The Year of Training Citizen Developers

The rapidly-changing environment brought on by the pandemic year forced many companies to accelerate their digital transformation plans and implement automation within their organizations—seemingly overnight. Now, as we head into 2021, the focus on reskilling and upskilling the workforce has become more urgent to accelerate the growth of automation within organizations.

In a survey of 800 executives conducted by McKinsey & Company in July 2020, nearly 35% of the respondents said they “would need more workers skilled in automation, AI, and robotics, a reflection of the increased deployment of automation during COVID-19.”

To effectively deploy automation across an organization, there is a growing importance to empower business users (citizen developers) to streamline and automate their own business processes. As Robotic Process Automation-RPA becomes more prevalent and easier to use with low-code and no-code bot building options, offering effective RPA training for employees at any knowledge level to upskill or reskill is an important component in scaling and transforming your organization with RPA.

A study in May 2020 by McKinsey & Company showed that to emerge stronger post-COVID, companies need to start reskilling their workforces now.

Learning modalities

Learning new skills and capabilities has never been easier. Employees can bridge the skills gap with online and virtual learning programs. Standard learning formats include online learning (on-demand courses and programs), instructor-led training classes that can be delivered virtually, or blended learning, which incorporates online and virtual classroom instruction and hands-on learning. By offering a combination of these learning types, businesses can more effectively support learning within the flow of work and provide learning flexibility and feedback. Virtual instructor-led training classes, for example, provide learners with the opportunity to take dedicated time to learn and build critical skills with the support of experienced trainers and practical hands-on exercises, while online courses can be consumed on-demand.

Additionally, achieving credentials and certifications to showcase subject-matter proficiency, skills attainment, and knowledge are becoming requisite and can be a key differentiator for existing and future employers.

Empowering citizen developers in your organization

To scale automation and drive RPA adoption, organizations can offer training to business users to become citizen developers. Business users are closest to the process and productivity problems they want to be solved. With easily accessible online, on-demand, and virtual instructor-led training, business users develop their RPA skills and become citizen developers who learn how to build their own bots, streamline their own business processes, and improve their overall productivity.

The future of work is here

Being prepared for the next normal will be those organizations that can effectively scale their automation and train their employees to embrace, implement, and accelerate that journey. And, offering flexible and adaptable training programs that address different upskilling and reskilling needs will help drive that adoption. With easier no-code and low-code automation tools and the training and certification programs to support business users, the citizen developer role in organizations can help deliver longer-term growth.

Automation Anywhere University offers training programs and learning subscriptions to address all skill levels and RPA roles: online learning trails designed specifically to engage business users and get them started on their bot-building paths, virtual instructor-led training classes with hands-on participation, as well as RPA certification programs to showcase knowledge and proficiency.