T&J, a magazine in workplace training and L&D (learning & development), is conducting a research project that will look at “what may lie ahead for L&D professionals in the future”. Here’s an excerpt of the description of the project:
Imagine the world of work in 2020. Flexible working has grown enormously and is now common especially among white collar and professional men – and in manufacturing and construction one in five men work full-time hours over four days rather than five. Moofers (Mobile Out of Office Workers) are those growing numbers of people who don’t have a specific place of work; they work in a location best suited to the task in hand – often in restaurants and clubs with designated rooms and office services so moofers can make their deals and recharge themselves and their equipment at any time of day, or night.
These are just some of the possible scenarios proposed in the first stage of an ambitious research project being conducted by TJ and the Institute of Employment Studies; entitled Learning and Development 2020: shaping change in learning the aim is to look at what may lie ahead for L&D professionals in the future.
The researchers have looked at four key questions:
- How will changing demographics and workforce mobility affect the nature of learning required?
- How will the changing nature of business and work affect the type of employee development required?
- How will developments in neuroscience, psychology and adult education influence how people learn?
- How will new technologies, communications and social networks support people’s development?
The first stage of the project is completed and the findings are available at <http://www.trainingjournal.com/assets/documents/TJ-Survey-Report-2008-v3.pdf>
