Personalized learning experience adapts to 'exact skill or competency you're looking to develop,' says expert
As organizations grapple with ongoing labour shortages and the challenges of remote work, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and structured mentorship is becoming a cornerstone of modern learning strategies, according to one expert.
Mentorship and training are increasingly critical tools for retaining talent and accelerating productivity—especially as workforce tenures continue to shorten, says Cheryl Yuran, CHRO at Absorb.
“When you want to hold on to the talent, having engaging programs where the employee feels like you're investing in their future is incredibly important in order to retain talent,” she says.
Yuran highlights the importance of this approach in both training and mentoring.
“Reducing that time to productivity for an employee – knowing you might be dealing with shorter tenures than you typically had in the past – is very important as well.”
Currently, only a quarter (24%) of the global workforce is confident they have the skills needed to advance to the next job level in the near future, and just 17% of workers strongly agree their employers are investing in the skills they need for career advancement, according to ADP.
One way that employers can ensure that workers both enjoy and benefit from training and mentorship is by tailoring learning to their individual needs and personalities, says Yuran.
“You wouldn't want to treat a new salesperson the same as an experienced salesperson, so that personalized learning experience is going to adapt for their starting point and also the exact skill or competency you're looking to develop in them — rather than taking more of a one-size-fits-many approach.”
Making the learning experience uniform for everyone is “where you lose the learner,” she says.
Employers would be better off offering training and mentorships that address exactly what workers want and need to learn—rather than delivering generic programs that leave employees questioning their relevance, she adds.
Two in five Canadian workers feel pressured to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) for their job, according to a previous survey from, Robert Half.
AI can be a major asset for employers seeking to personalize the learning journey for staff, says Yuran.
She explains that with the Absorb learning platform, AI powers assessments:
Yuran also notes that AI can even adjust the pace of learning to suit each individual.
While it’s logical for learners to collaborate with their managers to develop an upskilling plan, “AI can help – through its history with that learner – understand how they like to engage with the tool,” she says.
“We can watch our analytics to see what causes higher engagement with that learner versus lower engagement with that learner and serve up more opportunities that are aligned with their engagement style.”
To truly maximize the power of AI in crafting personalized learning experiences, employers must be “very intentional” about their goals, says Yuran.
“Start with your business goals so that it is meaningful to the leaders in the organization as well as the employees.”
She also advises organizations to “be open to starting small and starting with good enough versus perfect.”
“We tend to try and build the perfect job descriptions and the perfect career paths. And it turns out, it doesn't need to be perfect to be really effective. So, allow yourself some grace within that process of learning.”
Here’s how mentorship can be effective, even in the hybrid work setup, according to one expert.
