Learning and development has been one of the most successful concepts in training employees and maintaining a work culture specific to the domain.

Professionals in learning and development field enrobe different roles and continue to gain new responsibilities. It has now untangled from the traditional roles of what business leaders request for, and has emerged as a strategic and proactive one in developing skills and career enhancement opportunities. Executives are increasingly recognizing the advantages of having training since many organizations are vying for talent. Observing the demands from the employee angle too, the future looks more promising in terms of ensuring personal and professional development for people.

Focus on Soft Skills
With the developments in technology we have today, the future of work will be something that we haven’t explored yet. AI and the developments in automation will bring more jobs to different fields, with a whole new set of soft skills like creativity, agile thinking, and communication. Even today, as researches show, there exists gap in soft skills for major roles and organizations realizing that are looking for efforts to bridge it. This requires something other than the one-and-done training event, by ensuring a multiple level training experience for them. In the near future, L&D

professionals will create a comprehensive learning experience that fuels the development based on this skill set.

Growth of Learning Experience Platforms
The learning experience platforms market (LXP) is now over USD350 million in size and is doubling every year. Since the Learning Management Systems are becoming outdated, people have realized that they need not have to depend on the course catalogues but has become easier with learning and training in the flow of work. With the help of AI and ML, which is becoming more commonplace, organizations are likely to move towards on-demand learning for supporting employees at the time of need. When there is more investment flow into the learning experience platforms, more advancement would start reflecting in the delivery platforms.

Shaping a Learning Culture
The purpose of L&D can be more inclined towards maximizing the potential of the employee and make them enhance in their field of work. The outcomes of a learning culture could even make them stay longer at an organization with shared knowledge and increased network. No matter whether it is the C-suite, HR, or employee organizations, learning and development teams will have to strive for developing a good learning culture, and maintaining it for long. In order to fulfill this dream, it again falls into the hands of professionals taking care of L&D to make sure whether the investments are reaching and meeting the appropriate purposes or not.

Real-time Solutions over L&D
Jane Jeffrey, an author, says that real-time learning solutions are developed so that workforce can directly solve implementation problems. As learning approaches differ, employees will have more room for creating real-time solutions based on L&D. This would further enable employers to find what the issue and resolve it before the situation gets worse.

Gamification
Gamification practices have gained momentum few years back but has somehow forgot to redefine itself. However, today it is back on track with some new learning opportunities for workers of 2020. MIT states, “Gamification presents an incredible potential for learning and education, by teaching people to get attention over details, risk-taking and problem solving skills”.

The year 2020 will probably one that learning and development field will have a paradigm shift from its traditional ways to a culture that will be shaped as relevant and beneficial to employees, employers, and managers.