People and organizations must constantly develop new talents in order to prepare for the future in the face of fast change. And everyone is looking to L&D executives to chart a course for the future. To be successful, L&D professionals must first have a full awareness of their organization’s and people’s present skill levels. As a result, there will be more relevant and actionable data available. As a result, data enables L&D teams to act on insights by reducing skills gaps and creating customized learning programs that help people grow their abilities in line with company goals.

Data-driven learning and development is the way of the future.

While most business functions recognize the usefulness of data, the term “data-driven” has only lately gained traction within L&D teams. Data empowers L&D professionals to collaborate more confidently with executives throughout an organization to develop the most effective learning techniques, as well as providing the means to communicate your triumphs. And, with learning and growth opportunities being a primary driver of employee satisfaction, a skills-based approach to your workforce initiatives is critical.

There are three major advantages to placing data at the core of your learning and development plan.

1. Close skills gaps
Knowing your organization’s talent profile and future business demands can assist you in identifying and closing important skill gaps. Use these findings to create instructional content and a strategic path for improving those abilities.

Before deploying a big group of workers into new jobs, assess their knowledge, capabilities, and skills. Give them alternatives that are both a good fit for their skill sets and the best for the business if at all feasible. Once they’ve decided on a professional path, they should concentrate their learning programs on filling up the skills gaps necessary for the new position. Finally, assess the training’s efficacy as well as their performance to guarantee a smooth transition.

Our workplaces are always changing, whether as a result of external or internal factors. Your business and its personnel will be able to keep up and stay competitive if you have a well-oiled learning plan in place. It’s critical for L&D professionals to link learning paths to specific abilities. You’ll be able to track and quantify your progress in closing skill gaps this way.

Measuring progress in bridging skill gaps is a good approach to indicate how effective your learning strategy is. It not only allows you to pick the correct material for your students, but it also provides you with the data you need to grow and iterate on your future goals.

2. Deliver highly crafted learning experiences
Understanding your learner profile is necessary for developing a learning plan that results in high learner engagement.

In your Learning Management System (LMS) or LXP (Learning Experience Platform), combining qualitative data from employee involvement with quantitative data on learner activities like course popularity and completion rates will help you get a more complete picture of your learner profile. When you slice and dice these insights by function, team, job titles, and other factors, they become even more powerful. You can then utilize that information to inform your learning curation and ensure that learners are exposed to the most relevant and effective material.

3. Internal mobility and succession planning fueled in a fair manner
Putting skills insights at the center of your personnel strategy allows for a more considered, objective, and fair approach to talent development. You can track individual, team, and company-wide progress toward learning course completion and skill development using data insights.

In your performance management cycle, these KPIs should play a significant role. It can assist you in determining how and to what impact people are applying their newly gained abilities. L&D professionals may then collaborate with functional leaders and managers to create skills competencies that drive internal mobility and succession plans, ensuring that you’re hiring the appropriate individuals to lead your company into the future. By focusing on development and effect rather than tenure or office politics, this allows for a more egalitarian approach to internal mobility and promotions.