By James McGowan, CEO at Wall Street English
In today’s fast-paced and demanding world, time is precious. Managing our time and getting the best use out of it is an issue we all face day-to-day, whether you are a global CEO, employee or student. Harvard Business School researchers found that many people nowadays feel persistently “time poor” – having too many things to do and not enough time to do them.
Despite this, growth remains a top priority for professionals, with (76%) of employees looking for opportunities to advance their careers. Therefore, these development opportunities must be flexible to fit around professionals’ increasingly complex schedules and provide real value. As the old saying goes, time is an investment, spend it wisely. We do not want employees to idly spend their time learning; we want them to invest it with purpose. And to achieve that, we need to optimise the learning process.
Employee learning pays dividends
Employee learning should not be seen as a luxury but vital in driving a successful business, shaping best practices and building confidence and skills among the workforce. When employees are empowered to enhance their abilities, their engagement skyrockets. The reason for this is simple: humans have a psychological need to learn and grow.
Gallup has found that a key factor in creating a high-performance workplace is through a high-development culture. Organisations that strategically invest in employee development report 11% greater profitability and are twice as likely to retain team members.
Among these sought-after skills, proficiency in English stands out as a crucial asset for career progression and economic empowerment. The Economist Intelligence Unit found that 70% of executives from non-English speaking countries believe that English skills are essential for career advancement. In an ever-connected world, English is a vital skill worth investing in.
Time is money
We all have responsibilities to balance with work commitments, whether it is doing the school run or caring for a relative. Learning programmes need to be optimised to ensure effective results without being overly time-consuming.
One way to do this is through micro-learning which involves 10-15 minutes of learning in bites. This helps busy professionals fit education into their schedules and provides benefits such as improved knowledge retention due to the breakdown of content into smaller sections. Keeping sessions easily digestible encourages employees to make it a habit they keep up with little and often.
With technologies like AI, students can automate mundane activities such as scheduling meetings, saving time and effort. Additionally, AI tools can provide instant feedback on performance or questions, helping them quickly identify improvement areas, and making the learning journey as convenient as possible.
Introduce personalised and experiential learning
To see the value additional training and development has, employees need it to have relevance to their daily roles and challenges. Experiential learning – or ‘learn by doing’ – brings what they are absorbing to life, ensuring a greater impact.
Personalised learning is also vital in keeping employees engaged. At Wall Street English, our students track monthly progress through an interactive interface supporting them with short and long-term goals. Real-time insights into optimal study rates empower students to tailor their learning experiences to suit their rhythms and needs, fostering a conducive environment for consistent attendance and accelerated progress to achieve their full potential.
The benefits of hybrid learning models
Hybrid learning – which blends online learning with classroom learning – is now commonplace thanks to EdTech. This learning method offers the best of both worlds, the ability to learn at your own pace while having in-person support and coaching when needed. Hybrid learning is also inclusive and easily accessible wherever you are.
On-the-go learning opportunities for employees suit our fast-paced world. For example, mobile-enabled learning is easily accessible during a short break from work or commute home. The ability to align learning with employees’ needs improves their wellbeing, removing pressure and ultimately making them more likely to keep learning as they have control.
Leverage productivity and measurement tools
With analytics platforms that include measurement tools, employees can easily obtain insights into how well they are performing and what needs improving, which helps them stay on track and focused on their goals.
At Wall Street English, despite already having a remarkable 96% success rate, we are always looking for ways to improve our systems, whether enhancing speed, augmenting productivity or increasing flexibility. With the recent introduction of our tool Study Planner, we are empowering students to command their learning journey, track their progress and achieve their full potential.
Employee learning is essential in building productive, engaged and high-performance teams. Education benefits both the learner’s ability to adopt new skills and the organisation’s ability to meet complex challenges. As time becomes an increasingly precious commodity, optimising the learning experience is essential for maximum impact. After all, time is an investment and we want to ensure it delivers returns.
