Training: the next generation

Image by angermann via Flickr

A new breed of employee is entering the Irish workplace, and according to some commentators they’re set to radically change not only the way we do business, but the way we teach it.
Young workers today are the first generation that has grown up in a “wired” world. From birth they’ve been surrounded by technology: by computers, mobile phones, the internet, e-mail, instant messaging and more. They’ve grown up with it, watching it evolve and accepting it seamlessly into every facet of their lives. It’s changed the way they think – and by extension the way they learn.
According to international education consultant and author Marc Prensky this generation of technophiles – a group he dubs “Digital Natives” – has a tremendous amount to offer employers, who should be looking to harness their unique talents.
“This generation is better than any before at absorbing information and making decisions quickly, as well as at multitasking and parallel processing. In contrast, people age 30 or older are ‘digital immigrants’ because they can never be as fluent in technology as a native who was born into it,” he explains.

“In the old days, new workers were considered people who didn’t know anything and who had to be trained to do things the way the company did them,” he said, “but young people expect from day one to be making contributions. Technology is altering the face of organizations in more ways than just by improving productivity, and smart managers would do well to pay attention to what this technologically savvy generation has to offer.”
That’s not to say that today’s tech-savvy new employee doesn’t need training – they do. It’s just that their training needs, and the means of delivering that training effectively, is likely to be substantially different and, argues Prensky, employers need to reform their training accordingly.
Traditional education – whether in the school classroom, the corporate training room or through online e-learning – conforms to the basic “tell then test” model. It’s linear, sequential and methodical. The “Digital Native” trainee, in contrast, is “programmed” to process information in a different way. They’re accustomed to multitasking; to instant, random access to the information they need; to near constant feedback, interactivity and multitasking. Confronted with the traditional learning model more often than not a “Digital Native” simply tunes out.
Reaching this next generation of trainees is a challenge for employers. It demands that they re-examine their training based on the specific needs of their younger employees, and developing new and creative ways of delivering that training.  They need to engages and instruct the “Digital Native” through language and media that they understand.
Large multinationals are already doing it: employing a variety of training methods that embrace new media – including digital game-based learning – to make corporate education entertaining, engaging and relevant for their “Digital Native” employees. It’s a trend that’s still in it’s infancy, but with companies keen to reap maximum reward from a multi-talented new generation of employees, it’s one that looks set to continue.

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