Top Ten eLearning and Training Topics for 2012

As elearning continues to comprise a growing portion of the overall mix of corporate training and learning initiatives, elearning developers are eager to position themselves ahead of the curve. What courses are in demand? Where can they differentiate their services? Based on data from our own marketplace and industry-leading analysts, here’s our Top Ten eLearning Topics for 2012.  

The 30,000 Foot View of eLearning

From a high level perspective, the broadest categories of interest are management skills, compliance content and industry- or product-specific knowledge. This means people are using elearning courses primarily to develop new leaders, meet regulatory requirements and - perhaps most importantly - develop the specific technical skills their companies need to grow.

Finally, beyond elearning content targeted to all the topic areas we discuss below, companies are looking for new kinds of content. Not just texts, presentations and videos - but games, mobile content and flexible ways to share content with peers and colleagues. If you’re creating elearning content, think globally about all the different ways people learn, discuss, share and practice new skills.

The Nitty Gritty: Top 10 Training Topics for 2012

1. Technical, technical, technical - From information technology and systems administration to software engineering or mechanical engineering, corporations are seeking technically skilled individuals to support the growth of their products and services in the information economy.
2. Management and executive development - As baby boomers retire, organizations need managers with diverse leadership skills - and they’re investing in leadership training, including team-building, information management and communication courses.
3. Mandatory compliance topics - They’re essential but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring. Organizations want a new spin and a new way to deliver stand-by, essential training on topics like sexual harassment, workplace violence and data security.
4. Remote work skills - With increasing numbers of employees working remotely, from home, or as a member of virtual teams distributed all over the world, today’s organizations need tools to develop collaborative distributed workforces.
5. Conflict resolution - This includes the kinds of conflicts that must be mediated in team environments within an organization as well as arbitration and mediation skills used to resolve disputes over contracts between partners.
6. Going green - This is more than just a “trendy” topic - developing sustainable practices in your office saves money, reduces environmental impact and adds a new connection to your community - building name recognition and goodwill.
7. Construction skills - This includes everything from safety and technical skills to green building skills and training to b necessary to build LEED-certified buildings.
8. Communication and interpersonal skills - Always a hot topic, no matter what! Organizations need content targeted and improving between employees, among teams and with customers and partners.
9. Customer service and sales - The difficulty of both sales and customer service jobs is underrated! It’s not easy to be persuasive, effective and support satisfied customers - but there are techniques employees can learn, practice and develop. Develop the content to make employees into customer superstars.
10. Basic Skills - For new employee orientation and others transitioning into new job roles, basic skills like computer operation, business writing, telephone communication, business etiquette and Microsoft Office applications are essentials.

Questions? Suggestions? Ideas? Add them in the comments! 

To build this list, we have combined data from searches and sales on our site with industry data, from ASTD, Bersin and Associates, BrandonHall Group and the eLearning Guild.

Image Credit: duncan on Flickr