What Next Gen Learners Want From eLearning In 2025

Posted on by Kathy Hamill

In 2025, it is estimated that over half of the workforce in Australia will be comprised of Generation Z (those born 1995-2005) and Millennials (born 1983-1994).

Why is this important for HR and L&D professionals? Because for the first time, a dominant generation of workers will be expecting, dare we say demanding – a different approach to career and skills development.

Recent Research On The Next Gen Worker

As we approach 2025 there has been a lot of discussion about skill-based hiring, but little talk about what skills are needed and how to train for them. Soft skills? AI skills or other technical skills?

  1. According to Microsoft’s new Work Trend Index Report, 76% of employees believe they need AI skills to remain competitive and to fit into an AI-focused future of work.
  2. Deloitte’s 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey reports positive perceptions of Generative AI increases with more hands-on experience in the workplace.
  3. Global L&D leaders Fosway have suggested a shift in L&D priorities and learning strategy in the modern era point to upskilling and reskilling as a top strategic priority for learning.

Gen Z are entering the workforce at the perfect time. And while they are least likely to have work experience, they’re the most likely to have already experienced online education. However, they will still need upskilling and reskilling.

According to Mark Perna, a generational expert, they need preskilling. Pre-skilling prioritises so-called “soft” (or professional skills) such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication (social and presentation skills) and emotional intelligence (EQ) as key areas for young people to develop before cultivating other skills that might evolve over the years.

A Go-Forward eLearning Strategy Into 2025

So what should organisations do to move forward next year? A winning strategy that future-proofs your workforce and motivates the Next Gen (Gen Z and Millennials) should look like this:

Deliver Engaging eLearning Experiences:

  • Short & Engaging: Bite-sized microlearning with videos, and infographics.
  • Interactive & Immersive: Gamification, virtual simulations, and case studies for practical application.
  • Visually Appealing: Graphics, videos, and infographics to enhance retention.
  • Personalised: Adapt to individual learning styles and progress.
  • Social Learning: Facilitate communication and soft skills learning with peer-to-peer interaction, feedback and knowledge sharing.
  • Mobile-Friendly: It goes without saying, eLearning must be accessible on smartphones and tablets.

Acquire A Learning Hub With Multi-Tool Capabilities

  1. Flexibility To Experiment With Emerging Learning Technologies – To integrate engaging and interactive modalities into your L&D programs, requires organisations to evolve and stay ahead by experimenting with new tools like AI, virtual reality (VR) and gamification. These tools can create immersive learning environments and capture the attention of Millennials and Gen Z, who are used to gamified, visually rich experiences in their personal – and professional lives. Access to these tools gives organisations the flexibility to test and implement in a controlled environment, fostering continuous innovation in how learning is delivered.
  2. Synergising Tools for Maximum Impact – The ideal learning ecosystem requires numerous specialised tools and content management systems, collaboration platforms, assessment technologies and engagement analytics. Your organisation can achieve greater synergy with a one-stop-shop that integrates these disparate tools into a unified platform that works seamlessly together. This holistic learning experience not only enhances learner engagement but also optimises efficiency.
  3. Data-Driven Personalisation – Valuable data tracking progress, engagement and learning preferences are just some of the learnings derived from a learning hub. This generation expects learning to be personalised, adaptive and driven by their individual needs. By analysing data, organisations can provide personalised learning paths that adjust based on performance and engagement levels.

The rapid evolution of technology, the incredible impact of AI on the future of work, coupled with the unique learning preferences of the younger generations, is transforming how organisations deliver training and development going forward.

Seamless, interactive and on-demand learning experiences that cater to their need for immediacy, relevance and engagement, require organisations to have a centralised, digital platform that enables the integration of cutting-edge technologies and fosters synergies between diverse learning tools.

Introducing The Studio By ELB Learning

This is one of the reasons our partners at ELB Learning created The Learning Creation Studio – a studio of tools to create all kinds of engaging eLearning using the world’s leading technologies for:

All with a single organisation login.

For a demo and walkthrough of The Learning Creation Studio with our expert team, contact us below:

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