It’s not unknown that a local version of the "Great Resignation" is playing out in South Africa. According to data gathered by Remchannel from human resources departments of 82 South African companies, high resignation rates result from employees searching for flexible work structures and personal development opportunities after the pandemic. Many are also leaving their jobs to escape toxic workplaces.

Despite efforts by many HR and Learning and Development (L&D) managers to address the widening skills gap, a recent study shows that only half of employees consider the training provided by their employers to be useful. Adult learning specialists suggest this is because there is also a gap in learning opportunities available to employees.

In order to get the best return on investment for their learning initiatives, businesses need to take the same approach they would to any other element of their operations. This, says GGADVC CEO Michael Gullan, means starting with a clearly-defined strategy and objectives.  

First off, says Gullan, companies need to understand their business needs, and match the learning journeys employees take to those needs.  

The rapid and largely unexpected shift to work from home last year had many organisations scrambling to reorganise their corporate elearning plans. From face to face training, everything suddenly had to be online - and quickly too.

Online learning isn’t a new concept, but it is not well understood and often badly executed. As many organisations discovered last year, it’s trickier to get right than you’d imagine.