After years of training investments, most companies are still stuck in a loop of three-day workshops and completion certificates that fail to change behaviour.
Afri Training Institute (ATI) believes that the gap between how people are trained and how work actually gets done has become the most significant obstacle to performance, especially in teams with a growing share of Gen Z employees.
“Traditional training assumes stability. It is scheduled months in advance, delivered the same way to everyone, and measured by attendance rather than shifts in behaviour,” says Sandra Pretorius, GM of ATI.
“By the time the training takes place, the work has moved on. People return to their desks unchanged because none of it was anchored to the problems they must solve in the present.”
What ‘traditional’ looks like and why it misses
Legacy models follow a familiar pattern. Typically, companies conduct an annual needs analysis, use generic curricula, book a full-day in-person or virtual training session, use tests, and issue a certificate.
However, these are event-based rather than continuous, and they prioritise knowledge recall over on-the-job application.
In South Africa, they are often tied to compliance targets instead of business outcomes. The result is predictably high completion rates with low actual impact.
“Looking at this practically, consider a team who was struggling with slow responses to clients, even after attending multiple customer service workshops. Instead of booking another course, we introduced short daily huddles that focused on prioritisation and ended each day with a five-minute debrief.
“Within weeks, query volumes dropped, appreciation emails increased, and repeat business improved. That change came from embedding learning where the work happens,” says Pretorius.
The workforce has changed, but training has not
Today’s teams expect learning that is immediate, relevant, and respectful of their time, while providing the proper context. They want bite-sized content they can use now, clear links to progression, and managers who coach rather than perform annual rituals.
Gen Z makes that expectation explicit. They learn fast, they question inefficiency, and they disengage when tools or processes fight them. If growth stalls for two years, they leave.
“Gen Z is not a problem to be managed. They are an advantage when the environment allows them to apply ideas quickly. When someone asks, ‘Why not one shared sheet with tabs?’ that is process improvement. And smart leaders listen,” says Pretorius.
From HR programme to core business capability
ATI argues for a shift from calendar-driven, one-size-fits-all courses to a learning system integrated into the daily workflow of employees.
“Replace infrequent marathons with weekly micro-rhythms. These take the form of short “teach-backs” — just-in-time refreshers before a difficult task — and fast debriefs after client moments. The result is creating spaced repetition and immediate application, which is how adults retain skills,” adds Pretorius.
Additionally, companies should build scenarios from the organisation’s actual products, client objections, compliance risks, and toolset. Capability must be contextual, or it does not stick.
“Importantly, not everyone who is a subject expert is a coach. In one of our client programmes, a learner initially floundered under a mentor who was technically brilliant but offered little guidance.
“After switching to a mentor who explained, demonstrated, and then let them experiment, the learner’s confidence and accuracy soared. The right pairing can turn frustration into progress almost overnight,” says Pretorius.
Measurement is essential throughout this. Businesses should stop counting training days. Track signals of performance change. For example, fewer client escalations, faster cycle times, better handovers, improved quality checks, and retention with visible growth.
Personalisation is not a luxury
South African teams are diverse in background, bandwidth, language, and lived reality. That makes personalisation essential.
Map learning to role, experience, and aspiration. Use multiple pathways like short courses, peer learning, stretch projects, manager coaching, and quick reference tools. Align each intervention to a business goal and a behaviour to be observed next week, not next quarter.
Critically, build time into the workday. Pulling people off the floor for multi-day workshops is often impossible and counterproductive. Short, focused sessions, delivered close to the task and followed by practice, protect production and increase completion.
What good training looks like in practice
ATI replaced annual reviews with ongoing conversations. Weekly teach-backs keep learning alive, and feedback stays private and practical. When a team member shows new potential, the company evolves the role and rewards accordingly. That cycle of growth and recognition builds loyalty you can feel.
“Make applied learning the hero and celebrate the moment a new behaviour reduces errors or wins a client back. That is the point of training,” says Pretorius.
“The organisations getting training right are turning learning from an HR cost centre into an operational advantage. They are building systems that are continuous, contextual, personalised, and coach-led. They are measuring performance change. And they are creating environments where the next generation wants to stay and grow,” concludes Pretorius.