Why successful companies view learning as a boardroom priority

Why successful companies view learning as a boardroom priority

Anthony Tattersall is the vice president of Europe Middle East and Africa at Coursera

Business in the UAE has traditionally been face-to-face, and the same is true with enterprise learning. Many believe that stronger connections are built with in-person learning and that participants are more engaged with course material if they're in physical sessions. Additionally, training is seen as a perk to recognise the success of hardworking employees.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic wiped the opportunity for face-to-face learning out almost entirely. According to WEF's Future of Jobs Report, nearly 80 per cent of businesses in the UAE have accelerated their business digitisation because of Covid-19 - and a big part of this has been delivering virtual learning to ensure the skills and accreditations of their employees remain current.

But moving Learning and Development (L&D) online hasn't been an easy task. Companies have had to find content and technology partners to deliver learning at scale to fit fast-changing business needs. They've had to work quickly to ensure that staff can access materials and, crucially, that employees realise that a move online doesn't mean compromised quality. The good news is that a culture of open-mindedness and a willingness to diversify has always resulted in the