A report reveals Indian IT professionals wanting to reskill are finding online learning more effective than offline training

According to two new studies by Pluralsight, a technology learning platform, 69 percent of Indian IT professionals believe that online learning is a more effective learning method than offline training. Meanwhile, 90% of IT organizations are gamifying learning.

The findings of these studies provide insights into learning styles of the Indian IT professional and how gamifying learning is making it more interesting. Conducted by market research firm KANTAR IMRB, the studies surveyed 568 IT professionals across Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, NCR, Kolkata and Ahmedabad on how an IT professional in India likes to learn, his views on various learning methods, has he set learning goals for himself and how it links to his personal and career growth.

The second report surveyed 106 IT companies across the services and product space and looks at how the IT industry is making learning interesting with gamification, how many companies are adopting it and what experience bracket they believe is the right target for gamified learning.

Key findings from the studies include:
1) 97 percent of IT professionals believe in the importance of building one’s technology skills and 74 percent of them have undergone learning programs in 2016

2) 48 percent of IT professionals have set learning goals for themselves in 2017, those who did link it to career growth and better pay

3) 69 percent of IT professionals feel that online learning is more effective than offline training. Only 8 percent of IT professionals consider ILT (instructor-led training) to be an effective learning method

4) 74 percent of IT professionals want freedom in what they learn rather than being directed

5) Just-in-time, byte-sized and repeat learning are emerging as new learning styles

6) 94 percent of IT professionals feel personalization of learning experience, 93 percent feel byte-sized learning and 92 percent feel adaptive online assessments as key developments that will impact learning in next two years

Gamification in Learning
1) 90 percent of IT organizations are implementing gamification in learning, 80 percent find gamification relevant and unique

2) 47 percent of the IT industry considers employees with eight or more years of experience as the target audience for gamification, while 37 percent considers employees with 0–8 years as the target audience – breaking the myth that gamification is only for younger employees

What people want to learn
IT networking, web development and JavaScript are the top three skill areas for learning in 2017. When looking at focus areas according to profession, software developers focus more on web development, while IT operations focus more on IT networking and creative professionals focus more on Photoshop.

“With re-skilling being a critical need for Indian IT to prepare for a Digital-led future, it is important to understand how today’s technology professionals learn and how learning can be made interesting for them,” said Arun Rajamani, Country GM at Pluralsight India.

“Learning styles have changed over time and are becoming online, personalized and byte-sized. Online learning will play a key role in helping the IT industry reduce the skills gap by helping them assess their skills, find or build the right learning paths, get instant expert help and apply learning interactive labs. Learning must also be made interesting. It is exciting to see the rise of gamification in learning in India. Gamification brings in the 3 elements of progression, pride and play into learning and promotes a socially inclusive culture”, added Arun.

Pluralsight’s learning platform is designed to help technology professionals with a digital ecosystem of learning tools, including adaptive skill tests, directed learning paths, expert-authored courses, and interactive labs and live mentoring. These tools help inculcate a goal-oriented learning habit via Assessments and Skill Paths, support personalization of learning via Channels, and the modular design of courses helps address byte-sized learning needs of the learners.

“Skill development and learning is the key for all level of employees in today’s dynamic technology and business scenario. However, employees are not keen to go through traditional learning program because of several reasons such as paucity of time, ineffective teaching, boredom etc. This is where online learning can play a major role. Gamified learning not only makes the learning process more of fun activity, it also increases learner engagement and effectiveness. If implemented in right manner, gamified learning will enhance the overall learning experience for all experience brackets”, said Indranil Dutta, Account Director, KANTAR IMRB.