Some of the biggest companies around the world are opting to implement experiential learning by utilising technology to help employees learn across a range of industries.
This method of learning allows employees to undergo hands-on experiences and receive customised training which has been recognised as building emotional and social intelligence. Our experiences as employees, both inside and outside of work, often have a greater impact on our lives than classroom learning, which is why experiential learning is so highly favoured to bolster existing traditional learning.
For graduate employees, who may have spent the past three to four years sat in lecture halls and seminars, experiential training will likely be a welcomed fresh approach to learning. Utilising this method of learning for students is a great way to engage them and support them in understanding the workplace through involvement in ‘real-life’ scenarios ahead of being exposed to actual stakeholders.
Upskilling
Through offering a blended learning approach, companies can offer employees the potential to team their classroom learning and paperwork with experiences which will seek to upskill them and as a result, built more capable employees.
Upskilling is important to ensure that a business can retain its stakeholders, through the work their employees do. By guiding graduate recruits through the process of managing stakeholder relationships within an experiential learning experience, they can better understand processes in a safe environment which will offer them the capability to test out new approaches and ideas with confidence.
Upskilling through experiential learning also improves the overarching value of a business. Employees are better able to improve their skills in an interactive training environment and through hands-on activities. This allows them to grow their knowledge through experiences, solving day-to-day business challenges and then passing their knowledge on to colleagues, through both their actions and internal knowledge sharing opportunities.
One of the key benefits to a company of upskilling through experiential learning is the capability to boost employee retention by minimising some of the core reasons for employees leaving. Through encouraging employees to seek out new skills, not only for the benefit of the organisation but also to fuel their personal interests, a business is likely to see an increase in productivity, improved overall happiness and employees will be in a more desirable position to move into management positions or develop the potential to become a mentor.
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is quickly become recognised as a core skill required in business, particularly for those in leadership, therefore developing this across the board, within new recruits and graduates, will result in a workforce of people who can exert this skill in their daily responsibilities.
Emotional intelligence can be built through experiential learning and allows individuals to grow into balanced and holistic leaders. The skills encompassed allow people to be more effective in terms of their decisions and behaviours and allow them to communicate their visions and strategy to their team and drive loyalty.
Through a degree of uncertainty, which can be established through an experiential approach to learning, emotional reactions can be invoked in people, and compel them to act in a particular way. These challenges can move learners to increase their self-awareness and build emotional resilience, whilst also growing a better understanding of how their actions and decisions affect the wider workforce and business. As a result, companies can utilise this approach to reveal graduates who should be fast-tracked or nurtured further to become the management team of tomorrow.