How Gen Z is Reshaping Learning and Development, With GE Healthcare and GoHealth

The nature of learning and development continues to evolve across industries. Rapidly evolving technology is playing a pivotal role in how workers onboard, upskill, reskill, and more. While this impacts every individual in your organization, the reality is that each generation of workers has a different relationship with work culture, technology, and learning.

With this in mind, Class recently convened a group of learning and development technology experts—in partnership with the Association for Talent Development (ATD)—to discuss Gen Z’s role in learning and development, how their technological comfort level is impacting new strategies, and how their learning style is directly altering the speed with which organizations are providing L&D content.

Having the right conversation

Learning and development professionals understand that, in order to create effective outcomes, it’s crucial to understand the individuals taking part in L&D efforts so as to create appropriate strategies. Gen Z’s distinct approach to learning challenges L&D leaders to rethink not only the tools they use but also how they structure their programs. For Rosellen Beck, Head of HR Technology at GE Healthcare, this means leveraging existing technology in ways that align with the digital fluency of younger workers.

"[Reaching Gen Z] is actually a bit of a behavior shift on how we use tools. We've had quite a few tools in the ecosystem for a while, but we didn't think about how to leverage them when people are super comfortable," explains Beck. This behavioral shift is essential for meeting the expectations of a generation already comfortable navigating digital platforms.

She goes on to highlight the importance of adapting both the content and the delivery methods for a virtual setting, "What worked before when we had in-classroom doesn't translate [virtually], as we all know and have known even before the Gen Z population really took over in some of these spaces."

Beck’s emphasis on adaptability underscores the need for L&D professionals to not only create engaging content but also ensure it is accessible across various formats. She explains, "Having the right content, having adaptive content, making sure it's truly accessible in a variety of ways…The follow-up tools, the quick hits, the organization, so that when the learners and the employees are really curious, that it's easy to navigate and find that content."

The focus here is clear: meeting learners where they are by removing barriers to access and fostering curiosity.

Utilizing time wisely

But technology is just one piece of the puzzle. Another crucial element of working with Gen Z is understanding how important it is for them to obtain answers and knowledge quickly and as needed, vs., say, a large, comprehensive learning program that feels one-size-fits-all. Jay Fortuna, Senior Vice President of Talent & Operations at GoHealth, explains how immediacy is non-negotiable for Gen Z learners:

"Everything needs to be just in time. That is how [Gen Z learners] have gotten information. There's been no waiting. There is no, ‘Let me schedule time off and go sit in the classroom for a week.’ That wasn't how they grew up ingesting information…When you think about things like YouTube and TikTok and every quick hit platform, it's where you go, right now, just to find that I need an answer via just-in-time method."

This shift to just-in-time learning challenges organizations to rethink traditional formats. "When I bring them into a virtual environment, I don’t want them sitting there for four to eight hours," Fortuna explains. Instead, he advocates for concise, impactful sessions: "I want to be able to make it one hour, two hours tops, of really robust learning that they’re going to take away and then extrapolate that out with reinforcement over time."

Platforms like YouTube and TikTok have trained this generation to seek bite-sized, actionable content, making it crucial for organizations to deliver training that aligns with these preferences. Long-form training sessions now risk disengagement if not carefully designed.

Finding time-worthy, engaging L&D opportunities

As Gen Z workers embrace the technological advancements that allow for virtual training and other similar learning avenues, L&D leaders must find ways to ensure content is engaging, replicable, and worthy of time investments. Beck highlights this sentiment, "If I’m going to spend time learning something, is that going to drive my performance? Is that going to show up in a career opportunity? A gig? A project? What's the value toward what I'm actually doing every day?"

This focus on personalization and self-direction signals a shift in the role of L&D leaders, who must adapt to a workforce that expects greater control over their development paths. Beck argues that organizations need to let go of traditional control mechanisms: "We have to let go of this perceived control that we’ve had over the paths of our people and open the door to allow them to take the control."

She also emphasizes the need for transparency and alignment in skill development: "Does our talent have the visibility about what skills we’re actually looking for? And do they know what they need to do in order to build and grow those skills?"

For organizations, this means creating tools and opportunities that encourage skill-building and immediately demonstrate the benefits of those efforts.

Michael Chasen, CEO and Co-Founder at Class, adds that an important piece of that puzzle is data, which allows for increasingly better, replicable L&D content, noting, “The thing that's really the most important is us being able to actually measure all of this…As more of the learning moves online, more of it becomes trackable, and then we can start comparing and seeing how the outcomes relate to their involvement in the online learning process.”

Embracing the shift

For learning and development professionals, the transition to technology-driven strategies has been growing for years. Now, as a technology-literate generation becomes a more sizeable part of the workforce, it’s crucial to embrace this opportunity to unite all those technological leaps made in recent years with workers who can leverage them for faster, more effective learning and heightened outcomes.

Looking ahead, the lessons learned from Gen Z’s influence on L&D strategies can inform broader organizational approaches to training. As digital natives continue to shape workplace norms, leaders have the opportunity to innovate training programs not just for Gen Z but for the entire workforce, setting the stage for ongoing adaptability and success.

Interested in bringing the power of an intentionally designed virtual classroom platform together with the newest additions to your workforce to create notable jumps that distance you from your competition? Reach out to a Class team member today, and let’s get started. Want to check out the full webinar and hear everything our expert panel had to say? You can find the entire recording here.