According to LinkedIn’s 2025 Workplace Learning Report, 91% of L&D pros agree that continuous learning is more important than ever for career success. Because it not only keeps employees up-to-date, but it also keeps the organization competitive in today’s fast-paced business world.
Why is Continuous Learning Important for an Organization?
While there are several benefits to look forward to, here are some of the top reasons for US-based organizations to invest in continuous learning.
- Continuous learning enhances employees’ skills and abilities
- Continuous learning environments foster communication, collaboration, and engagement among team members
- It keeps the workforce up-to date with the latest industry trends and emerging technologies
- It contributes to achieving organizational goals
- It helps employees become more skilled and productive, making firms more competitive
- It encourages employees to explore new opportunities in their work and ensures professional development
- It helps retain top talent. According to the LinkedIn Learning Report, L&D opportunities are currently ranked as the No. 1 strategy for employee retention in the US.
Top Strategies to Design L&D Events to Promote Continuous Learning
Here are the essential tips you need to implement to design an L&D event that fosters continuous learning in your organization.
1) Use the 70-20-10 Model
Use the 70-20-10 framework to design the context around your L&D event. This module is being widely used by organizations in the US and NAM regions. It consists of 70% experiential learning, like on-the-job training, 20% from social learning like mentorship, coaching, peer discussion & collaborative projects, and 10% from formal learning like workshops, webinars, e-learning courses & certification programs.
70% Experiential Learning Example
For instance, if you are a marketing agency hosting an L&D event for your team, you can boost your SEO executives’ practical knowledge by allowing them to lead the project and increase direct communication with the client. Along with strategy, you can encourage them to proactively navigate potential technical errors and resolve them. Give them access to Google Search Console, identify the live errors, and find solutions for them. On the job, tasks like these build confidence under controlled conditions.
20% Social Learning Example
Here, you can encourage your employees to learn from their peers or colleagues. Hold a peer-to-peer knowledge transfer session where they will learn from each other, like how to leverage a new tool relevant to their project. Have a mentorship program where executives will hear from seniors about handling projects in real-time.
You can assign a group project where team members will need to engage in deep discussions and build a strategy to complete the task within a specific timeframe. Additionally, you can host a “Lunch and Learn” session where coworkers share the latest industry updates or discuss trends.
10% Formal Learning Example
Plan a classroom training program or a hands-on workshop to provide employees with practical strategies and ideas so they can easily address the daily challenges associated with the project. You can also create self-paced digital courses that they can access and learn from at their convenience.
2) Gamify Training Programs
In order to make learning engaging and effective, consider incorporating gamification features in your L&D events, such as leaderboards, points, and badges, into your corporate training program. Recent studies show that companies integrating gamification into training boost employee engagement by 60%, and 83% of employees who have gamified training feel motivated.
People learn naturally through play. It actually allows them to learn and understand complex concepts in an engaging manner. Whether it’s learning new concepts or acquiring new technical skills, gamification makes learning sessions exciting and entertaining.
3) Reward-based Learning
Rewarding learning is essential as it not only encourages employees to learn better but also develops a growth mentality. When employees see that their learning is seen and valued, they are more likely to learn new skills and implement them at work.
Here are some ways to reward employees for completing the training and development program
- Offer employees some paid time off
- Provide a formal certificate of training completion, which employees can add to their resume or LinkedIn profile
- Acknowledge them in team meetings or the internal communication channel
- Offer a flexible work schedule
- Offer gift cards like e-learning vouchers
- Offer physical gifts – tech gadgets like noise-canceling headphones
4) Create Personalized Learning Paths
Create personalized learning journeys to suit each learner’s unique needs, preferences, and styles. This approach helps employees acquire and learn the relevant skills faster and more efficiently.
Follow the steps below to build a personalized learning plan for your employees.
- First, identify your employees’ learning needs. Understand this through simple skills assessments or surveys. Consider scheduling a one-on-one meeting with them to identify their career goals.
- Allow employees to choose their learning module, such as live sessions, self-paced, microlearning, or more.
- Conduct an in-house training program that may include workshops, webinars, seminars, or online courses developed by your L&D team, and see which format they loved the most.
- Pair each trainee with a mentor or a learning buddy to guide them in their learning journey
- Use a Learning Management System (LMS) to track their learning progress
5) Build Learning Cohorts
During the L&D program, divide employees into small groups of 3 to 5. Once the training concludes, encourage these groups to meet once a week to discuss how they are implementing the skills learned in the training sessions and to share any challenges they are experiencing.
Working as a group helps individuals feel supported and learn new things from each other. This strengthens team bond, enhances collaboration, and ensures that learning continues beyond the formal training program.
Final Thoughts
Learning and development strategy is an ongoing process that drives a company’s long-term growth and success. A powerful L&D strategy not only fosters continuous learning in the workplace but also equips employees with the skills and abilities that propel the firm forward in the long run.
The five strategies covered in this blog can help you build a learning and development (L&D) program that drives continuous learning within a workplace. From using the 70-20-10 model, adding gamification to the training program, and rewarding learning, to creating a personalized learning path and building a learning cohort, these best practices help build a learning environment that empowers employees to learn new skills faster and ensures your organization remains agile and competitive in an ever-evolving market.
FAQs
The role of HR in L&D is
- Identifying the skills gaps in employees
- Developing upskilling/reskilling programs for current employees
- Enhancing employee engagement
- Developing L&D programs that contribute to individuals’ personal goals
- Designing a training program that directly supports the company’s long-term objectives
- Allocating funds for learning and development initiatives
- Define your learning and development goals
- Identify the employee’s current skill gaps
- Set your L&D budget
- Determine the training approach, such as workshop, webinar, on-the-job training, or more
- Align the training program with business objectives
- Create compelling training materials
- Host and evaluate your L&D event
- Continuously update the program to keep it up-to-date and remain relevant
