Millennial is a collective term that refers to the youth between the ages of twenty-five years and thirty-five years. Research findings show that one out of every three Americans is a millennial. 

The Millennials also happen to be the majority in the workforce. Generation X, on the other hand, are predecessors of millennials. Most companies have embraced the youthful workforce, and proper Training and communication help to maintain the workforce. 

You will need to know several factors involved in training millennials, but let us first look at some millennials’ characteristics.

• Most of them will not work for companies that ban social media.
• Half of the millennials do not believe in sitting in a classroom to learn
• Millennials significantly value knowledge as compared to just attaining degrees
• They are fond of working remotely
• They are faster than their predecessors in Learning and adopting new technology.
• They form the majority of the workforce in the world.

Let us now look at some useful tips and ways you can use to train millennials properly.

1. Tell the Millennials What They Need to Know

Millennials are fond of short-duration training programs that are straightforward. Because the youthful population is conversant with modern technology, training that does not involve technology will end up putting them off and disliking the training. 

Training in short bursts of between five and fifteen minutes is easy for the brain to absorb, retain, and recall in the future when needed. The generation cannot embrace training sessions that last for several hours packaged in long paragraphs. 

2. Make Learning Flexible and Accessible

The millennial generation does not believe in taking their lessons at a particular point or specific time. Make the learning process flexible for this generation goes well with them. Millennials like personalizing their training experience by learning where and when they want. Flexibility is also suitable for earlier generations especially for those that have already acquired some learning tricks.

3. Let Millennials Be Innovative in Their Execution of Work

Modern employees value independence and freedom while working. The employees can work and plan their daily activities from any location using their computers and mobile phones. A training program should incorporate the use of these essential devices.

4. Provide Useful and Easily Accessible Training Tips

Millennials like referring to their phones to seek answers for whatever questions they have. Sending training materials in the form of texts, videos, and interactive infographics go well for them. You can either use email, mobile applications, or texting rather than hard copy notes. This makes the learning process accessible to the employees.

5. Provide a Collaborative Working Environment

Create an environment where millennials can work from their colleagues and managers when they join the workforce. Learning from peers creates a harmonious working relationship because of the constant consultation with such training.

6. Commit to Continuous Learning

Business models and trends are continually changing with the advancement in technology to make them competitive. For your company to match the upcoming technology, you must be able to provide progressive training to your workforce. Failure to continuously train millennials will make them struggle while working, trying to recall information. Do not stop training in your company but make it a continuous process.

7. Get Your Game On

Millennials are fond of external motivation more than internal motivation. Awards praises and prices add inspiration and explode their competitive spirit. Make a habit of giving immediate feedback and results on any course you train this generation. Encourage projection of results on an online platform which highly increases the learning and retention capacity as well as raises the learners’ motivation

8. Merge Digital Training With Real-Life Activities

Millennials need training programs that match with real-life activities. Training best practices that incorporate videos, animations, and simulations are more real-life examples that are interesting to participate in and easy to retain. 

Progressive learning approaches promote transformation, engagement, and development of employees. Let the generation know the training outcome and how their skills will be beneficial to them and the company. They need to know how their skills will increase the company profit or how well they can use the skills in other companies where they aspire to work. Millennials are driven by purpose, and once they realize that the training has no tangible impact, they will stop attending it.

9. Believe in the Potential of the Generation

Millennials are workaholics, unlike the way media keeps labeling them as a lazy generation. You only need to provide them with the training that matches their skills, and they will use their potential to make your company grow. Millennial generation believes in changing the world.

10. Use Progressive Assessment

You can use quizzes for continuous assessment of the learners. Millennials do not like waiting for a whole year before assessing their progress. Testing your learner’s understanding will help you know the status of comprehension of each one of them. Discussions that arise from the quizzes will help you alter the course contents by covering less or more depending on your learner’s retention capacity

What Do Millennials Want in a Training Program?

Millennials want learning, development, and growth from a training program. It is vital to roll out a strategic learning program to offer these things to your young trainees.

For the Millennials who are digitally dependent, it’s vital that their training packages combine digital with real-life activities. Employee training that uses simulations and interactive videos are becoming more renowned in places of work. Away from making it enjoyable to take part in and watch, you’re also helping in information retention and memory. By occasioning, rewarding, and motivating millennial trainees for real-life application and interaction, a trainer is binding the millennials’ Learning in an effective manner.

To promote engagement, development, retention, and transformation, utilize continuous techniques in line with your progressive workers.

Most development and training departments have a variety of training they offer to their workforces. This customization is most attractive to the millennials who keenly filter through content. Similar to selecting courses at the college level, Millennials will look up to each other to see who up for what and when. Expect to experience improved turn up and feedback when there is an enjoyable variety of pieces of training to select from and take part in.

Millennials take an interest in knowing the intensity of progress they make in growing their career or skills. This may be since the generation grew up playing video games that continuously showed them their improvement with the game. Young employees in these times want to improve their assignments and attain practical feedback from managers. Assist millennials in achieving growth by giving feedback continuously. Feedback may either be from an employee resource group or the training.

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