Training Professionals, We are the Glue - Inspiration from LSCON

I’m fortunate that I often find myself at industry conferences. They give me a chance to step back from my day to day to engage in learning, interesting conversations, and a new understanding of how Skilljar helps our audience, and sometimes, they inspire. Learning Solutions Conference got me excited about our industry, the future, and the role we, as training teams, play in it.

Looking to the future

The eLearning Guild has been looking toward the future and how education can impact that future for a while now. Keynote speakers have frequently been innovators and futurists, and that was equally evident in this conference’s keynotes.

This year I found myself particularly inspired by Nancy Giordano’s presentation. Giordano talked about how the innovation of today and tomorrow is impacting the way that we interact with one another in the world and in the workplace. She reminded us how fast the world is changing, and how new systems are being created to replace the old in every part of our lives, and how one person's inspiration is another’s greatest fear. One thing is clear - we have never before seen so much change come so quickly (and if it feels fast now, wait for quantum computing to pick up).

How does that apply to customer training?

Training professionals, I know this is a tall order, but I have news. We’re the glue. We are the people that will hold everything together during these huge transitions. Our work will enable team members to cope with new technology. It will fuel one’s inspiration and quell another’s fear, by changing the unknown into the known. As innovation moves at an exponential rate, it’s training teams that will be there to make sure that the skill gaps don’t continue to grow and divide the workforce. We are the people who will help everyone else stay up to speed, stay marketable as professionals, function in the new world. That’s a huge responsibility, but I find it exciting.

@egeeking (Bianca Woods)

As customer training professionals, that responsibility is not only to our students, but also to the companies we serve. At tech companies, we’re tasked with innovating and providing solutions that are valuable to our customers. Our jobs are so much more than teaching people new workflows - we have to help customers change behaviors and understand why they would want to embrace new technology. We’re there to make the transition bearable and help people succeed. I can’t wait to hear about how all of Skilljar’s customers solve these huge problems for their own customers, and companies.