Like many, PM Training is offering apprenticeship places in the next year so young people can earn while they learn. Will Nixon, chief executive of PM Training, said: “We are finding increasing numbers of young people and businesses attracted to the training schemes we offer. Around 70% of trainees positively progress through PM Training’s skills programs and 95% of these go on to full-time apprenticeships, giving both companies and young people a chance to flourish.” 4. Spending on Learning and Development on the Rise (Chief Learning Officer) – L&D spending is on the rise, a new survey has reported. According to the survey, allocated budgets for employee training and development has increased, in order to meet the needs of an aging workforce and develop a younger generation of employees. The survey analysts note that even though  the training funds have yet to reach levels that existed before the recession, the reported figures signal a growth in the learning and development industry.  Read the number in the article. 5. Blended Learning or Classroom Training (Occupation Health and Safety Magazine) – A recent study from Ithaka S+R reveals that blended learning platforms produce the same results as traditional classroom style training, but in some cases they actually perform better. This particular study focuses on blended learning in higher education and public universities. Another study from Kyong-Jee Lee and Curtis Bonk, The Present State and Future Trends of Blended Learning in Workplace Settings across Five Countries, found similar results. This study was conducted with 674 training and HR development professions from five countries. The study results show that blended learning will become a popular delivery method in the future of workplace learning in both Western and Asian countries.  An interesting article devoted to training strategy. Additional articles can be found on employee training articles page. Good Luck.