Skillsoft's 2015 Research Report Reveals Strong Growth...
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Skillsoft's 2015 Research Report Reveals Strong Growth Potential for Mlearning in Asia Pacific
-Organizations must evolve training and development programs to keep up with technology and the learning needs of an ever-increasing mobile workforceSINGAPORE/PRNewswire/ -- A new report on mlearning has been released today by Skillsoft, a global leader in learning and talent management. The State of Mobile Learning in Asia Pacific highlights key insights into the availability of and preferences for mlearning, as well as challenges and concerns which impact the implementation of mobile learning in Asia Pacific organizations.
The State of Mobile Learning in Asia Pacific: How mobile is shaping cloud-based learning reveals gaps in thelearning and development landscape in the region and identifies ways in which organizations can utilize mlearning to address these challenges. The regional study collected 545 responses from decision makers (individuals who manage a budget within an organization for Human Resources or Learning & Development) and learners (individuals who do not manage Human Resources or Learning & Development budgets and receive training in any form) across 16 countries and territories in APAC [1].
STRONG GROWTH FOR MLEARNING IN ASIA PACIFIC
"Skillsoft's report indicates that there is strong growth for mlearning in Asia Pacific, with two thirds of decision makers having already adopted or having plans to adopt mlearning," said Glenn Nott, Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific, Skillsoft. "With the uptake of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in 72 percent of organizations in the region, there is an enormous opportunity to adapt, shape and align mlearning programs to learners' needs and organizational goals."
One key finding revealed that learners prefer to be involved in the design of skill development programs created for them, with 63 percent of the respondents who are adopters and users indicating that they have been involved in some aspect of mlearning development or planning. Organizations should consult their learners in the training and development planning process to ensure that learning is targeted, relevant, and engaging, while aligned with business objectives.
MLEARNING BENEFITS OUTWEIGH THE COSTS
Respondents who currently have access to mlearning believe that the benefits outweigh the costs. The top benefit cited by more than three-quarters of both decision makers and learners was an improvement in efficiency at both the organizational and personal level. Investments in mlearning proved to yield tangible returns, with improvement in business results ranked as the second most common organizational benefit after adopting mlearning.
According to the report, topics that have the most unmet demand were skill training and best practices for enhancing productivity. Leadership development and training topped the list of desired mlearning content that employees (55 percent of users and potential users) want access to on mobile devices but only one-third of organizations surveyed currently offer training on Leadership. Organizations must shift their focus to leadership development and training of current employees across all levels in order to build an internal leadership pipeline.
Mobile users want a full, rich learning experience on-the-go, and on devices that are easy to use and empower them to be more productive and efficient. Skillsoft's study identified that interactive and visual formats are most effective for mlearning (indicated by 64 percent of the users and potential users) and that 66 percent of such users desired learning and development programs that can be assessed on demand and in sessions lasting not more than an hour. Additionally, smartphones were ranked as the most preferred device with "ease of use" being the most common factor for mobile learning device selection.
Organizations that have yet to adopt mlearning as part of their learning and development cited additional operating costs (56 percent), security and infrastructure concerns as key inhibitors.
"Organizations must consider the hidden cost of inaction. The cost benefits of making learning and development more accessible to the workforce, which drive increased productivity, efficiency and build a competitive edge, outweigh the inhibiting concerns," Mr. Nott said.
MLEARNING TRANSFORMS TRAINING DEVELOPMENT
The report indicates that out of all the respondents who have access to mlearning, more than half (57 percent) believe that mlearning makes learning resources more accessible, and 46 percent of respondents believe that mlearning is a good mechanism to infuse learning into employees' daily workflow.
The report findings demonstrate how organizations have the opportunity to transform the way they deliver training and development through content, formats and session lengths that resonates with and engages their learners, resulting in a greater return on investment and proves that organizations that leverage mobile learning successfully achieve greater employee and organizational effectiveness and business impact.
About the Report
Few global studies have provided insights into the Asia Pacific landscape when it comes to mlearning trends. The report seeks to better identify and understand the availability of and preferences for mlearning and the concerns and challenges that impact the implementation of mlearning in organizations.
Over 545 decision makers and learners from 16 countries in the Asia Pacific region were surveyed. This study collected responses from Senior Managers and key Decision Makers in charge of department budgets and learning/training in organizations across the Asia Pacific region. The study also surveyed Learners who have access to learning programs within their organization to gain a broader perspective on views and applications of learning, and specifically, mobile learning. Decision Makers and Learners were then further classified depending on whether their organizations had adopted mobile learning, intended to implement mobile learning, or did not have plans to launch mobile learning.
Download The State of Mobile Learning in Asia Pacific: How mobile is shaping cloud-based learning.
About Skillsoft
Skillsoft is a pioneer in the fields of learning and talent management with a long history of innovation. Skillsoft provides cloud-based learning solutions for its customers worldwide, ranging from global enterprises, government, and education to mid-sized and small businesses. Skillsoft's customer support teams draw on a wealth of in-house experience, flexible delivery platforms and a comprehensive learning e-library to develop off-the-shelf and custom learning programs tailored to cost-effectively meet customer needs. Skillsoft's courses, books and videos have been developed by industry leading learning experts to ensure that they maximize business skills, performance, and talent development.
Skillsoft, the Skillsoft logo, Skillport, SkillChoice, Books24x7, and learning-centric Talent Expansion are a partial listing of the trademarks or registered trademarks of Skillsoft Ireland Limited in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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[1] Australia, Burma, Cambodia, mainland China, East Timor, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand.
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