Smartphones turn new mentors for corporate professionals

With the growing usage of smartphones, tablets and laptops in the country, about 86 per cent of Indian employees prefer to enhance their corporate skills through mobile devices, according to a recent report.

"About 86 per cent of learners surveyed in India prefer to access learning on their mobile devices," according to a survey 'Learning and Development Trends in Asia Pacific' by cloud-based learning solutions provider Skillsoft. However, only 46 per cent of organisations surveyed in the country provide their employees with this option, it said.

The survey further said the other 54 per cent of respondents from organisations, which have deferred the implementation of mobile learning, cited network integrity and security as the prime barriers to adoption. "There is a noticeable shift across organisations in India towards the adoption of e-learning. The survey indicates that organisations are rapidly integrating learning programmes customised to individual development needs and also delivering it across platforms that include mobile devices and tablets," Skillsoft Country Manager, India, Vinay Pradhan said.

About 93 per cent of learners surveyed reported that learning directly impacted their work performance when customised to their individual needs, he said. The Skillsoft, survey includes data from more than 300 businesses and organisations across 20 industry sectors in Asia Pacific, with IT or technical services and education or training services representing 42 per cent of the sample.

It revealed that 67 per cent respondents in India saw growth in their organisational budget on learning over the last two years, whereas in the rest of the Asia Pacific region saw tightening of budgets on the same. About 75 per cent of companies in India spend around $ 800 per learner on learning and development, it said.

It also found that 74 per cent of respondents reported that skills gained from learning programmes had a direct positive impact on their work performance, while 81 felt they were able to effectively apply the skills gained from these. "The report has shown that both decision makers and learners are keen for more learning opportunities, and the e-learning market is set to grow," Skillsoft Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Glenn Nott said.