How is learning different from training?
Often, the words training and learning are used in the same way. That said, the concepts are different in a key sense. If it is hard for you to know the difference between these words, don’t worry! You are not the only one. It is critical for HR professionals and leaders in businesses to understand how these words are different. Knowing the difference can help them understand what their employees need, serving various company needs, and improving performance overall.
So, let us take a look at the difference between training and learning in greater detail. We will study what they have in common, how they differ, and why all of this is important.
To begin, let’s go over the concept of learning. In the workplace, the concept of learning focuses on an individual consistently developing through the absorption of new knowledge, skills, and concepts. This type of learning can help both employers and employees get better at their jobs and be able to handle unexpected and challenging situations that may come up.
There are different kinds of learning. These types include verbal learning, otherwise known as conversations, written learning, learning through images, and a combination of these. Learning can be done through on-the-job experience, self-study, or mentoring.
Learning is a key part of a successful business because employees need to be able to perform at the best of their abilities. If they do not have the necessary skills or knowledge, they will not be able to perform for the company. An example of the kind of learning required is accruing organizational development knowledge for those in human resources.
The main reason for learning being a crucial component of the entire system is that employees cannot function at their highest level if they are not taught how to carry out a task. This includes particular expertise related to a position. A good example of this would be improving HR practitioners’ understanding of organizational development. It also requires interpersonal skills like handling conflict, negotiating skillfully, and successfully interacting with peers and customers. Here, the individual’s continuing development is the main concern.
The following are some traits of learning:
- Gaining and developing knowledge or abilities
- Having the ability to use one’s skills in a range of situations
- Learners must actively participate
- It’s a continuous process.
- Future-focused and long-term oriented
- Focuses on professional development
- Centered on the unique needs of each student
- It’s a shared experience with lots of interactions
- Learning takes place in small groups or one-on-one.
- The goal is to gain both general and conceptual knowledge.
- The facilitator’s job is to lead the conversation
- It is driven by learners
- Emphasizes values, mindset, attitudes, creativity, and results
- It teaches workers and employers how to learn
- Learning is directly in line with the goals of the organization
- It may be informal or formal
- People with various backgrounds and viewpoints on the subject may make up the audience, and they can both gain and contribute knowledge
- Development is cyclical
Learning is basically the process of taking in new information over time and remembering it. An employee’s talents and abilities may be further developed by this approach, which will assist them in achieving both the larger business goals and their own personal objectives at work. In addition to learning how to manage a particular situation today, the person also gains the ability to be ready to approach new challenges in a new way the next day.
What does training involve?
While learning focuses on obtaining and developing non-specific knowledge and skills, training deals with instructing and transferring specialized skills for a specific job setting. For instance, instructing staff members on how to use new software, improve shelf arrangement, or educate customer support representatives about a new product. Safety training and compliance training are two more types of training. While training is more of a one-time experience, learning may be thought of as a process.
Training focuses on educating big groups of workers how to carry out a certain task or copy the behavior that lets them function on their own without help from others on a daily basis. This can be done through online courses, workshops conducted in-house, e-learning, training courses, or in-person instruction with knowledgeable instructors at a training facility off-site. The ultimate goal of training is to boost an organization’s profitability by improving productivity and efficiency.
The main difference between learning and training is that the latter does not seek to change, grow, or broaden the learner’s perspective or conduct. Training teaches the student how to accomplish a certain task with a concentration on that task.
The following are some aspects of training:
- The act of providing particular knowledge or abilities is called training.
- Transferring knowledge is the goal.
- An organized educational process
- Requires the student to be passively engaged
- Centered on the short-term advantages and pressing needs of the company
- Training is typically given to large groups of students and is scaleable to hundreds or thousands of participants at once.
- The purpose of training relates to one specific aspect of the worker’s job.
- The information is consistent and repeatable.
- You can assess how well the trainee has understood the instruction.
- External teaching motivated by others
- Emphasizes performance, knowledge, skills, and ability
- Ideal for fostering the development of critical skills
- Maybe unrelated to the organization’s overarching goal
- It is a one-sided experience (that is, I am training someone or I am being trained). Usually, there is one expert and a group of less experienced people who wish to learn from that expert.
- You advance to the next level once you have mastered the previous one in a linear fashion.
It’s crucial to keep in mind that the purpose of training is to educate someone how to perform particular tasks so they can do them on their own, not to change their behavior. For this reason, upon entering the company, new hires usually undergo a series of training sessions. This kind of business training teaches them how to carry out their everyday tasks.
How training and learning have different roles
The primary differences between training and learning have been addressed, but why are those differences important?
Training and learning are not the same, despite their similarities. Your staff will occasionally find that training is the most effective strategy, and other times, learning will be more important.
Sometimes learning (as opposed to one-time training) can bring about a host of advantages for a company, such as a boost to team morale and happiness, better retention rates, and higher customer satisfaction and sales. However, it’s crucial to keep in mind that conventional training—which gives workers the know-how and abilities they need to perform their jobs—cannot be replaced by individualized learning.
HR professionals and leaders need to be aware that these are separate processes with different objectives. They will need to select the right strategy for the right situation and individual. Knowing this, you will also be able to establish specific goals for your training and learning programs, which will improve staff performance over the long run.
So, how do you decide what step to take next?
To determine what your employees need most, you can ask them specific questions and then make the best choice for them:
- Are your staff members asking for extra help so they can do their jobs better?
- Do your staff members want to interact with each other more?
- Which type of learning—active engagement or passive learning—do your employees prefer?
- Can you do multiple sessions with smaller groups, or do you need to present a package of materials to a large number of people at once?
- Are the majority of your staff members collaborators or individual contributors?
In conclusion
Though learning and training are clearly different from one another, both are essential to the growth and productivity of your employees. Understanding the major differences of learning and training will allow you to use each at the appropriate time. Thus, you can create learning plans and tactics that will help your company achieve its long-term objectives while also developing its future vision.
