Top 5 Corporate Learning trends

As a professional training consultant, business partners look to you for the latest developments and best practices in your field. The ability to leverage training and development trends is crucial to positioning yourself as a desired training professional, and it is beneficial to meeting your clients' business objectives. Here are some emerging trends in the corporate learning field:

1. Leadership development for senior management is a top priority. Though developing middle management continues to be a focus, companies are putting greater emphasis on developing leaders in the highest ranks of their organization.

2. Learning and development has left the confines of the human resources department. No longer considered the singular repository for all training and development initiatives, human resources departments are assuming more of a support role, allowing department leaders to drive the training process.

3. Increased interest in learning and development as a business growth aid. With reduced interest in training activities aimed at recruiting and developing "high-potential" employees, companies are using corporate training as a tool for change management and employee engagement.

4. Learning and development is crucial to success. Even with the current economic turmoil, organizations continue to cite training as important to accomplishing business goals. Corporate learning in 2012, is on pace to meet or exceed learning and development activity in 2011.

5. On-going demand to show ROI (return on investment). Corporate training must demonstrate a measurable impact on business goals. Linking learning and development programs directly to business objectives, and showing its impact over time, makes assessment a critical factor in corporate training.

More than anything, these trends show that corporate learning is becoming a more integral part of the business model. Incorporating business objectives and learning assessments, will ensure that corporate learning initiatives continue to be recognized as a vital component to business success.