YouTube is a powerful L&D resource for younger employees.
Organizations must capitalise on Gen Z's affinity for online video content because every generation learns differently.
People born after 1997, known as Generation Z, will make up 27% of the workforce by 2025. They are the oldest, most educated, and most varied generation ever, and their influence on society will be felt for many years to come. Their point of view and expertise will have an impact on everything, from politics and business to culture and climate change.
Gen Z is the first generation to have truly grown up in the internet age, and they adore YouTube more than any other. Younger generations, including 85% of teens, are lured to YouTube in the same way that Gen X and Baby Boomers grew up hooked on watching TV. Why? What draws people in? There are principally two causes. YouTube is both a great source of entertainment and educational material. And as any effective educator is aware, when learning and fun are mixed, the consequences are extremely potent.
YouTube has gradually altered how individuals study and how teachers instruct over the past ten years. Independent research supports this association. According to a recent Think with Google survey, 68% of Gen Z teens believe YouTube has helped them grow or acquire skills to better prepare for the future, and 80% of Gen Z teenagers think YouTube has helped them become more knowledgeable about something.
Consider the effect "Study with Me" videos had on keeping pupils motivated during the pandemic. Thousands of new content producers have emerged as a result of educational platforms like the Khan Academy, all of whom are committed to assisting audiences in learning — whether it be academic material, hobbies, artistic abilities, science, self-care, or business and personal growth. Other online video learning platforms, like Udemy, Coursera, and Udacity, have grown as a result of this.
But it goes beyond Generation Z.
YouTube's appeal is considerably broader even though it is particularly good at getting younger people interested in learning. According to YouTube's own statistics, 72% of users between the ages of 36 and 55 are also learning on the site.
Although Matthew Syed and Malcolm Gladwell are well-known, a whole new crop of YouTube stars who specialise on productivity and personal development has millions of subscribers. Additionally, these content producers target audiences that are extremely diverse in terms of race, generation, and gender. People like Lavendaire, Thomas Frank, Matt D'Avella, Jay Shetty, and Ali Abdaal. L&D professionals can engage employees of all ages, from all backgrounds, and from all origins by making YouTube the focal point of a future-focused learning approach.
YouTube has incredible educational potential, and best of all, it is totally free. What makes these videos so effective for learning, exactly? The fact that YouTube attracts the most innovative creators of educational video and top educational authorities is one of the main reasons why its content is so valued and of such high quality. The very finest YouTube content can be sublime and is superior to any material available in locked learning institutions. One of its most important advantages at a time when "levelling up" is such a top socio-political aim is that it is also widely accessible.
The internet has long been thought of as a fantastic leveller. With a little study, you can find that the content available, particularly when it comes to YouTube, is of the finest quality. This has opened up the possibility of widespread free education. According to Salman Khan, the creator of Khan Academy, the largest school in the world both online and off, YouTube will be remembered in history alongside writing and the printing press for ushering in a new era of learning that is accessible to everyone, totally free, and of exceptionally high quality.
There are more advantages to think about. Along with being physically accessible, the video format also makes it simpler for everyone to understand what they are learning. Videos offer a wider range of learning requirements and learning styles than traditional classroom methods. Reading books and instructions is not for everyone, but YouTube is quick and easy to use. You can take notes, pause the videos, and rewind or replay individual clips a number of times.
It's unfortunate that fewer organisations are utilising the resources that are available given how tight L&D funds are right now due to the pandemic. So much corporate training still takes place in lecture halls or exclusive content repositories. How may businesses be utilising the greatest and best learning resource on earth?
How to maximise the educational material on YouTube
Because there is so much content on the network, content curation is the single most crucial component. To satisfy the business's training needs, YouTube content must be found, filtered, organised, and contextualised. There are now tools available to make this work simpler. Think about incorporating news events with essential subjects in themed weeks; two examples are corporate sustainability and health and wellbeing.
With such support, it won't be long before people begin to focus on self-improvement and ongoing education, which are essential for achieving professional success, adjusting to change, and advancing organisations.