Key Findings & Highlights:

NelsonHall’s market analysis of the learning services market consists of 120 pages. The report focuses on learning services strategy for 2021 and beyond.

Organizations acknowledge that the shift to digital learning must be a mid-to-long-term strategic goal for their businesses, as 2021 dawns with the realization that the pandemic effects will loom long into the decade. Yet, social and technological change continues apace as the workforce becomes more multigenerational (each with their own learning needs) and the accessibility, mobility, and sophistication of learning tech increases.

Learning vendors have opportunities to adapt their businesses further as they seek to guide their clients on the future of learning in the new era of work. Learning services/solutions will be learner-centric, tech-enabled, and future skills-focused, determining how the specific learning areas of content, delivery, admin, tech, and consultancy evolve. Content will be created (where tailoring is required) or curated. Delivery will be mostly digital (with pockets of in-person learning to demonstrate skills/knowledge). Admin will be mostly automated, digital, or specialty (supplier management), and tech services will extend beyond learning tech, deployment, integration, and security. Consulting will expand to encompass all learning areas and be more strategic in focus.

As learning services mature, there is likely to be more market segmentation, as learning vendors choose to specialize in learning strength areas, mirroring trends in other areas of talent outsourcing.