Looking ahead to 2013?  I'm sure you are… we've only got a few days left until the New Year.

What's ahead in the training world?  Can we expect any big changes moving forward?  According to Sandi Edwards, senior vice president for AMA Enterprise, “Employees today know more about T&D's role in their careers and are savvier about tapping into opportunities from their companies and also external sources.”  An article in The Society for Human Resource Management discusses 5 primary trends we can expect to influence the training environment come 2013. 

Ready for change?  Here's what we may see:

• Training executives are becoming more transparent and open about training policies, practices, and expectations.  Training leaders are expected to clearly outline performance review criteria and be open to discussing changes in corporate strategies and management succession.  The name of the game is clear expectations.
• Coaching programs will be monitored and scrutinized.  This type of training method will continue in the workplace, but its level of scrutiny will increase while the funding will be monitored and tested for a sufficient return on investment.
• Basic-skill training is expected to reemerge.   In light of recent budget cuts, basic training programs took a back seat to highly specialized training programs which were deemed more valuable at the time.  Now that we're over the hump, expect to see basic training programs reappear focusing on creative thinking, communication skills, teamwork, and productivity.
• Companies will turn to training programs to ensure employee loyalty and retention.  Many companies are experiencing restless employees and unfortunate turnover.  Training programs will be the solution to strengthen internal relationships and employee productivity.
• Learning is still going mobile.  Training and development learning tools will remain highly flexible.  A conjunction of social media and Web 2.0 learning programs will continue to influence and shape mobile training tools.

Seems like the underlining theme of the 2013 training trends is that we're moving “back-to-the-basics” and looking to develop raw, honest training programs that outline clear expectations and emphasize employee fulfillment, productivity, and satisfaction.  That -- and that we're still moving toward mobile solutions. 

… and we're down with that.