The technology changes of the last 20 years are having profound effects on the workplace. Such changes not only affect the way we work, but the way we learn. Jobs today are becoming much more specialized and professionals need to be able to maintain a constantly changing skill set. This requires that workplace learning occur on a just-in-time and just-what's-needed basis.

The days of a single trainer providing job-related instruction are ebbing away. There are limitless possibilities for learning. A variety of electronic media are available to help workers transfer skills and knowledge into everyday practice and such aids can be embedded seamlessly within the daily tools that workers use. This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for training professionals. They will need to create more flexible and responsive learning and performance solutions.

In a world where technology and financial capital move across national boundaries with speed and ease, employees are the primary source of competitive advantage. Employees must be able to produce value-added, knowledge-based products and services. The emerging interest in knowledge management and intellectual capital suggests that firms are, in fact, attempting to manage and leverage knowledge (and the human beings who possess it) more effectively (Bassi, Cheny, & Buren, 1997).

It is becoming a significant business strategy for companies to invest in training and accelerated learning in order to maintain their viability in the marketplace. Simply investing in learning isn't enough. There is a concerted move toward more relevant programs whose impact and results are monitored, evaluated, and reported (Phillips, 1997).

As Bassi et al., report in Training Industry Trends (1997):

1. Advances in technology will revolutionize training delivery. Developments in hardware, computer networking, multimedia software, and videoconferencing have tremendous potential for multiple-site delivery and bringing training closer to people's work sites.
2. Training departments will find new ways to deliver services. To compete with the demand for quality instruction, they are creating structures to support networks of internal and external providers.
3. The focus on performance improvement will continue to increase. In a survey of training professionals at ASTD's 1996 International Conference, 89% of respondents "strongly agreed" or "agreed" that a shift from training to performance improvement is a top trend. Training professionals now borrow from such areas as organization development, industrial and organizational psychology, and strategic human resources to design and implement performance improvement interventions.
4. Organizational emphasis on human performance management will accelerate. More organizations are tying performance management to business goals, such as expressing goals in terms of cycle time, quality metrics, or customer satisfaction. They are also taking an interest in job analysis, evaluation, competency modeling, skill standards, and testing.