In a typical work week, workers have just one per cent of their time to focus on training and development. Now consider that in a typical day, the average person checks their smart phone an average of 80 times. And Millennials? They check theirs around 150 times on average! But it’s not time to ban the phones. Quite the opposite – Gen Z has also entered the workforce and digital multi-tasking is where they excel. Did you know that accessible learning – that is, learning tied to mobility – leads to a 16 percent decrease in turnover and 40 percent increase in revenue for organizations?

By 2025, Millennials will make up three-quarters of the global workforce and while some of us can remember a time before Google, smartphones and Netflix – floppy discs, anyone? – technology is now an ingrained part of how these workers interact throughout the day. We live in an age of instant gratification; many of us expect instant information and immediate answers. Accessible training fills this need to find those answers in the moment, leading to improved productivity and efficiency.

So, top-down learning isn’t going to cut it with Millennials and Gen Z workers. They need an LMS and online training solutions that allow them to put how they learn in real life into practice at work. With a top-down method of training, this becomes one-dimensional – learners are assigned training, they complete it, a record is kept. With a modern training platform, this learning becomes a “push and pull” between formal and informal training. It facilitates how they learn in the real world.

This is a generation that has grown up with “how to” videos, Google, and customer reviews at their fingertips. Having an SSO option to a training platform across multiple devices gives them the ability to self-enroll in courses that increase knowledge and skills in the moment. “How to” videos are mirrored in video modules, Googling is performed searching the content library, and reviews are evident in user-contributed knowledge and module reviews.

Empowerment through training

Put simply, Gen Z workers are chasing learning and development because they expect modern learning to empower them to reach their career goals. Rather than climbing a traditional career ladder, they may pivot, move sideways, make a lateral move in a different direction. They have a specific set of expectations when it comes to what they want their careers to look like. These workers won’t respond to working within traditional institutions, policies and norms. They need flexibility and autonomy in thought and processes. They have matured into a world of exponential change and technology has played a central role in their lives. Within their workplaces, they need access to tech platforms that give them access to progress, productivity, project management, and remote log-in and learning.

This is reflected in where and when workers are choosing to learn. With an accessible online training platform, learning happens during business travel (32%), at home (26%), and while commuting (24%) — as well as at the office (18%).

Aussie Broadband excels at training a modern workforce

Training plays a crucial role at Aussie Broadband, as an organization that has an outstanding reputation for excellent customer service. When selecting a training solution, the L&D Team at Aussie Broadband wanted something that would appeal to everyone and encourage them to do online training. With a diverse workforce, they wanted a platform that was fun, appealing and effective. They felt that their people would get excited by video-based training content, and that this would encourage them to self-direct when it comes to learning.

Many of Aussie Broadband’s staff work in call center roles, so staff may be required to “hot desk” at times. As another emerging aspect of the modern workplace, Aussie Broadband values the importance of ergonomics in the workplace. That’s why they consider Litmos Office Ergonomics courses part of their core compliance training; this ensures staff know how to correctly adjust their workspaces for their specific needs after another employee has sat there.

But a true reflection of the success of Aussie Broadband’s culture of learning is reflected in an average of 100 self-enrollments in different types of courses each month, using Litmos Training. With completion rates for compliance courses currently sitting at above 80 percent, it’s apparent that Litmos has provided a solution enabling Aussie Broadband to give its staff comprehensive learning and consistent career progression opportunities.

You can find out more about Aussie Broadband’s success with training a tech savvy and modern workforce by reading their success story on this site.