2020 Predictions Revisited: Did COVID-19 Change Anything?

Last January, I laid out three predictions for the world of corporate learning and work, with an overarching theme that the line between work and learning would continue to blur. That was quite the understatement. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide in March, any sort of distinctions in our lives were erased - we were learning, working, teaching, and living in the same space. 

Given the vast changes to the corporate world over the past year, I wanted to ‘check my work’ and revisit these predictions to see where the pandemic has changed these trends.

1. Prediction: Companies will increase their investment in learning opportunities for workers, especially those in jobs that are eroding.

The pandemic sent shockwaves through our economy, with tens of millions of Americans losing their jobs since March. As the government deliberated over relief measures, individuals turned to their employers for help. The World Economic Forum’s 2020 Future of Jobs report found that there has been a four-fold increase in the numbers of individuals seeking out opportunities for learning online through their own initiative, and a five-fold increase in employer provision of online learning opportunities to their workers.  

Organizations have the power to be the driving pressure toward a collective solution for the future of education in the workplace, empowering workers with opportunities for continuing their education. It is both a moral and economic imperative for companies to implement education programs to help safeguard the future labor force, especially in 2021.

 Conclusion: COVID-19 has accelerated this trend.

 2. Prediction: The availability of online undergraduate credential programs will expand rapidly.

 Americans without college degrees were the hardest hit by job loss due to the pandemic. They also struggle to get new jobs since many listings automatically exclude applicants without a college degree. A new report conducted by McKinsey and nonprofit Opportunity@Work confirms this with findings that as many as 30 million U.S. workers without college diplomas have the skills necessary to earn 70% more. Often, the report claims, employer education requirements hold these workers back. 

 Companies like Google and IBM are starting to remove this requirement, but employers need to do more. One other way to enable workers to find jobs is to endorse or accept online credential programs. These programs break down degrees into smaller chunks of credit and skills; undergraduate ones were just coming to market in early 2020, but promise to revolutionize the learning and work experience for the 36 million Americans with some college credit but no degree. I expect more employers to shift away from degree-based job descriptions and instead look for the skills and key competencies to perform the work. 

 Conclusion: COVID-19 has accelerated this trend.

 3. Prediction: Workplaces will transition from transactional learning to a culture of lifelong learning.

 Creating a ‘culture of learning’ was an extremely hot buzzword in 2020, and will remain so in 2021. Especially as people continue to work from home, companies are looking for ways to engage and invest in their workers. The same McKinsey report found that employed workers are placing larger emphasis on personal development courses, which signals that the soft skills required to make remote work successful are in-demand. This is a trend we’ve seen with companies investing more in these skills as the pandemic continues to transform the way we do business.

 This year we’ll see companies making progress on turning that lofty goal into reality by focusing on skill-mapping and creating skill-based learning pathways. Expect to see ‘skills-based’ competency, training, hiring, etc. to be new buzzwords. 

 Conclusion: COVID-19 has accelerated this trend.

 A Year of Continued Acceleration

 Giving these predictions a grade, they definitely passed. We've seen them hold up and only accelerate throughout 2020. Perhaps a better framing of these are three realities that fellow learning and corporate leaders must come together to embrace, and feel emboldened to enact to drive their organizations forward. 

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com.