Author: Chantelle van den Heever
Most corporate learning falls short. Not because employees lack motivation, or because the content is flawed, but because it simply doesn’t deliver results. Learning engagements are only effective if it leads to real change, and too often, it doesn’t.
Research suggests that a huge percentage of corporate learning programmes struggle to prove their ROI. Some estimates suggest as much as 70% fail to demonstrate a return (D2L, 2023). If your learning initiatives aren’t delivering real results, it’s time to take a hard look at why. Here’s what’s going wrong — and how to fix it
Too many learning programmes are launched without clear success criteria. If you don’t know what problem the learning is solving, how can you measure whether it’s worked? Training should be tied to specific business objectives with a clear way to track success.
Learning is often treated as a separate function rather than being embedded into the organisation’s broader strategy. If training isn’t designed to support key business priorities, it becomes a tick-box exercise rather than a driver of real change (Medium, 2020)
Most employees don’t see the value in corporate learning because it’s not designed with them in mind. Generic, uninspiring training that doesn’t connect with employees’ actual roles and career goals leads to disengagement — and wasted investment (Shift eLearning, 2024).
Learning doesn’t stop when the course ends. Without reinforcement, employees forget most of what they’ve learned within days. Training needs to be supported with real-world application, ongoing coaching, and embedded learning practices to drive real behavioural change. (Failure Lab, 2024).
Learning isn’t failing because people don’t want to learn. It’s failing because it’s designed the wrong way. At VSLS, we take a fundamentally different approach.
Our learning solutions are built to support business goals from the outset. We engage with stakeholders at all levels to determine the desired outcomes. Not just for the learning engagements, but for the business as a whole.
By aligning learning with organisational priorities, we ensure that while individuals gain the necessary skills and knowledge, their development actively contributes to advancing the company’s strategic objectives. This approach ensures that training is not just an isolated event but a catalyst for measurable business impact.
Engagement isn’t just a buzzword — it’s the key to making learning stick. We design our programmes to be interactive, relevant, and enjoyable so employees actively participate and apply what they’ve learned. To achieve this, we incorporate gamification, rich media, and strong information design to create visually stimulating and immersive learning experiences. We use humour to make content more approachable and relatable, ensuring that learning feels less like a chore and more like an experience.
Beyond engagement techniques, we ensure learning is meaningful by integrating real-life scenarios, case studies, and practical applications. This helps employees connect theory to their day-to-day work, making the content more actionable and impactful. By using examples that reflect their actual challenges, we ensure learning is not only engaging but also directly relevant to their roles.
One-off training sessions or isolated eLearning courses don’t create lasting change. We build learning experiences that extend beyond a single event, incorporating reinforcement strategies, coaching, and digital learning tools that keep knowledge alive long after the initial training.
Our approach includes learning on demand, providing access to just-in-time learning assets such as quick reference guides, cheat sheets, and video lessons. These resources ensure that employees can quickly apply knowledge when they need it most, reinforcing learning in real-world scenarios.
We don’t just assume learning works, we measure it. We work closely with learning management teams to create courses that provide opportunities for measurement, ensuring our learning solutions integrate seamlessly with an organisation’s LMS or reporting system.
Our courses are designed to be measurable, incorporating reflection questions that allow us to draw meaningful learner sentiment reports. We bring this all together in comprehensive learning gaps analysis reports, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring learning investment
If your learning isn’t working, don’t throw more money at the same old approach. Fix it. At VSLS, we create learning solutions that deliver real, measurable results. Visit www.vsls.com to learn more or email Chantelle@vsls.com to set up a consultation session.
