Blog: What does transfer of learning actually mean for your business?
In the current working climate, the process of training employees can be very costly in both money and time. Nonetheless, if the right people are chosen and their training is suitable to their needs and roles, the investment in their learning is irreplaceable.
What does transfer of learning mean?
Have you ever heard of the term “transfer of learning?” This phrase refers to learning in one situation and applying it in another.
There are three specific types of learning transfer:
- The transfer from old learning to new learning
- The transfer from learning to an application
- The transfer from prior knowledge to learning
It is certain that businesses are required to focus on how they are able to help employees transfer the knowledge from training to a real life situation in their roles.
However, this ‘simple’ task can be challenging. It is crucial to know how an individual has responded to training, and whether or not they have gained a comprehensive understanding during training. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always transfer to real life success.
There are 3 outcomes you can learn from this situation:
- Ensure you have clearly identified the learning goals – Before any training, it is extremely important you provide the aims of the training to the learner so they are able to continually refer back to this throughout the training and once they have finished. This helps to keep them on track
- Use real life examples for the learner to identify with – Instead of reading from a text book, try and place your teachings into real life contexts that the learners can interpret and understand
- Provide follow up support – just because the training has stopped in the classroom, doesn’t mean the learning has stopped
Whether you’re a Director or a Manager, if you see an employee underperforming in the workplace despite showing positive signs during training, don’t give up on them.
Instead, consider that the problem may be an issue with the transfer of learning.