Much has been said about the generational differences in the
workplace. These differences could not be more evident than in the
issue of training. As a member of Generation Y, I can personally
attest to the difficulty in creating a training program that
addresses the needs and demands of Millennials.
Who is Gen Y?
Generation Y, or Millennials, are employees born between 1980
and 2000. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, by 2014
Generation Y will make up close to 50 percent of the 162 million
total workforce. With these employees quickly becoming a large part
of the workforce, understanding how they function and how they
learn is imperative in order for these new workers to reach their
full potential. Appreciating and adapting to the way this
generation learns is the key to embracing and valuing this
generation.
How do we learn?
Training Millennials can be complex as our learning style
greatly differs from our predecessors of Gen X. This is mostly due
to the vastly different worlds in which the two generations were
raised. Millennials are known as the tech generation.
Being exposed to the most advanced technology and being not only
aware of but very dependent on those technologies has caused
workers of Gen Y to require advanced technologies in the workplace
and in their training.
However, the need for technology in training is not the only
change that this new generation of workers brings. The
learning style of Millennials is quite different. Generation
Yers are generally thought to have short attention spans. We
are used to the feeling of in
stant
gratification. Being the children of the Internet, we are
accustomed to receiving information quickly. If we do not get
those instant results chances are we are not going to bother
looking anymore. We want what we want when we want it. Many people
bemoan our lack of patience and attention span but this can be an
asset when it comes to efficiency, as we get things done swiftly
without waiting around.
Millennials have a great ability to sort through and digest
information quickly. Gen Yers are quick studies, mostly due
to the continuously changing technology in our world, we had to
learn quickly or risk being left behind. The ability to sort
through information can be a downfall though because if we don't
think information is going to apply to us or our job then you are
going to lose our attention. In order to avoid this problem,
customizing training very specifically for ones job is exceedingly
important.
Keeping the attention of Millennials is not the only important
thing when it comes to training us. You have to get our
attention first. Grabbing our interest is not necessarily
difficult but it needs to be addressed when creating content.
Presenting the same content with a flashier presentation or a more
interesting title is all it may take. As long as you keep the
content relevant to the employee once you've grabbed their
attention, they will stay with you.
What type of training works best?
Choosing the right type of technology and using it in the most
efficient way is extremely important to train Generation Y.
Millennials need not only an advanced platform but also
interactivity in order to get the most from their training.
Keeping Millennials engaged is the key to successful training.
There are many options when it comes to learning
technologies. Both entertaining and interactive forums for
training used by many companies are 3D or virtual worlds.
These "role playing" systems such as Second Life, allow users to
explore real life scenarios and interact with other users.
The models give Generation Yers the feel of a game while still
learning and developing skills for the workplace.
With a generation like Y that is so mobile, trainers have to
keep up with that fast lifestyle. The way many have coped
with this challenge is to create mobile learning platforms.
It is hard to find a Millennial without a Blackberry, iPhone or
other smart phone, thus having training that is viewable on these
devices is a great way for learners to take their content on the
road.
One company that has integrated mobile learning as part of its
training is sports network ESPN. Millennials make up
about 70 percent of ESPN's workforce which makes catering training
to them crucial. Associate Director of Training for ESPN,
Doug Kramon, found it necessary to build a training model that
catered to the busy lifestyle of Generation Yers. ESPN
created forms of testing through Adobe Captivate 3 and Quia Web
that employees can access from their phones so that they can
participate in their training at their own pace and on their own
schedule. 
The company even goes so far as to provide its
employees with PDAs so they can take advantage of this high tech
training.
Probably the most hyped modern method for learning is social
media. With so many networking sites such as MySpace,
Facebook, its business focused counterpart LinkedIn, and Twitter
popping up on the Web, it was not long before companies were
looking to these portals as a way to teach employees. Using
social media sites as a part of training is perfect for Millennials
as most of them are already on these sites. Putting video
content on a site such as Facebook or YouTube seems less formal and
more enjoyable to Generation Y learners. A study by the Center for
Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
revealed that 91 percent of Inc. 500 companies are using social
media in some capacity.
Gen Y and Training
Training Gen Y is fairly straight forward as long as a company
acknowledges the generational differences in learning and
technology. In life, Millennials want things done quickly and
efficiently, the same goes for their training. We want
training delivered concisely and interestingly. Training Gen
Y using a technologically advanced platform is vital as it catches
our attention and makes learning easier and more enjoyable.
Gen Y is the future of the workforce so adapting current training
methods to cater to their specific learning needs will soon not
just be beneficial but imperative.
Written for TrainingIndustry.com
