Can managed services lead the way on learning?

It’s the oldest cliché in the book that the only constant in business is change but, from new technologies to geopolitical upheaval and economic headwinds, it’s never been truer.

One of the most important ways that companies keep ahead of those changes is through learning and development (L&D). L&D helps organisations prepare for future challenges and opportunities by upskilling staff in everything from AI to leadership to finance. It also offers accredited qualifications from universities, business schools, and specialist providers. And as new hires are becoming harder and more expensive to find, training current employees is becoming more important than ever. With an increasing focus on purpose, diversity and inclusion, and ethics, organisations also need to make sure that all their L&D is consistently impactful and properly aligned to its organisational values.

The current picture

Yet, despite these added demands, the L&D model for many large organisations remains fragmented. This means that purchasing power can be diluted and the accurate monitoring and measurement of L&D outcomes compromised. Let’s look at the current picture across the market:?

·?????? Global businesses typically spend tens of millions per annum on L&D, but often have insufficient management information to accurately measure value for money and return on investment.

·?????? Learning services are typically subcontracted to multiple suppliers, often through ‘one-off’ purchase orders without full governance, diluting purchasing power and adding to the procurement burden. And that’s before you consider commercial protections around data, cyber security, quality and DEI.

·?????? Central L&D teams will typically have a strategic overview of their organisation’s learning priorities but often have little visibility and control at the departmental level. As a result, knowledge gaps are not fully addressed, and broader business objectives are misaligned.

If you recognise any of the above, then it’s clear why action needs to be taken. I hope you’d also agree that the potential benefits of doing so are major and multiple: better alignment of L&D to strategic priorities, greater value for money, purchasing power maximised, outcomes properly measured, more management information and, most important of all, better tailored and higher quality learning outcomes at every level.

The role of managed services

That’s why I remain convinced that this is an area where managed services have a growing role to play. Not, I hasten to add, by taking on the whole task, but working with clients to get their arms around better design, delivery, management and monitoring of the learning and its impact. As a major provider of L&D programmes to global clients, we are increasingly working in strategic partnership to:

·?????? Understand the skills needed and prioritise learning efforts and spend accordingly.

·?????? Design and deliver the learning and leadership interventions that develop people and skills, drawing on a range of providers.

Monitor, manage and measure L&D to ensure quality, security and value for money

Drive continuous improvement and innovation in the delivery of learning.

Addressing the pain points

Taking a ground-level view of the difference such an approach can make, let’s look at the pain points being addressed for the three key stakeholder groups:

For the individual learner or their manager, identifying the skills gap and finding the right training provider can be difficult and time consuming. This makes it more likely that the easiest rather than the best option may be taken, with potentially long-lasting consequences. For the procurement teams, the volume of suppliers and the lack of visibility across the whole business make it hard to manage contracts on a day-to-day basis, let alone gain the oversight needed to maximise purchasing power. For the business, the link between the actual L&D delivered on the ground and its business strategy has become increasingly frayed, just at a time when it needs to be strong enough to power the company towards its objectives.

If you have sat through some training and thought that it just isn’t relevant, or it’ is outdated, it’s likely due to these pain points.

Why not reach for a different experience where learners, including you, will be better able to find brilliant learning that improves their career, motivation and performance

Looking ahead

Taking a different approach to create partnership with the right managed services provider can address this and deliver significant benefits, from greater efficiency, insight and value for money to better individual learner outcomes. In addition, greater visibility, consistency and control of L&D can help to bring organisations closer together, ready and able to build a better future.

To learn more about EY managed services and how EY teams can help, get in touch Managed Services | EY UK

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The views reflected in this article are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organisation or its member firms.

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