Consider how fashion has changed since the 1960s. Sure, you might be tempted to don a pencil skirt or a sharp suit now and again, but it’s not everyday wear. Times changed, and suddenly, flares and platform shoes became a thing. But this also didn’t last – remember the huge shoulder pads of the 80s, the grunge look of the 90s, up to today’s smart casual wear. Each era had its own style, its own rules, and its own ideas. The look represented the time. But it’s not the only thing that changed remarkably.
Workplace learning has gone through an equally dramatic transformation. Back in the 60’s, learning meant sitting in a classroom while an expert talked. Workers learned their trade through apprenticeships or on-the-job training. Training manuals and constant practice were generally the only way you could learn.
Fast forward to today, and learning is almost unrecognisable. People can learn from mobile phones that have vastly more computing power than the craft that sent humans to the moon. Virtual reality lets people practice complex procedures without risk, and AI-powered platforms can create bespoke learning journeys. But, just like fashion, some classic approaches never truly go out of style – they just get updated. Apprenticeships are far less common, but they exist. As do training manuals, but they’re likely to be digital and hosted on the company intranet.
The journey from traditional classroom sessions to today’s digital platforms tells us a lot about how work itself has changed. It reflects shifts in tech, changes to how we think about education and ever-evolving expectations of what makes good training. To truly understand these changes, this blog walks you through the decades, to see how learning at work has changed. Let’s take a look.
The Swinging 60’s: The Golden Age?
The 1960s were what many people called the golden age of employment. A study by academics in Leicester suggests that although people assumed there were plenty of jobs available, they were easy to get and relatively stress-free, but this may not be the case. Some of that may be true, but workers faced similar difficulties to now and found work stressful, too. Lifelong learning started right there, all those decades ago. There was a huge pressure to get more training because those who had stayed on for further education or had taken an apprenticeship were in a better position.
However, the study also suggests there was conflict because of this – young workers who had finished their education found it difficult to get along with the 15-year-olds who had just finished high school and dropped into roles, simply because they were available. The younger workers struggled to connect with older colleagues, which must have been an interesting dynamic in the workplace.
The 70’s: Structured Support
The mid-1970s brought significant changes to workplace training. Two key programmes changed everything:
- The Work Experience Scheme (1976): This introduced workplace-based training for young individuals, aiming to bridge the gap between education and employment by providing practical, hands-on experience within real job environments.
- The Youth opportunities Programme (1978): This initiative expanded opportunities for unemployed young people by offering vocational training and short-term work placements to improve their skills, employability, and transition said skills to the labour market.
These were the first real attempts to help youngsters who couldn’t find work, giving them structured training to boost their chances of employment. Clearly, this was when people started realising that learning in the workplace had huge potential.
The 80’s: Tech Takes Over
The 1980s brought about massive change, too. World changing, in fact. Computers were brought in more widely, and this required a huge upskilling program to use them. Tech was rapidly advancing, and typically both parents in a family would be working too. That meant training had to adapt, too. What that meant was more instructor-led classroom training, to give the most people as possible the chance to learn. It also gave rise to one of our most dreaded experiences… the dreary PowerPoint presentation.
On the other hand, training videos became popular, but we doubt people back then would have found them as amusing as we do now. We’ve taken this idea and ran with it, though – YouTube is often the first port of call when someone wants to learn a new skill these days, and although the production is nowhere near as cheesy, it’s the same principle. The 80s was also responsible for early computer-based training methods, such as Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) and Interactive Video Training, which utilised basic software programs and multimedia to teach skills and concepts. This marked the beginning of technology-driven learning.
The 90’s: A Digital Revolution
Just a few years later, everything changed. Again. The birth of eLearning training as a concept in 1997 marked a pivotal moment in L&D history. With a new emphasis on advancing technology in every sector, L&D embraced it too. The new, expanding sector of IT created a need for skilled workers who could push this growth forward. And because computers were increasingly common, employers had to provide training for their workforce on how to use them properly.
In addition to the rise of eLearning, the 90s saw the growth of Learning Management systems (LMS) which allowed businesses to deliver, track and manage training more efficiently. It also saw the emergence of multimedia-packed CD-ROM-based training programs that provided both interactive and self-paced learning options.
The 2000s: The Government Gets Involved
During the 2000s, the government got involved in workplace learning. It issued the Skills Strategy White Paper in 2003 which had the aim of ensuring employers had the skills to support the success of their business and employees had the skills to be both employable and personally fulfilled. The White Paper spoke of building a ‘new skills alliance’, where every employer, employee and citizen played their part, by integrating what already existed and focusing it more effectively.
This was followed by the Leitch Review of Skills in 2006. That established targets to boost apprenticeships back up to 500,000 a year by 2020 to address low skills and skills gaps in the UK. The aim was to get to a position where 95% of adults had achieved at least a Level 2 qualification, and encourage employers to voluntarily commit to a new ‘pledge’ to train all eligible employees to this level or beyond. The idea would have made the UK a powerhouse for skills and knowledge, and outperform competing countries.
In 2008, the UK Commission for Employment and skills was formed on the back of the Leitch Review, and changed its approach to training for young people and adults to offer more training opportunities. This was a public body, rather than a specific government department, but closed in 2017.
Present Day: The AI Revolution
We’re now experiencing one of the biggest shifts in workplace learning history. AI isn’t just changing how we work, it’s actually transforming how we learn. Modern learning platforms can create personalised learning paths, adapt to individual learning preferences, deliver bite-sized content at the point of need, and track and measure learning outcomes much more effectively.
Perhaps now should be considered the golden age of learning instead? The evolution of L&D has made training more accessible than ever. There’s little need to schedule time away from work for training – employees can learn on their commute, during lunch breaks or whenever suits them best. They can do it on the device in their pockets and learn new skills in minutes.
Looking Back, Moving Forward.
It’s incredible to think how far we’ve come. The transformation of workplace learning since the 1960s has been nothing short of remarkable. There’s been a revolution of Learning and Development. We’ve moved from those rigid classroom sessions to flexible, personalised learning experiences.
For years, the assumption by L&D teams is that the best way to deliver a quality learning experience was by hosting conferences, or face-to-face classroom sessions. While some of these persist, they are generally used by companies with a more ‘old-school’ attitude to training, or those without the budget for more high-tech solutions. That isn’t to say they don’t work – they clearly do. But digital transformation has made learning faster, more efficient, and more cost-effective than anyone could have imagined back in the 60’s.
Today’s learners want training that fits their needs and development goals. They want content which is:
- Relevant to their role
- Available as and when they need it
- Easy to digest
- Practical and applicable
With AI growing and continuing to reshape the landscape of learning at work, we can expect even more changes ahead. Things like VR headsets, although already here, will likely be more commonly available to help us visualise solutions to complex problems. In the short-term, the future of workplace learning looks set to be more personal, flexible and effective than ever before.
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